From 26 to 31 January 2025, StrategEast delivered a five-session online training program, “Generative AI for Managers and Leaders,” for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), engaging more than 50 employees over 10 intensive hours of applied learning.
Designed as a practical, implementation-focused program rather than a theoretical overview, the training addressed how Generative AI can be integrated responsibly and effectively into corporate environments where accuracy, reliability, and risk management are critical. The sessions focused on understanding the real capabilities and limitations of modern AI models, producing consistent and repeatable outputs, and embedding AI into structured workflows where the cost of error is significantly higher than in personal use.
A central theme of the program was turning GenAI into a working tool. Participants learned how to define tasks and quality criteria, provide the right operational context for predictable outputs, structure processes into clear workflows, and identify where automation delivers tangible value. Discussions explored concrete adoption scenarios inside large organizations — from enhancing communication and content preparation to deploying AI systems that interact with internal documents, knowledge bases, and structured data.
The curriculum covered core architectural patterns underpinning modern AI solutions, including structured outputs and function calling, the fundamentals of AI agents and copilots, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) as the primary framework for working securely with corporate knowledge. Practical applications across text, speech, and visual content tools were examined, alongside a dedicated focus on Responsible and Secure AI. Key risk areas such as data leakage, prompt injection, and safe scaling pathways from pilot to enterprise-wide deployment were addressed in depth.
The sessions were highly interactive, with participants bringing real operational questions that enabled discussions to extend beyond the base syllabus into team-specific implementation strategies. StrategEast will provide self-study materials and presentation resources to support continued learning, while collecting structured feedback to further refine the program and align it closely with EBRD’s institutional priorities.
Building on this foundation, StrategEast is preparing the next phase: an AI Workflow Enablement program focused on hands-on implementation. The upcoming initiative will support teams in setting up practical AI workflows and corporate assistants that integrate directly into day-to-day operations, delivering measurable impact and strengthening AI maturity at scale.
