The power of surprise in AI learning
A neuroscientist friend of Brilliant Noise once described why surprise is such an important part of learning.
Surprise, she said, is a super power. Not a surprise, but the sense of surprise. The sensation of surprise. When we are surprised, our brain is open to seeing the world differently – something has changed our mind about how we thought something was going to be. It’s like that “lightbulb” moment when suddenly you see things differently.
It helps you leap over the obstacles of hesitancy, fear and doubt about learning new things.
That insight changed our course as a company.
From explain to experience
For years, innovation workshops followed a familiar format:
Start with a compelling presentation
Explore new ideas in small groups
End with a roadmap full of promise
And while these sessions were energetic, they often didn’t create lasting change. The spark faded once people returned to their desks.
When we began running our AI-B-C programmes, we saw something different. The most powerful moments didn’t happen when we explained how AI works. They happened when people used it, hands-on, in real time.
We saw minds change in minutes – not through persuasion, but through surprise. Seeing a structured prompt work first time. Watching a custom chatbot automate a tedious process. Realising the free tool they’d been using barely scratched the surface.
So we flipped the format. Now we open with the demos, not the deck.
Show, then tell. Always.
Why surprise builds confidence
Surprise short-circuits fear. It gets past the reflex to say “this isn’t for me” or “I don’t have time to figure this out.”
When something unexpected works better than expected, it creates a powerful emotional response: curiosity, excitement, even relief.
That’s what AI learning needs right now. Not more slide decks. More of those “wait…what?” moments.
Enter the AI Power Hour
To give more people that first spark, we designed the AI Power Hour – a one-to-one, focused, fast session designed to solve something useful and surprise you in the process.
Sometimes it’s writing a better prompt. Sometimes it’s creating a tool to save time. Sometimes it’s rethinking how a daily task gets done.
The feedback has been better than we could have hoped:
“You’ve given me my afternoon back.”
“I’ve fallen back in love with my job.”
Yes, AI can do amazing things. But the real unlock is when someone sees what it can do for them, today—not in theory, but in practice.
If you want to build lasting AI literacy across your team, don’t start with a lecture. Start with a surprise.
Then help people do something with it.
Book an AI Power Hour here. Free surprise inside every one.
