AI in Learning and Development: How AI Enhances Your L&D Programs

The whole world is buzzing about artificial intelligence. Everywhere we go – from industry conferences and boardrooms to news publications and social media sites – we hear conversations about the large (and rapidly growing) impact of AI.

Already, the most innovative organizations are leveraging AI in learning and development initiatives. Those that embrace AI in learning and development are better equipped to build and deliver programs that grow skills and improve business outcomes. 

In fact, as an L&D leader, you simply can’t afford to ignore AI in learning and development.

If you’re looking to supercharge your learning and development efforts with AI, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about AI in learning and development. We’ll cover topics including:

• The role of AI in learning and development
• Why AI in learning and development is important
• Top challenges of implementing AI in learning and development programs 
• How the right technology can help you capitalize on the opportunities of AI in learning and development while overcoming the key challenges.

The role of AI in learning and development

Chances are, you always strive to hire the strongest candidates for every open position. Most organizations do!

But every employee – from the lowest performers to the all-stars – need ongoing learning and development to be successful in their roles. With a strong learning and development program, employees have opportunities to grow their skills. When every employee has access to the right learning and development opportunities, performance improves across the entire organization. 

As an added bonus, a strong learning and development program increases engagement among employees. When you prove you’re invested in your employees’ learning and growth, it boosts employee satisfaction and retention. 

But where does AI fit in?

One-size-fits-all learning and development doesn’t work. Instead, the best L&D programs are tailored to the unique needs of each employee. Organizations must also be able to measure the impact of their learning and development program and make data-based adjustments as necessary.

Pulling this off requires a ton of time and effort – especially for enterprises with hundreds or even thousands of employees. In fact, it can feel downright impossible.

That’s where AI in learning and development comes in. 

When you strategically leverage AI, you’re able to develop and deliver effective, personalized training and learning that address the needs of each learner. That means every member of your team has the right opportunities to build the skills and behaviors they need to be as successful as possible.

AI isn’t just a buzzword or a passing fad. Instead, it’s becoming a critical component of any effective learning and development program.

Not sure why you need generative AI in learning and development? Let’s take a look at some of the key reasons innovative L&D teams are already incorporating AI in learning and development.

Faster creation of L&D programs

Strong learning and development programs can significantly improve performance. But building and launching impactful programs takes time. Chances are, you don’t have much to spare.

Today, winning organizations leverage AI to create learning modules quickly and easily. The sooner you launch a program, the sooner you’ll see an impact.

Personalized L&D programs that address the skill gaps of each employee

There was a time when learning and development was limited to onboarding, and programs were one-size-fits-all. That approach will no longer cut it. L&D needs to be personalized to the unique needs of each employee.

Organizations leverage AI in learning and development programs to recommend L&D that’s relevant to each employee. For example, AI for training can deliver recommended learning and development based on factors like:

• Job title
• Skill gaps
• Learning preferences
• Content they’ve already consumed

Self service learning opportunities

With AI in learning and development, employees don’t have to wait around for content or a training module to be assigned to them. Instead, they can access individualized training and other learning whenever and wherever they need it.

For example, a sales rep can type in a question they’ve received from a prospect. AI will analyze all the content that’s available to provide an answer. AI will also recommend additional, related resources (like microlearning and sales content) the sales rep can use to learn more.  

Immersive practice opportunities to perfect skills 

Ideally, employees would remember everything they learned in training and apply it in the real world. But that’s not reality. 

Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve tells us employees forget half of all new information within a day; they forget 90% within a week of learning it. 

It’s important to provide employees reinforcement and practice opportunities. Role-plays are one example. However, traditional role-plays require a lot of a manager’s time.

That’s not the case with AI. 

Learning and development teams can create realistic scenarios and assign specific characteristics to an AI bot. Then, employees can engage with the bot to practice and hone their skills. 

Timely coaching and feedback

Employees depend on coaching and feedback from their managers to improve behaviors and performance. But delivering meaningful feedback takes time and effort, and employees can’t afford to sit around waiting.

AI for coaching is the answer. 

Today, sales enablement teams use AI to record and analyze sales reps’ calls. At the end of the call, the rep receives a score and real-time feedback for improvement. In addition, sales managers can look for trends (for example, a high volume of calls with low scores) to identify opportunities to deliver additional coaching to sales reps. 

Data analysis

Data is key to L&D success. Chances are, you have plenty of data available to you. For example, you likely have data related to how employees are engaging with different learning and development programs and how they’re performing on the job.

But it can be hard to make sense of the huge volume of data available to you.

Innovative teams use AI in learning and development to analyze data and provide summaries. AI can also make data-based recommendations for next steps.