Scaling AI Fluency for Marketing Teams: How ASU Leads with Innovation and Intent

AI fluency for marketing teams is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a must.

In the rapidly evolving world of higher education, artificial intelligence has become more than just a buzzword.

It’s a transformative tool that, when used well, can elevate everything from student communications to operational efficiency.

What sets institutions apart in this evolving landscape is not just if they adopt AI, but how well they do it — and how far they can move their teams from basic AI literacy to operational fluency.

Tina Miller, Executive Director of Creative x Communications at Arizona State University’s Enterprise Technology division, is helping lead one of the most comprehensive, forward-thinking AI strategies in higher education today.

In this episode of The Higher Ed Marketer podcast, Troy and I had the chance to dive deep with Tina on how ASU is infusing AI fluency across departments, aligning tools with institutional values, and modeling what scalable, strategic innovation looks like.

Spoiler alert: It’s more than just better emails and chatbots.

It’s about culture, creativity, and courage.

It Starts at the Top: The Role of Leadership in AI Adoption

When Tina Miller joined ASU’s Enterprise Technology team in 2023, AI wasn’t even mentioned in her job interview.

That changed almost immediately.

“As soon as I took the job, Lev Gonick, our CIO, said, ‘Okay, Dr. Crow wants a list of every single AI project that’s been done.’ So we started with a 110-slide deck and just began storytelling.”

That storytelling laid the foundation for what would become ASU’s AI Innovation Challenge, the launch of custom GPT tools, and a strategic roadmap guided by one critical filter:

All AI projects must serve one (or more) of three outcomes — student learning success, research for societal impact, or the future of work.

And that clarity?

It came straight from the top.

“President Crow is a believer in AI, and really, you have to start at the very top in order to get that engagement.”

Institutions that are struggling to scale AI initiatives often lack alignment among leadership.

ASU’s success started with leadership buy-in and has trickled into all corners of the campus ecosystem.

Digital Twins, Dreamscapes, and the GONICK Guru

Tina and her team don’t just talk about innovation — they build it.

One standout example is ASU’s Digital Twin campus — a VR-powered mirror of the physical Tempe campus that is opening new doors for prospective students who might not be able to visit in person.

Another is Dreamscape Learn, an immersive VR biology lab where students care for creatures in an “alien zoo,” all while learning diagnostics and problem-solving through gamified, AI-supported experiences.

And then there’s the GONICK Guru — an internal chatbot trained on speeches, interviews, and writings by ASU’s CIO Lev Gonick, used to pull executive-level quotes and insights on demand.

“I took his media interviews, I took his speeches, I took things that he wrote… and created a chatbot. Now, if I need a quote, I can ask the GONICK Guru, and it’ll tell me how Lev feels about the future of AI.”

From a content creation perspective, that’s not just efficient.

It’s transformational.

Explore more on AI’s impact in higher education in The AI-Empathy Paradox: Artificial Intelligence in Student Engagement.

Fluency Over Literacy: Teaching Teams to Think Strategically with AI

Tina emphasizes a crucial distinction — one that we often overlook in the race to “use AI.”

“You can be AI literate — that’s great. But being fluent means you understand how to use these models for comprehension, reasoning, and strategy.”

At ASU, every member of Tina’s team was encouraged to be using at least two generative AI tools within a few months of her joining.

Today, they use everything from ChatGPT-EDU and Otter.ai to Natural Reader and Adobe Firefly.

Internally, they also work with ASU’s Create AI Platform, which houses over 50 large language models and offers custom chatbot-building tools through MyAI Builder.

They’ve even developed a “spin cycle” — a tool trained on two years of ASU storytelling that helps suggest new angles for follow-up articles or internal content.

In Tina’s words, “It’s just like having an additional thought partner on the team.”

This level of AI fluency for marketing teams doesn’t happen by accident.

It takes intention, training, and a willingness to experiment.

The AI Innovation Challenge: Empowering the Community

One of the most impactful initiatives ASU has launched is its AI Innovation Challenge, where faculty, staff, and researchers submit proposals for using AI to drive impact.

To date, ASU has received over 600 proposals, with 400 active projects.

And while many universities offer ChatGPT access, ASU doesn’t hand it out freely — licenses are awarded based on the potential impact.

“We didn’t just want people to use ChatGPT — we wanted them to use it well. So we focused on impact and asked: What will this do for teaching, research, or the future of work?”

The Innovation Challenge also builds community.

Teams across disciplines are learning from each other, cross-pollinating ideas, and fostering grassroots innovation within an institution of more than 180,000 students and 24,000 employees.

What Other Institutions Can Learn from ASU

Tina broke it down into practical, actionable steps to help other institutions develop AI fluency for marketing teams and campus-wide innovators:

• Start with leadership alignment. Nothing scales without top-down support.
• Create clear, values-driven strategy. At ASU, that meant tying everything back to their charter of inclusive excellence.
• Develop strong policies and guidelines. These should address ethical use, data security, and accessibility.
• Build a central AI hub. ASU’s ai.asu.edu serves as a single source of truth for AI activities, updates, and storytelling.
• Embrace experimentation. Not every initiative will succeed, but every one teaches something valuable.
• Forge strong partnerships. ASU collaborates with OpenAI, Apple, AWS, and more — because partnerships fuel progress.

“We really do have a culture at ASU of just trying things. Innovation doesn’t have a roadmap. We try it, learn from it, and move forward.”

Looking for ways to build a tech-savvy, future-ready team? 5 Empowering Steps to Adopting a Growth Mindset in Higher Ed Marketing Teams 

Looking Ahead: Agents, Ethics, and a Principled Future

What’s next for ASU? AI agents. 

These autonomous tools will soon handle everything from writing ad copy to optimizing media spends, enabling staff to focus more on strategy and creativity.

“If you can delegate it, AI can probably do it. That’s the mindset we’re moving toward.”

But alongside all the excitement is a deep sense of responsibility.

ASU’s Principled Innovation framework guides every decision, asking not just “can we innovate?” but “should we?”

“We put everything through the lens of: Are we doing this for real value to our students, our faculty, and our community?”

That’s the kind of leadership higher ed needs right now.

And that’s what makes ASU’s model so worth watching.

To hear Tina’s full insights, tune in to Episode #203 of The Higher Ed Marketer podcast now!

Want to Move Your Marketing Team from AI Literacy to True AI Fluency?

Arizona State University isn’t just dabbling in artificial intelligence — they’re scaling it campus-wide by focusing on fluency, not just familiarity. And your institution can do the same.

At Caylor Solutions, we’ve designed a Custom AI Masterclass specifically for higher ed marketing teams who are ready to go beyond the buzz and actually build capability.

This hands-on, two-day (6-hour) training is built around your team’s real-world needs, helping you:

✅ Learn AI best practices and avoid common missteps
✅ Master prompt design to generate stronger, smarter results
✅ Explore the tools that actually matter for higher ed marketing
✅ Workshop real, everyday use cases pulled from your institution’s work

Whether your team is just getting started with ChatGPT or already experimenting with advanced workflows, this masterclass helps close the gap between AI literacy and AI fluency for marketing teams — so your people can work smarter, faster, and more creatively.

Because like Tina Miller from ASU said in our latest podcast episode:

“Being literate is the first step, but being fluent… that’s where the magic happens.”

Let’s bring that magic to your team.
Contact us to schedule your Custom AI Masterclass today!

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Featured image via asu.edu