Case Study

Section helps companies navigate AI transformation with Claude

Section + Anthropic logo lockup

Section, an AI workforce transformation company, uses Claude to help companies and individuals get proficient, confident, and effective with AI. Section uses Claude to inform and develop AI upskilling programs, advise clients on AI transformation, and power its new AI coach, ProfAI.

Section’s AI transformations start with having a fully AI-powered workforce internally—and extend to integrating AI in all products and services. By partnering with Anthropic, Section has seen:

  • 82% of team members use Claude, compared to a 5% benchmark for the overall workforce
  • 50% of the team achieving at least 10% productivity gains

Helping organizations build AI-powered workforces

Section was founded nearly six years ago as a leadership training provider building the business school of the future. In early 2023, the company pivoted to focus on AI upskilling after Section’s CEO Greg Shove started exploring generative AI.

“I quickly realized that AI was a technological shift akin to the early internet, which at the time was a huge boon to my career,” says Shove. “I told the team, ‘We’ll be infusing AI into every aspect of our business, from optimizing internal operations to completely reimagining our learning experience.’”

In the last two years, Section has evolved to help companies build their AI transformation plans, upskill their workforce on AI, and redesign high-impact workflows to leverage AI.

"AI is crashing into the workforce, but the workforce isn’t ready. According to our data, less than 10% of workers are AI-proficient," says Taylor Malmsheimer, COO at Section.

Choosing Claude as a strategic thought partner

Section's journey with Claude began with a spontaneous experiment. As Shove and Malmsheimer prepared for an upcoming board meeting in August 2023, they decided to test how AI might help. They uploaded their board materials to several AI platforms—asking each to role-play as a board member and provide potential questions and feedback.

The results were eye-opening. "Claude blew us away," said Malmsheimer. After the board meeting, they compared their notes against Claude's predictions. "Claude identified 92% of the feedback the board brought up." This moment was a catalyst for Section, revealing AI's potential beyond simple automation to serve as a genuine strategic thought partner.

Claude stood out for its ability to engage in nuanced, strategic conversations. Malmsheimer said, "When I upload a document to ChatGPT versus Claude, Claude feels more true to how a business person would respond." While Section uses multiple AI models, they consistently turn to Claude as their strategic thought partner. The impact extends beyond metrics to boosting confidence. Malmsheimer shared, "I'm a relatively new executive. I haven't been in many board meetings. It's valuable to feel more prepared and confident going into those conversations."

This experience transformed Section's view of AI's role in business. Malmsheimer explained, "Before that, most of the use cases we shared internally were on our operations team. They were great, but very much 'automated this process that took me forever.' As leaders developing IP, this was a moment of 'My God, this can be a partner in developing that IP, in this thinking and preparation.'"

Measuring ROI

Since then Section has rolled out Claude for teams to its 25-person team. Internal use cases include:

  • The marketing team using Claude Projects to build a “voice of the customer” repository where they’ve uploaded survey data and market research, and work with Claude to hone the company’s positioning and ideal customer profile
  • The education team uses Claude to develop the framework and flow of presentation decks for live lectures in Section bootcamp programs
  • The leadership team uses Claude as a strategic thought partner, getting feedback on new initiatives and strategic plans

Section's use of Claude has fundamentally changed the company's operations. Malmsheimer said, "If I took it away, there would be a clear impact on our productivity and efficiency." The ROI is clear—with half the team achieving at least a 10% productivity gain.

The company spends about $20K per year on AI accounts for their 25-person team, including Claude. With half the team getting a 10% productivity gain already, they estimate they’re saving $150-200K a year, or 1-2 headcount.

“We’re seeing the results already in our business model,” Malmsheimer said. “We’ll 8X the number of employees we upskill this year, yet we’re spending less on delivery and administration costs than we did last year.”

Building the future of AI workforce transformation

Section envisions transforming how organizations and individuals adapt to AI. Through their partnership with Anthropic, they're launching ProfAI, an AI-powered coach that delivers personalized, contextual learning at scale.

"With AI, we've been able to recreate the value of a personal, 1-on-1 tutor for every single student," says Malmsheimer. While Section initially prototyped ProfAI with GPT-4, they ultimately chose Claude for its superior performance as a strategic thought partner. "We've found that Claude's feedback and tone better aligns with what we need to create an engaging user experience."

With plans to upskill 100,000 employees on AI this year and one million the next, Section and Anthropic are empowering a generation of confident workers to thrive in an AI-powered future.