The AI revolution is coming to L&D 

Gen AI can study and synthesise data to craft new L&D content, from quick lessons to multi-part learning pathways. The more advanced models can handle a range of inputs — text, code, images, audio and video — and even convert between these formats. Gen AI can also enhance augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), gamification and other techniques to provide a more engaging learner experience. Perhaps most importantly, Gen AI does all this at much greater speed and scale than any team of people can achieve.

Producing dynamic learning content takes time and technical know-how. In the past, this process has stretched many L&D professionals beyond their capacity. Now, AI can lighten the load by automating learning management system (LMS) functions, creating reusable templates for high-volume production, and suggesting prompts for higher quality outputs.

Given the speed and scope of its capabilities, Gen AI can support highly personalised learner journeys at scale. To begin with, it can analyse employee data to build learner profiles based on performance, learning preferences, career aspirations, interests and skills. From there, it can customise the content, format, language and other aspects of learning programmes to help each learner succeed.

Unlike traditional L&D content, AI can also make adjustments in real time based on each employee’s progress. It can add more context and exercises when needed, or modify the difficulty level to stimulate learners without overwhelming them. In this way, it can act as a personal coach.

Skills-powered organisations flow talent to work based on the skills they have today and the skills they will need tomorrow. This can provide a significant competitive advantage. AI-powered tools can be used to support these efforts in several ways:

• Using data to infer individuals’ current skills 
• Analysing skills supply and demand to identify and predict skill gaps
• Creating, tailoring and suggesting L&D content to address specific skill gaps
• Recommending developmental programmes based on individual interests and illustrating alternative career paths
• Replacing traditional, long, intermittent training events with continuous microlearning (within the flow of work), providing real-time learning resources

Executives agree that skills are a priority: when Mercer asked what would deliver the biggest boost to productivity, their top response was employee training and up/reskilling. However, many organisations still tend to gauge labour supply by headcount instead of skills. For example, just one-third of HR leaders are prioritising talent assessment and skills development this year, and only 27% of workers say they have recently gone through a formal skills assessment. Clearly, there is a disconnect — one that AI can help solve.

Gen AI democratises knowledge across the firm by making useful data more accessible. Organisations and their people are often inundated with information, much of it cluttered, outdated or simply irrelevant. By finding patterns in big data, Gen AI can quickly cut through the noise to curate timely, specific, high-value content from company intranets and other trustworthy sources.

This is a significant productivity development. According to 38% of executives, difficulty finding information is a top productivity drain. Thanks to AI, this challenge could soon be a thing of the past.

In the L&D context, the speed and focus that AI brings to information dissemination highlights the need for an entirely new learning philosophy. Long courses with sprawling content libraries can be replaced with targeted insights and microlearning, delivered on demand and within the flow of work.