DDI Launches AI Leadership Series to Prepare Frontline Leaders for AI-Driven Change

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 1, 2026 -- DDI, the global authority in leadership development for more than five decades, today announced the launch of the AI Leadership Series, a set of short, interactive courses that prepare frontline leaders to guide their teams through AI-driven change. The first four courses, Communicating Through AI Transformation, Coaching an AI-Ready Team, Making Better Decisions with AI, and Building Trust in the Age of AI, are available now.

AI transformation initiatives are often owned by IT and operations leaders, but their success depends on how well frontline managers bring them to life on their teams. According to DDI's Global Leadership Forecast 2027, frontline leaders are three times more likely than senior leaders to feel anxious about AI, highlighting a critical vulnerability for organizations relying on managers to translate AI strategy into day-to-day behavior.

The AI Leadership Series was built to close that gap. Rather than teaching AI tools or presenting change as an abstract idea, each course is grounded in a specific, well-established DDI leadership competency and translates it into observable behaviors leaders can apply on the job immediately. 

• Communicating Through AI Transformation (Emotional Intelligence Essentials): Helps leaders talk honestly with their teams about AI-driven change even when the details aren't finalized, creating clarity without overpromising outcomes no one can guarantee yet.
• Coaching an AI-Ready Team (Guiding Team Success): Prepares leaders to recognize and address the technology anxiety and tool avoidance AI adoption often triggers, replacing resistance with confident, human-in-the-loop practices.
• Making Better Decisions with AI (Decision Making): Teaches leaders to evaluate AI-supported recommendations, challenge assumptions built into the output, and know when a decision still requires human judgment.
• Building Trust in the Age of AI (Creating a Culture of Trust): Gives leaders a way to address the concerns AI introduces head-on, rather than letting unspoken anxiety erode trust during the rollout.

Each 60-minute virtual classroom session pairs facilitator-led discussion with an AI-powered practice lab, Leaders work through realistic AI-related scenarios and get personalized feedback in the moment. AI isn't just the subject of these courses—it's part of how leaders practice and build confidence within them. 

“AI strategies succeed or fail based on how well frontline leaders bring them to life on their teams,” said Verity Creedy, Chief Product Officer at DDI. “Too much AI training today focuses on tools and platforms, when the real gap is leadership behavior—how leaders communicate through uncertainty, coach their teams, and make sound decisions when the ground is shifting. The AI Leadership Series gives leaders specific behaviors they can practice and apply immediately—turning AI strategy into something leaders can actually bring to life with their teams.”

The AI Leadership Series is available now. To learn more or request a demo, visit ddi.com/solutions/leadership-development-program/ai-leadership-series

About DDI

DDI is the global leadership company that helps organizations build the leaders they need today and prepare for tomorrow. For over 55 years, we've helped organizations hire, develop, and promote exceptional leaders. Across all levels from emerging leaders to C-suite executives, we deliver integrated assessment and development solutions, leveraging data to guide talent decisions and accelerate leadership growth. This Continuous Leadership Intelligence approach enables organizations to anticipate leadership needs before they become urgent and build the precise capabilities their business strategies demand. Grounded in behavioral science, DDI helps the world’s leading organizations achieve lasting success through better leadership. Learn more at ddi.com.

Media Contact: ddi@nextpr.com