Who is The Forward Institute?
The Forward Institute is an independent non-profit shaping a better future through responsible leadership. It runs leadership programmes including the Forward Fellowship, Forward Exchange and Leading Through Disruption, alongside advisory work and research.
Since 2015, more than 1,500 leaders have taken part, from organisations such as Unilever, the NHS, BCG, Centrica, Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK. The Forward Institute has been a certified B Corp since 2018.
What was the challenge for The Forward Institute?
The Forward Institute team were, in their own words, "dabbling" with AI tools. People were experimenting on their own, but there was no structured approach and no consistency across the organisation.
They needed to move from curiosity to confident, daily use, in work that depends on careful thinking and clear writing.
What we delivered
General Purpose delivered two hands-on Mastering ChatGPT sessions for the whole team, in person in London in February and March 2025. Both were built around the team's own leadership development work, so people could practise on tasks they do every week.
We went from dabbling to making AI core to the way that every single person in the organisation works.
What results did The Forward Institute see?
- 93% can see clear day-to-day uses for AI in their work.
- 79% feel more confident using AI.
- 64% expect to use AI at least twice a day.
- 2 in 3 better understand the ethical risks of AI.
AI use cases from the workshops
- Agenda critic: reviews workshop agendas through the eyes of leadership team personas
- Critique prompts: tighten emails and research documents
- Thought partner: supports personal reviews and planning
- Better prompting: gets stronger answers in day-to-day knowledge work
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