Answer extracted from the Unprompted: Real AI in IC podcast — listen to the full episode below.
What new skill sets are required for internal communications teams managing AI tools and GPT agents?
Internal communications teams now need skills to understand AI platforms, maintain AI agents, and monitor their performance—fundamentally different competencies from traditional IC work. This isn't simply about using AI as a tool; it's about managing AI as an active team member that requires oversight, training, and continuous optimization.
From Tool User to AI Manager
The shift is profound. When Adele McIntosh deployed ChatGPT Enterprise at Arm in early 2025, her team faced a new reality: AI agents behave like employees and need active management. Keeping those agents updated, ensuring they stay aligned with organizational goals, and catching performance issues before they escalate became part of the job description.
This represents a break from how internal communications teams have traditionally operated. As outlined in the Unprompted episode, the skills gap isn't about learning software—it's about understanding the principles behind AI behavior and how to govern it effectively.
"You have to put time aside and put time in to learn and experiment and read and do the training and experiment again and that does take time there's no kind of shortcut to it really."
Adele McIntosh — VP of Internal Communications and Community at Arm, where she has led internal communications and related functions for just over eight years. At Arm, a 10,000-person semiconductor company designing chips for applications ranging from smartwatches to data centers, McIntosh has overseen the integration of AI tools including ChatGPT Enterprise since early 2025.
What This Skillset Actually Looks Like
The new competencies fall into three categories. First, understanding how AI tools work—not as a user, but as an operator. Teams need enough technical literacy to recognize when an AI agent is producing reliable outputs and when it's hallucinating or drifting from intended use. Second, maintaining the agents themselves: updating prompts, refreshing training data, and keeping the system aligned with evolving business needs. Third, measuring and reporting performance like you would for any team member.
The adoption curve is steep, and as discussed in this podcast, there is no shortcut. Organizations like Arm are investing in ongoing learning and experimentation to build these capabilities from the ground up. For a deeper look at how Arm is reframing the entire AI adoption narrative internally, the full episode explores how to communicate AI's role to your workforce.
See also
What is the future role of intranets and trusted information sources as AI agents become the primary interface for employee communications?
Adele believes intranets will not disappear in the short term because organizations need a single trusted source of truth from which AI pulls information.
How should organizations frame internal narratives around AI adoption when addressing concerns about job displacement and ethical issues?
Adele's approach at Arm involves developing messaging around philosophy, ambition, and the importance of human judgment, then cascading the CEO's vision across the organization.
What approach should organizations take when redesigning processes for AI integration rather than simply adding AI to existing workflows?
Adele emphasizes starting with a blank sheet of paper thinking: understanding what AI can do now and what it might do in the future, then asking how to get the most value.
Key takeaways
- Managing AI agents requires new technical literacy—understanding performance, reliability, and when outputs are accurate versus when they drift from intended use.
- AI agents need active maintenance like team members do: prompt updates, refreshed training data, and continuous alignment with business goals.
- There is no shortcut to building these competencies; organizations must invest in learning, experimentation, and hands-on practice over time.
- This skillset gap represents a fundamental shift from traditional internal communications work to AI governance and oversight.