Executives are rolling up their sleeves to work with genAI.

(Source: New York Times, 2025/08/16: "C.E.O.s Want Their Companies to Adopt A.I. But Do They Get It Themselves?")

My take:

On the one hand, this is great! I've long been in favor of execs developing AI literacy. It's a key ingredient to a company's AI success, because it's how decision-makers develop realistic plans and go toe-to-toe with pushy vendors.

On the other hand, my definition of AI literacy centers on an understanding of AI relevant to your role in the company. Different roles will take different paths, because they have different destinations.

Are you a CTO or Head of Engineering? You definitely want some quality time working with the technology as part of your AI literacy development. But if you're a CEO (or similar role that doesn't engage with technology on a day-to-day basis), your AI literacy centers on higher-order matters: the risks and opportunities AI brings to your company, or the new costs you'll incur, or understanding the general concepts involved in AI. That sort of thing.

Now if you want to build a website, that's great. Perhaps you're a tactile learner and using the technology is how you develop that skill. Maybe you just like technology and want to explore. Whatever works for you. Just know that you don't have to sit down and tinker with a genAI bot to develop your CEO-level AI literacy.