AI and the case for executive action learning

This account of practice examines how Action Learning, in its original Revansian form, can serve as a uniquely effective developmental approach for executives navigating the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Drawing on my nearly twenty-five years of experience as an Action Learning facilitator, I describe the design and facilitation of VALAI (Virtual Action Learning for AI), a programme developed by myself and delivered together with Janet Johnson, specialised in AI, for a cross-organisational set of five to six senior leaders with varying levels of AI literacy. I begin by situating the contemporary AI challenge within the context of a possible Kuhnian paradigm shift and argue that traditional pedagogical methods – whether focused on AI literacy or on generic leadership competences – are insufficient when the questions themselves remain fluid. I then present seven theoretical reasons why Action Learning is particularly well suited to the AI era, before offering a detailed account of the VALAI programme and the experiences of four participants. The account concludes that Action Learning equips leaders with the agency, critical thinking, and adaptive capacity required to lead the AI transformation rather than be overtaken by it.