"The AI skills framework provides goalposts and helps us structure a step-by-step approach" – Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard from Trilateral Research

1 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence “ The AI skills framework provides goalposts and helps us structure a step-by-step approach” – Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard formerly of Trilateral Research AI Skills for Business Competency Framework Case Study Series 2 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence “ The AI skills framework provides goalposts and helps us structure a step-by-step approach” Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research Trilateral Research is a UK-based company focused on developing ethical artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and providing training to help organisations improve their AI literacy. In this Q&A, Zachary Goldberg (former Principal Consultant for Ethical AI and Responsible Innovation) and Tim Jacquemard (former Senior Research Analyst) discuss their work supporting businesses to adopt AI responsibly – particularly in the construction sector as part of the BridgeAI programme. Zach and Tim also explain how they have used the AI Skills for Business Competency Framework to shape training delivery, and why AI literacy must be grounded in both technical and human factors. Key takeaways • Building AI skills and responsible AI literacy is essential for organisations to adopt AI successfully and manage ethical and compliance risks. • Many businesses – particularly in low-adoption sectors – recognise the potential of AI but need a clearer understanding of how it fits their specific problems and goals. • The AI Skills for Business Competency Framework provides a structured foundation for identifying, developing and assessing AI-related competencies. • Trilateral Research uses the framework as a checklist to design sector-specific AI training tailored to different knowledge levels (including non-technical staff). • The framework’s persona-based approach helps organisations break down complex skills needs into manageable, role-specific goals. • The framework sets clear ‘goalposts’ for AI skills development, and in some cases organisations may need additional support to turn guidance into practical action. 2 Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research 3 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence Could you start by introducing yourselves and outlining your roles at Trilateral – particularly in relation to AI skills? Zach: I’m Principal Consultant for Ethical AI and Responsible Innovation at Trilateral Research. We’re an ethical AI company that works across research and innovation, product development, and client consultancy. Internally, I support our teams with materials and training, and externally, I work with Tim to design and deliver AI skills and literacy training for clients – especially around responsible AI. Tim: I’m a Senior Research Analyst, mostly involved in client-based work. I deliver training – such as webinars and multi-session courses – that help participants build the skills and awareness of risk that they need to start their journey with responsible AI adoption. I currently lead delivery for the construction sector as part of our work with the BridgeAI programme, and Zach and I collaborate closely across these AI training development initiatives. 3 Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research 4 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence Why do you think AI skills are so important in today’s workforce? Tim: AI is a powerful technology, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty around what it actually is and what it’s useful for. People know AI is ‘a solution’, but they’re often unclear on the problems it’s meant to solve. That’s one of the reasons they come to our training sessions – they want clarity on how AI works, what the risks are, and how to use it responsibly. Zach: There’s a real mix out there – some organisations are using AI without any policy or shared understanding, while others want to get ahead and adopt it in a thoughtful, compliant way. And there are still many who haven’t adopted AI at all but could benefit from it. That variation in awareness and readiness is exactly why AI skills – and especially responsible AI literacy – are so essential. “ The variation in awareness and readiness around AI is exactly why AI skills – and especially responsible AI literacy – are so essential.” Zachary Goldberg 4 Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research 5 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence How do you work with businesses to support AI adoption? Tim: Across the sectors we work with, we focus on four key areas. Those are: • AI and data science fundamentals, which is about understanding what AI is and what it can and can’t do; • designing a business case for AI adoption and defining what success looks like; • implementing AI in a business context; • and making sure ethical and legal considerations are built into every stage. Developing a business case can be a complex challenge for many organisations – they’re keen to know what AI can actually do for them, and how to decide whether it’s worth pursuing. How has the AI Skills for Business Competency Framework helped in your work? Tim: We have used the framework right from the proposal stage of our BridgeAI training programmes. It gives us a clear, structured overview of the skills we need to address. It’s like a checklist or a menu – a way to make sure we are designing a course that’s both relevant and comprehensive. Zach: It has also helped us break things down for clients. One of the biggest challenges is that organisations don’t always know where to start – they want a plan. The framework provides goalposts and helps us structure a step-by-step approach. That’s especially important when you’re dealing with sectors with low levels of AI adoption generally, where leaders may feel overwhelmed by the complexities and possibilities of AI. We use the personas set out in the framework as objectives or ideals to work towards, because we have to take into account things like time, budget and current knowledge levels. Tim: We also use the personas to adjust our training content. Most of our sessions are aimed at ‘AI leaders’, but in reality many attendees are still at the awareness stage. So we tailor the material to meet them where they are and help move them along that learning journey. 5 Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research 6 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence What differences have you seen across BridgeAI sectors, such as construction and transport? Tim: We are just starting our training for the transport sector, but in construction we’ve seen a real focus on sector-specific applications. They want use cases that relate directly to construction – things like waste management or project planning – rather than general tools such as ChatGPT. In contrast, other sectors like the creative industries tend to be more interested in broad, off-the-shelf platforms. Zach: More broadly, we’re trying to help organisations across all sectors understand that AI is not just a technical issue – it’s a sociotechnical one. These systems are made by people and impact people. Non-technical staff need a foundational understanding of AI too, especially around risks and ethical considerations. What do you see as the main strengths – and limitations – of the AI Skills for Business Competency framework? Tim: One of the main strengths is that it’s relatively short and accessible. We refer to the framework in our own training sessions as a tool to improve AI literacy – a tool we can give attendees so they know what aspects of AI are important to develop. If you have those skills, either yourself or in your organisation, then it’s a good sign you’re on the right track. If I were to change one thing, I’d expand the section on ‘defining the problem’ and give people some more tools to start their journey with. Zach: The framework is clear and concise, and it does a great job of showing what ‘good’ looks like – what the ideal levels of knowledge would be across different roles in an organisation. That’s incredibly useful. Of course, once you’ve got that, the next question is: how do you actually achieve those goals? That’s where further support comes in – through training, funding or resources. It’s not something the framework needs to do, but it is the next step. And it’s what we’re trying to support through the BridgeAI projects we’re delivering now. There’s also the interpretation piece – you have to tailor the guidance to your particular context and organisation. Balancing general guidance with practical and actionable advice is always the challenge with frameworks like this. 6 Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research 7 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence Looking to the future, what are your priorities in the AI skills and training space? Zach: Our focus is on continuing to standardise our training delivery approach within sectors, while making sure our content is tailored to the needs of those specific sectors. There’s growing awareness of AI’s risks and benefits, and we want to help organisations understand why AI literacy matters – even if they’re only using relatively simple tools. Tim: For the construction and transport sectors, our goal is to provide a strong entry point into AI adoption. We keep refining the training after each session based on feedback, adding examples or simplifying where needed. It’s all about making the journey feel manageable, and helping people take that first step. “ The AI Skills for Business Competency Framework provides goalposts and helps us structure a stepby-step approach. That’s especially important for sectors with low levels of AI adoption.” Tim Jacquemard 7 Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research 8 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence This case study is published under the AI Skills for Business Competency Framework workstream. The framework sets out the high-level competencies required to ensure the safe and responsible introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to organisations from the general workforce, through to AI specialists and leadership. It is sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and is funded by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme, which empowers UK businesses in high-growth sectors, driving productivity and economic growth through the adoption of AI. This work is supported by a consortium including Innovate UK, Digital Catapult, The Alan Turing Institute, STFC Hartree Centre and BSI. Since its launch in May 2024, the Framework been adopted across public, private and government organisations in the UK. We would like to extend our gratitude to Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research for their significant contributions to the development of this case study. Special thanks to Alexandra Araujo Alvarez, Senior Research Community Manager for BridgeAI, Dominica D’Arcangelo, Programme Manager, and Marie Chappell, Programme Coordinator, from the Alan Turing Institute for their leadership and support. We also thank Stuart Gillespie for his role as the technical writer for this and other case studies in the programme. This work is led by Dr. Matthew Forshaw (Senior Advisor for Skills) and Dr. Clementina Ramirez (Skills Officer). Dr. Vera Matser (Head of Strategic Capabilities) is Principal Investigator for BridgeAI at The Alan Turing Institute. For any comments, questions, or collaboration opportunities with BridgeAI, please email: [email protected]. Acknowledgement Authors and Contributors Stuart Gillespie: Technical Writer (0009-0003-1402-0184) Zachary Goldberg: formerly of Trilateral Research. Tim Jacquemard: formerly of Trilateral Research. Matthew Forshaw: The Alan Turing Institute, Senior Advisor for Skills (0000-0001-7014-9837) Clementina Ramirez: The Alan Turing Institute, Skills Officer (0000-0002-6643-8828) This publication is shared under CC-BY 4.0 License on Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17434894 8 Q&A with Zachary Goldberg and Tim Jacquemard, formerly of Trilateral Research 9 Business applications of Artificial Intelligence Learn more at bridgeai.net