C-Level Executives Must Seek AI Education, Says This CEO

When it comes to AI, corporate executives ‘need to understand how it works, what your employees’ concerns might be, and provide strategy and direction,’ says Raoul-Gabriel Urma, founder and CEO of Cambridge Spark.

Any executive at the C-suite level should have AI upskilling courses, says Raoul-Gabriel Urma, founder and CEO of Cambridge Spark, a U.K.-based education technology firm.

“Just like the internet became a revolutionary force once the entire workforce started to leverage it, AI’s real impact will be realized once it is deployed across all departments and functions of a business. And that requires the strategic leaders of all areas of business to have a strong understanding of how AI works, as well as how it can be implemented to drive return on investment,” Urma said in a statement.

According to a Gartner survey released in May 2025, only 44 percent of CIOs are considered to be “AI-savvy” by their CEOs.

The survey also revealed that 77 percent of CEOs consider AI as a technology that is “ushering in a new business era.”

However, executive management often feels that their tech leadership lacks “the knowledge and capabilities” to implement and support AI, according to the survey.

Another study from Cisco released in February 2025, found that 97 percent of CEOs are planning to integrate AI into their organizations, but only 1.7 percent of those surveyed said they feel prepared.

Founded by Urma in 2016, Cambridge Spark provides digital skills education. There has been an explosion in interest in AI skills. A study from Open Data Science says that 76 percent of professionals use journals, blogs and written content to up their AI knowledge. Sixty percent use conferences and events, 61 percent rely on social media, and 49 percent interact with meetups and community engagement, preferring peer learning.

“If you’re a senior leader and you’re asking your employees to use AI to streamline their work, it’s critical that you lead from the front—you need to understand how it works, what your employees’ concerns might be, and provide strategy and direction,” Urma said.

He added in his statement that AI courses should “embed a foundational understanding of what AI is and how it works, and teach executives how to create effective AI strategies, spot opportunities for transformation, develop culture and guide operational deployment.”

Here is a list of some of the top online AI courses and certification programs: