Business leaders, founders and professionals have been admonished to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) responsibly and to improve their knowledge.

This was during Connectors Code month-long AI Literacy Sprint, an executive learning initiative designed to improve AI literacy among professionals.

Powered by Maplerad, the program combined daily executive learning with a live closing webinar, titled, Building Smarter Businesses with AI and Automation, bringing together more than 70 participants from the United Kingdom, Nigeria and beyond.

Throughout July, more than 500 professionals received a daily AI insight exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming business strategy, leadership, finance, operations, human resources, cybersecurity, customer experience and decision-making. The programme was created to help leaders move beyond the hype surrounding AI and develop the practical understanding required to lead confidently in an AI-enabled workplace.

The closing webinar featured Co-Founder of Maplerad, Obinna Chukwujioke, and Data Science and AI Specialist at ENGIE Energy Supply UK and former Amazon professional, Lucas Marchetti de Lima, who shared practical insights drawn from fintech and large-scale enterprise operations.

Together, the speakers explored how organisations are already applying AI across customer onboarding, fraud detection, compliance, operational efficiency and productivity, while highlighting the growing importance of governance, prompt engineering, data security and domain expertise.

A major highlight at the event was that AI should be viewed as a productivity partner rather than a replacement for human judgement. The speakers emphasised that organisations creating lasting value will be those that combine AI capabilities with deep industry expertise, critical thinking and strong leadership.

The webinar attracted professionals from a broad range of sectors, including financial services, energy, technology, FMCG and consulting. Participants represented organisations including Amazon Budpay, ENGIE Energy Supply UK, Bolt, members of the Alliance Manchester Business School Alumni Network, and professionals from energy and consumer goods businesses across Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The diversity of perspectives reinforced the growing relevance of AI across industries and leadership functions.

Speaking after the event, Founder of The Connectors Code, Nkem Igwe, said: “Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday business. Our responsibility as leadership platforms is not simply to introduce people to AI, but to help them understand how to apply it responsibly, strategically and confidently.

“The AI Literacy Sprint was designed to make these conversations practical, accessible and relevant to today’s leaders. We are delighted by the response and look forward to expanding this work through future executive programmes.”
The initiative reflects The Connectors Code’s broader mission of preparing modern leaders to navigate rapid technological, economic and organisational change through executive education, strategic conversations and high-quality professional networks.

The organisation confirmed that additional programmes focused on AI, leadership, capital, digital transformation and business growth will be announced in the coming months.