AI for leaders training gives CXOs, business heads and senior managers enough AI fluency to judge capability, prioritise use cases and govern risk, without coding. Leaders test AI tools on their own work, map workflows, build a one-page business case and plan the people conversation. Bodhih runs it as a 1-day workshop, with a 2-day use-case sprint version.
- Recommended: 1 day in person, or 3 × 3-hour live virtual sessions; 2-day version with a use-case sprint
- Level: Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: AI leadership training, AI training for executives, generative AI for business leaders, AI strategy workshop for leadership teams
Where and how: AI for leaders training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why leaders need AI fluency now
AI has moved from pilot projects to everyday tools inside email, documents, code and customer service. Decisions about where to use it, how to govern it and how to redesign roles now sit with business leaders, not only with IT.
Leaders who understand AI well enough to ask sharp questions make better investment calls and avoid costly missteps. AI for leaders training builds that fluency quickly, without turning managers into data scientists.
In Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index, 82% of leaders said this is a pivotal year to rethink core strategy and operations.
What participants will be able to do
Speak AI with confidence
Explain in plain language how large language models, copilots and AI agents work, and where they fail.
Find the right use cases
Map a workflow in their own function and shortlist AI opportunities using a value-feasibility matrix.
Build a credible business case
Estimate time saved, quality gains, costs and adoption risk for one priority use case.
Govern responsibly
Apply a practical checklist covering data privacy, bias, intellectual property and human oversight.
Lead people through change
Plan how roles, skills and team rituals will change, and address fear of job loss honestly.
Use AI personally
Apply AI tools to their own leadership work, such as analysis, drafting and meeting preparation, with good prompting habits.
Who should attend
- CXOs and business unit heads setting AI direction
- Senior managers asked to deliver productivity gains with AI
- GCC leaders building AI centres of excellence for global parents
- HR, finance and operations heads redesigning processes
- Mid-level managers whose teams already use AI tools informally
- Founders and leadership teams in startups and scale-ups
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01AI demystified for decision-makersModule 1 · 75 min+
- How generative AI, retrieval and AI agents actually work, without the maths
- What AI does well, what it gets wrong, and why hallucinations happen
- Live demos with enterprise tools such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT and Gemini
- Separating real capability from vendor hype
02Finding value: use-case discoveryModule 2 · 2 hours+
- Workflow mapping to spot repetitive, judgement-light and knowledge-heavy tasks
- Value-feasibility matrix to prioritise opportunities
- Examples from BFSI, pharma, manufacturing, IT services and retail
- Group sprint: shortlist three use cases for your own function
03Building the AI business caseModule 3 · 75 min+
- Estimating time saved, quality gains and cost to serve
- Build, buy or configure: questions to ask vendors and internal teams
- Pilot design with clear success metrics and a stop rule
- One-page business case template
04Risk, ethics and governanceModule 4 · 90 min+
- Data privacy under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
- Risk tiers in the EU AI Act for teams serving European clients
- Bias, IP and confidentiality: a practical usage policy checklist
- Where to keep a human in the loop
05Leading people through AI changeModule 5 · 90 min+
- Redesigning roles and tasks rather than cutting headcount by default
- Addressing fear, resistance and over-reliance on AI
- Building AI champions and peer learning inside teams
- Role-play: the team town hall about AI adoption
06Your AI leadership planModule 6 · 60 min+
- Personal AI habits for analysis, writing and preparation
- 90-day plan: one pilot, one policy step and one skills step
- Peer review and commitments shared with sponsors
Sample training plan: 1-day hands-on design
This one-day design gives business leaders enough AI fluency to make sharp decisions, without turning them into data scientists. Laptops stay open all day. Leaders test AI assistants on their own anonymised work, break them on purpose, map a real workflow in their function, shortlist use cases on a value-feasibility grid, build a one-page business case, run a governance check and rehearse a team town hall about AI. They leave with a 90-day plan covering one pilot, one policy step and one skills step.
Participants can judge AI capability, prioritise use cases in their function, frame a business case with governance and lead the people conversation.
- 09:30–10:00Human or machine?Energiser
- 10:00–10:45AI demystified, hands onDemo & practice
- 11:00–11:30Break it on purposeHands-on lab
- 11:30–13:00Use-case discovery sprintBuild sprint
- 13:45–14:30The one-page business caseCase clinic
- 14:30–15:15Governance red teamGroup challenge
- 15:30–16:15The AI town hallRole-play
- 16:15–16:45My AI habitsSkill drill
- 16:45–17:30My 90-day AI leadership planAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 1 day in person (09:30–17:30), or 3 × 3-hour live virtual sessions; a 2-day version adds a use-case sprint with a sponsor panel. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is AI for leaders training?
The recommended design is one day in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, or three live virtual sessions of three hours. A two-day version adds a use-case sprint with a sponsor panel. A 90-day plan with a pilot, a policy step and a skills step follows the workshop.
What activities are included in AI for leaders training?
Leaders work hands on with AI tools all day. They test assistants on their own documents, try to make AI fail on purpose, map a real workflow to find use cases, build a one-page business case with a stop rule, red-team it for governance and rehearse a team town hall about AI.
How we deliver it
Hands-on, not slide-heavy
Every leader works with AI tools during the session, using safe, anonymised data from their own context.
Function-specific cases
Cases are drawn from the participants' industry and functions, so the discussion moves quickly from theory to real decisions.
Use-case sprint
In the two-day version, small teams develop a pilot proposal and present it to a sponsor panel for feedback.
Neutral perspective
We are not tied to any AI vendor, so the program compares options objectively and focuses on judgement.
Tailored versions
For leadership teams
A one-day executive session for the top team to agree AI ambition, priority use cases and governance principles together.
For GCC and IT leaders
Focus on building AI capability for global stakeholders, AI-assisted delivery and moving the centre up the value chain.
For people managers
A practical version for mid-level managers on using AI in daily work and guiding teams responsibly.
How we measure impact
Following ADDIE's Evaluate stage, we measure AI fluency and confidence before and after the program with an AssessAll assessment. Each participant leaves with a 90-day AI plan, and we hold a follow-up review at 30 and 90 days to track pilots launched, policies agreed and team adoption. Where the client agrees, we also track business indicators linked to the pilots, such as turnaround time or hours saved.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What should leaders know about AI?
Leaders need a working understanding of what generative AI and AI agents can and cannot do, where they create value, and what risks they bring. They also need to know how to prioritise use cases, ask vendors good questions and lead people through change. Technical depth is not required, but informed judgement is.
Do executives need AI training if they have a technology team?
Yes. Technology teams can build and run AI tools, but business leaders decide where AI is used, how much to invest, what risks are acceptable and how roles change. Without AI fluency, leaders either delay decisions or approve projects they cannot evaluate. A short, focused program closes that gap quickly.
How can managers use AI in decision making?
Managers can use AI to summarise information, test assumptions, explore scenarios and draft options faster. The key is to treat AI output as input to judgement, not a final answer. Our program teaches prompting habits, verification steps and when a decision needs human review because of risk, fairness or accountability.
How do leaders build an AI strategy?
Start with business goals, not tools. Map key workflows, identify where AI can add value, prioritise with a value-feasibility lens, and run small pilots with clear metrics. Put simple governance in place early and invest in people's skills. The program walks leadership teams through each of these steps with their own examples.
What are the main risks of generative AI for business?
The main risks are inaccurate outputs, leakage of confidential or personal data, bias, intellectual property questions and over-reliance on AI without human checks. Regulations such as India's DPDP Act and the EU AI Act add obligations. The governance module gives leaders a practical checklist to manage these risks.
Is this program technical?
No. It is designed for business leaders, so there is no coding. Participants do use AI tools hands-on to understand their strengths and limits. Teams that need deeper skills can follow it with our prompt engineering, Microsoft Copilot or responsible AI programs, which build on the same foundations in more depth.
Can the AI for leaders training be customised to our industry?
Yes. We run a short needs analysis first and then build cases, demos and use-case sprints around your industry, whether that is banking, pharma, manufacturing, IT services or retail. We also align the content with your existing AI policy and the tools your organisation has already approved.