ICA shifts Copilot training toward local workplace needs

ICA is moving its artificial intelligence training from general guidance toward support tailored to local business needs, according to Techtidningen. Malin Wretman, Director of Corporate Solutions at ICA, says the group’s digital workplace serves around 17,000 employees across operations including ICA Sweden, Apotek Hjärtat, banking and insurance, and real estate.

ICA works largely in the Microsoft environment and rolled out Copilot broadly about two years ago. Initial training covered general uses such as email, chat and prompts. The company has since introduced local champions programs, with training linked to specific work. For example, staff in store finance receive guidance on how Copilot could be used in their tasks. Wretman said the broad rollout created a shared foundation before the company moved toward local support.

Wretman described adoption as the hardest part of introducing tools. Getting full value may also require changes to roles and processes, especially when work crosses teams such as IT, finance and HR. Local champions can help keep solutions close to end users, she said.

ICA tracks completed and abandoned processes, where users get stuck, support requests and patterns of Copilot use. Teams also visit warehouse operations to ask users for feedback. Wretman said AI will affect every role and that employees should have the opportunity to learn it. She also described approved alternatives as one way to address shadow AI, where employees use services outside the organization’s approved tools.