Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 7th May 2026 Issue no. 1209
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SOAPBOX: AI dilemma demands business-wide education…
OpenAI recently announced the launch of its new GPT-5 model. The headline improvements are clear: faster responses, better reasoning and new multimodal capabilities. But without targetted AI learning, it could create further issues and roadblocks rather than efficient solutions.
Mark Appleton, chief customer officer at ALSO Cloud UK - a leading provider of IT solutions in Europe, argues that without workforce education and guidelines, businesses risk falling behind as new AI models are launched. He believes business-wide education is the most effective way to promote safe AI use…
“There is little debate that AI is changing how organisations work with a McKinsey report estimating up to $4.4 trillion in productivity growth from corporate use cases of AI. While rollout has been difficult, the launch of GPT-5 signals that the sizeable economic value is already in motion as it promises smarter business. However, it also heightens the risk of misuse, over-reliance, and uneven adoption between departments.
The effects of AI on organisations are undeniable, and will continue to fundamentally reshape business structures. However, there is a conflict that arises over the best way to exploit this transformation.
GPT-5 could become a fixture in everyday workflows, but investing in these products is only half the battle; the learning structure is just as important as developing the product itself. Business leaders that aren't providing any guidance or skills to apply AI outputs responsibly risks employee misuse and data threats.
Despite 48% of employees in the McKinsey report ranking AI training as the most important factor, only half feel they are receiving it, highlighting significant gaps in perception around skills training. Today's workers need specific learning that prepares them to implement AI in their routine tasks.
When employees don't understand how AI can enhance their work, adoption stalls and organisations can miss out on productivity gains. New tools that are layered on top of existing workflows without considering its most effective use become yet another transformation to 'manage' rather than a catalyst to improve work.
Limited knowledge will also impact informed decision-making, fuelling misconceptions of AI's abilities. Employees can feel swept away rather than equipped to use it, resulting in irresponsible or even a lack of AI use. This mishandling may lead to larger workflow issues such as misinterpreting insights or relying too heavily on the data without the correct and tangible human input.
In order to mitigate these risks and embed AI across the business, organisations should build frameworks that provide guardrails and provide training from the top down. The first actions that must be taken is ensuring that employees understand the different data handled - such as internal documents, financial records, customer data as well as classifying each type of data on whether it is public or confidential. This will help workers identify which data can be used in tandem with AI tools, and which must be kept strictly within the digital borders of the business. These discussions should also involve laying out privacy strategies, perpetuation of bias as well as data security and integrity to avoid leaks and breaches.
With this foundation in place, business leaders should encourage all members of the organisation, from C-suite to admin, to enrol in a dedicated AI training program. Ransomware, deep fakes, and social engineering threats are often successful because employees are not aware to question requests therefore, employees should be shown effective prompt generation and how to use AI productivity tools that align with business policy.
A scenario-based AI training will be more successful in bridging the gap between theory and application and give employees a broader understanding of various AI use. As such, firms can begin to build a culture of AI engagement and vigilance, reinforced by continuous learning that updates employees with fast-changing technology - whether it's adapting to GPT-5's new capabilities or for the next AI breakthrough. This will encourage workers to report suspicious activity without fear of reprisal and foster a transparent environment where security is everyone's responsibility.
Propelled by promise of transformative insights, the presence of AI will only become stronger across businesses. The question is no longer whether to adopt AI but instead, how businesses can do so responsibly. With the correct frameworks and AI training, IT leaders can teach their employees the pitfalls and successes of AI while boosting user confidence and responsible data management to help employees adapt positively to these changes."
11th September 2025