Most AI literacy programs are solving the wrong problem — and in this episode, Riley Coleman explains why.

Instead of teaching people tools, features, and prompts, Riley argues that organisations must rebuild the mental models, habits, workflows, and governance that help humans think differently about how to get work done in an AI-enhanced world.

We dive deep into what it really takes to build AI-ready teams, why AI-native organisations are already moving faster, and how leaders can design for trust, safety and confidence while technology accelerates exponentially.

This episode is essential listening for design leaders, product teams, and anyone navigating the human side of AI adoption.

What we cover

Why most AI literacy programs fail
The 5 foundational layers of true AI literacy
The ROI problem: why organisations aren’t seeing value
Mental models, habits and new ways of working
The danger of agentic AI without governance
How to build trust and psychological safety
Meaningful friction vs frictionless design
The Three-Speed Organisation model for the AI era
Why service designers are now mission-critical
How leaders can “slow down to go fast”

Quotes worth remembering

“Most AI literacy programs are solving the wrong problem.”
“AI breaks every design principle we’ve relied on for decades.”
“Slow down now so you can go impossibly fast later.”
“Trust is the bedrock of any human–AI collaboration.”
“Agentic AI terrifies me — because most organisations aren’t ready.”

About Riley Coleman

Riley is an AI literacy and organisational transformation expert helping teams build the confidence, capability and governance needed to adopt AI safely and effectively. Riley’s work blends human-centred design, ethics, psychology and organisational systems thinking.

Resources & Links

Riley Coleman - LinkedIn

AI Flywheel: https://ai-flywheel.com

BCG Report — “Where’s the Value in AI?” -⁠ Link

Riley’s Maven Courses

Human-Centred Ethical AI that Users Trust - Maven Course

Riley’s Linkedin Articles

1. From Interfaces to Relationships: The Design Transformation That Determines Whether Your AI Succeeds or Fails

2. Building Adaptive Operations for the AI Era

Hosts

Taryn D’Souza & Justin Hevey are design leaders and co-hosts of Designing for Humans in the Loop, a podcast exploring the future of AI, design and human experience.

Taryn D’Souza — LinkedIn
Justin Hevey — LinkedIn

Subscribe to Designing for Humans in the Loop on Substack

The AI Literacy Reset — with Riley Coleman