Artificial intelligence strategist Surlena Smith believes that fear is keeping many people from tapping into AI’s potential.

“Some people are scared that they are going to look incompetent in front of their colleagues,” Ms Smith said. “Other people are afraid of being replaced by AI.”

She said one of the problems is that there is no real access to credible classes or structured training other than random one-off courses or YouTube videos.

“You really don’t know where to start,” she said.

To tackle the problem, she has launched AI Diva Academy, designed to give women and men the basic skills needed to use the technology.

The first session began yesterday.

“I wanted to do something where I could teach people ways to navigate AI,” she said. The academy launched its first cohort last month.

“It drew people from all walks of life,” Ms Smith said. “One student went from total ‘oblivion’ to having AI knowledge within two days.”

She created the academy so people can navigate around more than just ChatGPT.

In the course, students learn to use AI programmes such as Perplexity, Claude and Canva’s AI features.

“Our starting place is learning how to prompt engineer,” she said. “With AI, you are like a producer. You have to give it real descriptive information to get the output you need.”

Ms Smith is the founder of Women in AI Bermuda, which offers technology walks, ethical AI discussions and a hackathon, and has also delivered AI workshops for small businesses.

“I advocate for responsible innovation, inclusive leadership and creating opportunities that prepare people for the future of work,” she said.

A major pillar of the academy is demystifying both the power and limits of these tools.

“People think that AI is going to replace them,” Ms Smith said. “There is always going to have to be a human in the loop. AI should increase human capacity, not replace human potential.”

She said AI output should be taken as a suggestion needing evaluation before its use.

“You can’t think that because you use AI you are no longer accountable for the information that AI is giving you,” she said. “You still have to be able to navigate, and you still have to work.”

The academy offers free, premium and platinum tiers hosted on the platform Skool. It combines self‑paced lessons with live lunch-and-learn sessions featuring women working in AI, cybersecurity and tech.

Cohorts are kept to just ten students. The online programme lasts two weeks and includes regular monthly sessions and other events.

“By the end of the run, participants won’t just be using AI, they will be the person in the room others come to for answers,” she said.

However, she cautioned that it is not a certification.

“You will be able to use AI practically,” she said. “We are trying to make it relevant for you. You won’t feel that it is smarter than you, because you still have to check everything that AI gives you.”

The AI Diva Academy programme is priced on a subscription model of $39 a month at the premium level, or $149 a month at the platinum level for small businesses.

Paid tiers cover training and include monthly live sessions, content drops, question-and-answer coaching and community access.

• For more information, see Surlena the AI Diva on Facebook or e-mail surlenatheaidiva@gmail.com