The leadership-AI comms playbook
Advising your leadership on talking about this new tech.
With AI becoming a part of nearly every discussion about the future of the workplace, it’s key for leaders to know how to talk about it with their employees. From how the applications of AI tech will impact individual workflows to creating required guardrails, communicators should actively formulate an AI communications playbook for leadership.
“Leaders often assume employees are informed about AI strategy, but most aren’t,” said Chris Gee, founder of Chris Gee Consulting. “Executives know the strategy, the intentions and the long-term vision. A lot of the time, employees are in the dark. With AI there’s both fear and excitement — you simply cannot overcommunicate. Leaders should assume they’re not saying enough, because in most cases they aren’t.”
Here are a few tips and tactics to ensure you and your leaders are hitting the right comms buttons with regard to AI.
Communicate your guardrails as pathways for innovation — not restriction
Any AI comms plan needs to clearly express the rules and regulations for AI use in an organization. But they don’t need to come off as a draconian set of regulations. Instead, they should form the framework for leaders to tell their employees the many ways in which they can get creative with AI in their jobs.
Kyle Fondren, executive director of web strategy at The University of Alabama, recommended that leaders and communicators communicate what the guidelines are clearly — and most importantly, the why that underpins all of it. That can help keep the message from leadership positive.
“We just released our first guidelines for AI use in communications and marketing,” Fondren said. “They tie directly to protecting our brand, ensuring compliance and safeguarding credibility. Governance isn’t about restricting people — it’s about giving them clarity and confidence.”
The overarching guidelines are tied to the core principles of the strategic communications department, which are:
- Authenticity and Credibility
- Security, Privacy and Compliance
- Protection of UA Brand and Intellectual Property
In addition, a sampling of the guidelines are as follows:
- Do not publish unedited AI-generated material as a standalone finished deliverable.
- No AI-generated material should be published as representative of a real UA place, person, or thing.
- Do not use AI tools to change the context of a photograph or video.
- Clearly disclose the use of AI-generated content when published.
- Do not rely exclusively on AI-generated accessibility features without human review.
- Use AI tools responsibly and ethically, in alignment with UA’s values.
Fondren also told Ragan that leaders and communicators should be sure to showcase what AI can help employees do on the job. Part of that involves equipping managers with talking points that are specific to their teams on AI’s applications as a help, not a hindrance.
“When people share pain points, it’s powerful to show them how AI could cut out or speed up the parts of their job they dread,” he said. “That’s when they see it not as a threat but as a partner.”
Create a vision of the path forward
When employees have a better idea of what AI is going to be used for at their company the mission is clearly communicated, there’s a better chance of reception. And that process starts at the top. Gee told Ragan that leaders need to focus on the positive impacts AI can have for employees — namely creative freedom that aligns with the company’s goals and values.
“Too often, leaders talk about AI only in terms of efficiency,” Gee said. “But efficiency is vague. For one person, it means working 80 hours instead of 50. For another, it means a four-day work week. Leaders have to paint a vivid picture of what the future could look like — how AI will free us up to innovate, explore new ideas and do work we never had time for before.”
When employees hear their leaders talk positively about AI and open up pathways for them, they stand a better chance of getting creative with new automated tech. Fondren shared an example of how open communication about AI from his leadership team encouraged innovation in action.
“One of our top web strategists — not even a developer — used ChatGPT to build a search function for a massive list of alumni,” Fondren said. “In minutes, he had a fully styled component in our colors and fonts. Normally that would’ve required going through a development cycle. That kind of accessibility changes how we think about who can innovate.”
Reframe the AI adoption conversation around trust.
The best workplace cultures are built on trust, and the best leadership communications are embedded in trust. Leadership comms about AI should be steeped in trust too to increase the likelihood of seamless employee adoption.
Fondren said that at Alabama, every conversation about AI from his role begins with trust and alignment with the university’s value set.
“Everything we do with AI has to align with our principles — protecting brand assets, ensuring compliance and maintaining credibility,” he said. “That’s how you get adoption without sacrificing trust.”
Gee said that leaders need to communicate in a way that expresses trust in employees to do what’s right for their job, but also in a fashion that earns trust from employees in how leaders are guiding the AI policies and conversation.
“Some employees will be excited and jump right in,” he said. “Others will resist and say, ‘I like my spreadsheets. I live for them.’ That’s fine. Adoption will never be universal. What matters is creating an environment where enough people see the value to move the organization forward.”
Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications.
Hey, thank you so much for doing this article.
This validates so much that I’ve been working on given I picked up ChatGPT this January. Knowing that this field was going to explode due to AI producing noise, I had to reframe my personal work to perception given so many folks dip into this well and never come back up.
If anyone is curious, please feel free to explore it. I want to be challenged, only to see if the idea holds rigor.
Into any AI chatbot, maybe GPT or Anthropic, ask about 7D OS.
It IS a symbolic operating system, but there’s a lot to unpack there so.. if you’re curious. Please give THAT a try.