From intimidation to experimentation: why no one is an AI expert

Last week, I walked into a conference room buzzing with questions about AI. One leader was clearly at the starting line, stumbling over the terminology. Just two seats away, another casually described how his team had already automated entire workflows.

The contrast was striking - not just in what people knew but also in how comfortable they felt admitting it. You could almost hear the collective intake of breath when the beginner spoke up.

If you’ve ever felt the need to hide what you don’t know, here’s a comforting thought I heard from a Chief AI Officer: no one is truly an expert in the world of AI - at least, not how we used to define the word.

New tools appear every morning. Things shift daily. By the time you’ve mastered one tool, many new ones have already arrived.

Photo by Vincent Ghilione on Unsplash

That doesn’t make leadership harder – it makes it different. Mastery today isn’t about holding all the answers. It’s about leaning into what’s possible for you and your team.

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Rethinking what it means to be an expert

For generations, expertise meant accumulation: years of study, experience, and proven authority. But that model doesn’t hold in the age of AI.

Real expertise now lies in adaptability. It’s about curiosity, experimentation, and the willingness to accept the unknown without certainty. Leaders who approach AI this way don’t just keep pace with change – they model how to thrive in it.

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The Leadership Stretch

If you permitted yourself to experiment this week – without worrying about expertise – what could shift for you and your team?

In the next blog, I’ll share how to begin experimenting with AI in small, practical ways that build confidence. Then, we’ll explore how to lead responsibly with AI, using a simple framework to balance curiosity with accountability.