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Leadership7 min read

Why Executives Struggle with AI (And How to Fix It)

The AI knowledge gap isn't about intelligence. It's about how AI education has been delivered. Here's what needs to change.

January 28, 2026·Edge Team

The uncomfortable truth

Most executives know they need to understand AI better. They've approved the budgets, hired the consultants, sat through the vendor demos. But when it comes to actually leading AI initiatives, they're still relying on others.

This isn't a personal failure. It's a systemic one.

The problem with existing AI education

Executive programs cost $10K+ and take you away from work for a week. You leave with high-level awareness, but not the depth to actually lead.

Online courses are built for developers. They assume technical background you don't have and teach skills you don't need.

Consultants will tell you what to do, but you still won't understand why.

What executives actually need

The gap isn't technical skill. It's conceptual fluency: understanding what AI can and can't do well enough to make informed decisions.

A different approach

Start with business context, not technology. Don't begin with how neural networks work. Begin with what problems they solve.

End every lesson with something usable. Not a quiz. A framework, a decision, something you can apply.

Teach evaluation, not implementation. You don't need to know how to build AI systems. You need to know how to evaluate them.

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