AI licenses for agency employees at dietz.digital: Strengthening competence, shaping the future

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a trending topic – it has become an indispensable tool in the daily lives of modern agencies. As a forward-looking digital agency, we at dietz.digital recognized early on that competent and responsible handling of AI applications such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, Claude, or Copilot not only optimizes our internal processes but also opens up entirely new possibilities in consulting and implementation for our clients.

To safely, purposefully, and responsibly leverage these potentials, we made a clear decision: All relevant employees of our agency must complete the Retail AI AI driver's license – at our expense and within working hours.

Why an AI driver's license?

The speed at which AI tools are evolving poses significant challenges for companies and teams. Not only does the “What is possible” change rapidly – but also the “What is allowed, sensible, and ethically justifiable”. In this complex situation, we did not want to rely on improvisation, but on structured qualification.

The AI driver's license serves not only as a training module but also as a quality standard. Similar to a driver's license, it provides safety in dealing with new technologies, imparts fundamentals, creates a common understanding within the team – and ultimately protects against misuse and liability risks.

For us, it was clear: We do not want to just be users of AI – we want to be competent creators.

The Choice: Retail AI AI Driver's License

After careful evaluation of various offerings, we chose the Retail AI AI Driver's License. This certification program is specifically tailored to the requirements in marketing, communication, and retail environments. The content is practical, didactically well-structured, and regularly updated. The possibility of directly applying what has been learned in tasks and mini-projects also convinced us.

The Retail AI AI Driver's License includes, among other modules:

• Introduction to the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence

• Legal and ethical framework conditions

• Text generation with AI (e.g., for social media, SEO, campaigns)

• Image generation and creative applications

• Automation of routine processes

• Understanding risks, bias, and “hallucinations”

• Prompt engineering and effective use of tools such as ChatGPT

We found the concrete reference to daily agency work particularly valuable – from conception to content creation to client communication.

Mandatory for all – with support from management

The decision to make the AI driver's license mandatory for all relevant employees was not a spontaneous measure but part of our strategic development. As an agency that takes innovation seriously, we consciously choose responsibility over voluntariness.

Because: The use of AI is not child's play. It can accelerate processes, increase quality, lower costs – or, in the case of misuse, destroy trust, spread false information, and even cause legal issues. Therefore, it was important to us that all employees have a minimum level of know-how before actively using AI in the client context.

The management of dietz.digital has fully financed the course, and the implementation was scheduled during regular working hours. For employees, this meant: no extra effort, but a targeted investment in their own competence – with direct benefits in daily work.

Initial experiences from the team

The feedback from the team has been overwhelmingly positive. Many colleagues had previously experimented with AI tools but often without system or clear classification. The AI driver's license deepened, structured, and contextualized the existing knowledge.

Some voices from our team:

“I finally understood why ChatGPT sometimes spits out incorrect facts – and how I can avoid that.”

“The legal modules opened my eyes. I didn't realize that copyright issues could also arise with AI-generated texts.”

“I now use AI much more purposefully. Previously, I just tried random things – now I know how to get much better results through good prompting.”

Positive effects on agency work

Since the introduction of the AI driver's license, we have already observed concrete changes in our daily work:

• Higher quality in texts and designs created with AI support.

• More efficiency in recurring tasks such as research, idea generation, or internal communication.

• Stronger discussions within the team about ethics, transparency, and responsibility in AI usage.

• Better consulting competence towards clients, as our team can explain clearly how and why AI is used – or not.

Our clients also notice the difference. They experience us as competent partners who do not just jump on the next hype but provide well-founded advice, contextualize risks, and sensibly integrate innovation.

The AI driver's license as part of agency culture

We do not see the Retail AI AI driver's license as a one-off measure, but as a building block of a long-term competence strategy. Artificial Intelligence will permanently change our industry – and we do not want to just keep up, but to help shape it.

Therefore, it is clear to us: New employees in relevant positions will also have to complete the AI driver's license in the future. Additionally, we are already thinking about further modules and specializations – such as for visual AI, audio AI, or agent-based systems.

The driver's license is not only a certificate but a symbol: For a culture of learning, responsibility, and digital progress.

Conclusion: The future needs knowledge – and attitude

With the introduction of the Retail AI AI driver's license for all relevant team members, we at dietz.digital are sending a clear signal: Technological competence is not a “nice-to-have”, but a prerequisite for responsible digital work.

We are convinced: Only those who understand AI can use it sensibly. And only those who actively deal with its effects, its opportunities, and limitations can provide guidance to others.

Our decision for the mandatory AI driver's license was therefore not just an investment in skills – but in the future of our agency, our client relationships, and our self-understanding as digital pioneers.