The Era of Management Designing the "Exit" for AI Talent Development

"AI Talent Development" as a New Public Project

Aichi Prefecture has selected the "Aichi Prefecture AI Practical Talent Development Program" provided by div Inc. as a project for developing digitalization practitioners in small and medium-sized enterprises. The program aims to cultivate personnel who can utilize AI in actual business operations within the prefecture's companies.

Seeing this news alone, many business owners might think, "Another training project using subsidies." However, I see potential in this initiative that sets it apart from previous "digital talent development" efforts.

Why? Because the program's focus is on "practice" and "application." Rather than just teaching basic AI knowledge, it builds the ability to integrate AI into real work processes. This could be a catalyst for changing the structure where management has left IT to "the experts."

Three Pitfalls of Subsidy-Based Talent Development

IT talent development projects implemented by many local governments have shared common challenges.

First, employees who undergo training often cannot apply their skills in the workplace. There is a gap between training content and actual work, leading to countless cases where learned knowledge becomes "a pie in the sky."

Second, trained talent quickly leaves the company. Employees who acquire new skills often switch to companies offering better compensation. This creates a fear among companies that "if we train them, they'll leave," making them hesitant to invest in human resources.

Third, there is no "receptacle" within the company to utilize the trained talent. Even if AI talent is developed, if they are not given tasks or authority to use their skills, their motivation will only decline.

The root cause of these problems is that management has not designed the "exit" for talent development. In other words, it is unclear "what we want them to do" and "what results we expect" from the trained personnel.

The "Exit" Management Must Define

What sets the "AI Practical Talent Development Program" apart from conventional efforts is the word "practice." It's not just about learning how to use AI tools; it's about experiencing the process of applying AI to one's own business operations. This is a design directly linked to the "exit" that management seeks.

However, the key here is not just the quality of the program itself. It is that business owners themselves must clearly define "the purpose of AI utilization for their company."

For example, business owners need to answer questions like these:

• What business challenges do we want to solve with AI? (e.g., creating sales quotes, inputting accounting journal entries, handling initial customer support inquiries)
• What results do we expect from AI talent? (e.g., reduction in man-hours, decrease in error rates, contribution to sales)
• In what position will we place the trained personnel? (e.g., a dedicated AI promotion role, or a dual role with on-site application)

If these questions cannot be answered, no matter how excellent the program, AI will end up as "a toy for a select few" within the company. I have heard many companies say, "We did AI training, but nothing changed." The cause is not the training content itself, but the management design "before" and "after" the training.

Three Conditions for SME Success in AI Utilization

So, what specifically do SMEs need to succeed in AI talent development? Based on my experience, I propose three conditions.

1. Business owners themselves should "touch" AI.
Business owners should first try using generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity themselves. By actually using them, they can intuitively understand which business processes AI is effective for. As long as management thinks "AI has nothing to do with me," AI will never permeate the workplace.

2. Create the "receptacle" for development in advance.
Before developing AI talent, prepare the "arena" where that talent can thrive. For example, set a specific mission like "Introduce AI into the accounting department and assign a project to reduce monthly closing man-hours by 30%." This ensures that the developed skills are immediately converted into business value.

3. Accumulate small successes.
Instead of aiming for company-wide AI implementation all at once, start with one department or one task. For example, begin with "automatic creation of meeting minutes for the sales department" and then roll out the success story horizontally. This approach is the shortest route to raising the overall AI literacy of the organization.

Transforming Public Projects into "Management Weapons"

The Aichi Prefecture program should serve as an opportunity for business owners to rethink their company's IT strategy, going beyond the framework of a subsidy project.

The important perspective is not "Let's take the course because there's a subsidy," but "Let's utilize this program as part of our company's IT strategy." In other words, a shift in mindset is needed to view public projects as "management weapons."

Specifically, it's good to consider the following steps:

• Draw the overall picture of your company's IT strategy (balance of business IT, management IT, and administrative IT)
• Identify the areas where AI can be most effective within that picture
• Select a talent development program that aligns with those areas
• Decide on the placement and authority of the trained personnel in advance

By having management lead this process, a subsidy project transforms from mere "cost reduction" into an "investment."

Conclusion: AI Talent Development is a Management "Decision"

The Aichi Prefecture "AI Practical Talent Development Program" is an excellent opportunity for SMEs to acquire AI talent. However, whether they can seize this opportunity depends on the "resolve" of their management.

Will AI talent development be viewed as "a training program left to the HR department," or as "an investment directly designed by management"? This difference will determine your company's IT competitiveness in the years to come.

I hope this program will encourage many SME business owners to break free from the mindset of "leaving IT to the experts" and design the "exit" for AI utilization with their own hands. As a first step, I encourage business owners to try using AI tools themselves. Then, draw a concrete picture of how AI can solve your company's business challenges.

IT is a management resource that management must define. AI talent development is no exception.