Kamal Ghorui
Every C-suite executive at FedEx reportedly took two days off to travel to Silicon Valley as part of the company’s AI push, where they held what one executive described as a “speed dating round of sorts” to select the right partners. The move was part of a broader effort by the logistics company to roll out an AI training program for its global workforce and align its strategy with emerging technologies. According to a CNBC report, the program, which kicked off in December last year in partnership with Accenture, is all about upskilling employees and getting them ready for the evolving job landscape. With a global workforce of roughly 4,40,000, the company believes this initiative will boost efficiency and open doors to new career paths. As per the report, the shipping industry is feeling the squeeze, grappling with rising expenses, shifting regulations, and intensifying competition. In this environment, companies are increasingly turning their attention to artificial intelligence.
FedEx’s AI training across roles
FedEx said its leadership team was directly involved in starting the program. The program includes role-based training that will be updated regularly. “This is a living curriculum that will continue to refresh itself every month, every quarter, and we have that in our engagement with Accenture,” said Vishal Talwar, executive vice president and chief data and information officer at FedEx as quoted by CNBC.“I have never seen an organization’s full C-suite take off for a two-day to just learn,” Talwar added.The company said it is already seeing early changes, including more employees exploring new roles within the organisation.“We are measuring progress around AI, not necessarily just success, because it’s going to be very difficult to say this success is only attributed to AI,” Talwar said. “AI, in my view, needs to be seamlessly embedded in everything that we do.”The training is delivered through Accenture’s LearnVantage platform and includes live sessions that employees can attend during flexible hours.The company said the initiative is aimed at building skills across all levels and encouraging innovation. “The more we invest in our talent being on the leading aspect of that learning journey, the better off they will be, the better off we will be, and the better off the broader industry is going to be,” Talwar said.FedEx is also encouraging employees to form groups to work on ideas and take part in internal events such as hackathons.
