Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping professional practice, within marketing and sales, where algorithmic analytics and generative tools influence decision‑making and creative strategy. While higher education’s early responses to generative AI centred on academic integrity and regulation, emerging research highlights the need for pedagogical approaches that emphasise human capacities; critical thinking, ethical reasoning, communication, and adaptive judgement as foundations for AI‑readiness. This paper contributes to that shift by examining the Marketing & Sales Summit, a staff–student co‑created experiential learning initiative, as a model for human‑first AI literacy development.

Drawing from industry dialogue with tech forward organisations, the Summit offers students an immersive environment to explore how AI is transforming marketing and sales practice. Rather than teaching specific AI tools, the Summit positions AI as a socio‑technical context where human creativity, ethics, and professional identity gain heightened importance. Students consistently report that these discussions “take the fear out of AI,” helping them recognise that their transversal human skills; judgement, communication, empathy, and problem‑solving are key value creators in AI‑mediated workplaces.

The paper advances the Human‑First Experiential AI Literacy Framework, which conceptualises AI literacy at the intersection of authentic experiential learning, relational pedagogy, and industry‑facing dialogue. This triad cultivates the reflective, ethical, and context‑aware capabilities required for meaningful human–AI collaboration. Findings demonstrate that such relational, co‑created environments strengthen confidence, capability, and professional identity while developing critical competencies emphasised in contemporary AI literacy scholarship.

The Summit exemplifies a scalable, replicable, and evidence‑based model for integrating AI literacy into higher education. By focusing on human skills rather than technological mastery, it prepares graduates to contribute confidently, ethically, and creatively within rapidly evolving AI‑enabled professional landscapes.