In Part 1 of this blog, AI Won’t Replace Your Team, But a Team Who Uses AI Will, we explored why creative operations teams should embrace the rise of AI. It’s not simply to streamline repetitive tasks, but to unlock higher-impact work, spark collaboration and stay competitive in an evolving industry. But the real question is: How do you do it?

Successful AI adoption requires more than curiosity. It demands foundational skill building, strategic planning, cultural alignment and the confidence to experiment. Whether your team is just beginning to explore AI or is already dabbling in tools like ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, or Runway ML, the path forward starts with intentional preparation.

Here’s how to turn AI readiness into confident, sustainable adoption:

1. Invest in Foundational Skill Building

AI isn’t plug-and-play, it’s plug-and-elevate. To maximize its value, creative teams need core capabilities that help them use AI wisely, not just widely.

Focus On:

  • Strategic Thinking: Tie AI use directly to business goals and creative outcomes. Encourage teams to ask: Is this solving a real problem or just testing a trendy tool?

  • Data Literacy: Demystify how AI works by helping teams understand inputs, algorithms, and outputs. This boosts trust in AI-driven insights and reduces skepticism.

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner across disciplines. Creative, Operations, Marketing, IT and Legal to align on implementation, policy and use cases. AI is most powerful when integrated, not siloed.

  • Creative Judgment: Even with AI-generated options on the table, human intuition, taste, and brand sensibility remain non-negotiable. Train teams to be discerning editors, not passive executors.

Encourage your team to see AI not as a replacement but as a creative co-pilot, one that sharpens instincts, expands options and accelerates decision-making, ultimately as a a collaborator that amplifies their creative instincts. 

2. Map Your AI-Readiness Landscape

Before diving into implementation, pause to assess where your team stands. A clear-eyed view of your current environment helps you focus on the right areas, and most importantly, avoid burnout.

Ask Yourself:

  • Where do we lose time to manual, repetitive tasks?

  • Which workflows could benefit from automation or AI-driven insights?

  • Who is already experimenting with AI tools (and could become internal champions)?

  • Where are our knowledge gaps across tools, ethics, security and data use?

Use this audit to create a realistic roadmap. Prioritize high-impact, low-risk experiments first to build confidence and generate momentum and buy-in.

3. Create a Safe Space for Experimentation

Fear of failure is one of the biggest barriers to AI exploration. Counter it by creating an environment where curiosity and trial-and-error are celebrated and not penalized. Encourage light conversation and low-pressure sharing. The goal is to build a culture where learning is collaborative, continuous and just part of how the team grows together.

Tactics to Foster a Learning Culture:

  • AI Demo Days: Host informal sessions where team members share AI tools they've tried and what they’ve learned, touching on successes, missteps and everything in between.

  • AI Explorers Program: Assign AI “test pilots” across disciplines including copywriters, designers, producers and operations leads so learnings span the full creative ecosystem.

  • Pilot Projects: Start small. Experiment with AI in contained projects like resizing assets, drafting initial copy or automating project tracking.

  • Start a “Tech Tidbits” Group Chat: Create a casual, always-on space where team members can drop articles, tutorials, tool reviews, or quick tips about emerging technologies and creative tools they’re exploring.

Normalize experimentation. This isn’t about formal training, but about cultivating a shared curiosity. Innovation rarely starts perfect—it starts in progress.

4. Focus on Role Evolution, Not Replacement

Many creative professionals worry that AI threatens their roles. Help reframe the narrative: AI is here to elevate, not eliminate.

Ask Your Team:

  • What parts of your job feel manual, repetitive or draining?

  • What work do you wish you had more time for?

  • How could AI give you more space for creativity, strategy or exploration?

By surfacing these questions, you empower your team to reimagine their roles and design a future of work that plays to their strengths.

Remember, tools don’t replace talent. They unlock it.

5. Define Success and Track Progress

For AI adoption to stick, teams need to see measurable benefits. Track both productivity metrics and team sentiment to show progress and inform next steps.

Sample Success Metrics:

  • Time saved on tactical production (e.g., resizing, tagging, scheduling)

  • Number of AI-generated concepts that made it into production

  • Reduction in rounds of revisions or rework

  • Team confidence with AI tools (measured via pulse surveys)

Success with AI isn’t just about speed, but about smarter work, better outcomes and empowered people.

6. Strengthen Leadership Alignment and Change Management

Even the most enthusiastic teams need visible, vocal support from leadership. When senior leaders model curiosity and invest in AI learning, it gives teams permission to do the same.

Leadership Must:

  • Clearly communicate why AI matters to the business and creative vision.

  • Allocate time and resources for training, experimentation and upskilling.

  • Encourage mid-level managers to be guides, not gatekeepers.

  • Celebrate small wins—pilot success, improved efficiency, or creative breakthroughs—to sustain momentum.

Why this may be the most critical step:
Without aligned leadership, even the most promising AI initiatives can stall due to unclear direction, lack of prioritization or hesitation at the middle-management level. Teams take cues from the top and if leaders aren’t engaged, teams are less likely to feel empowered to explore. On the flip side, when leadership actively participates, shares their own learning journey, and visibly supports experimentation, it fosters a safe environment where innovation can thrive.

AI adoption flounders when it's either too top-down or too grassroots. The sweet spot? Leadership sets the vision, and teams co-create the path forward with shared ownership, trust and transparency guiding the way.

Final Thought: Creativity Has Always Evolved—This Is Just the Next Chapter

The best creative professionals are always learning, adapting and pushing boundaries. From darkrooms to digital cameras, from drafting tables to design software, creativity has always evolved alongside technology. AI is just the latest chapter in that legacy.

Instead of fearing what AI might change, embrace what it makes possible. Reclaim time for strategic work, reduce friction in your process and equip your team with tools that expand their creative capacity.

The creative teams that will thrive in the AI era are those that:

  • Lead with curiosity over caution

  • Build bridges across roles and departments

  • Focus on skill-building as much as tool adoption

  • Stay rooted in creativity, even as they scale with technology

Now is the time to move forward with intention. Start small. Learn fast. And keep creativity at the core.