Feature
Artificial intelligence has the potential to upend learning and development. And as generative AI tools continue to develop, many believe the technology will help enterprises deliver dramatically more efficient, personalized and evocative training and support.
According to Gina Smith, research director at IDC and a New York Times bestselling author, all this couldn’t come at a better time. “More than 52% of global IT leaders surveyed by IDC as part of the company’s Future of Work 2023 Predictions report say they are already feeling the pain of a growing IT skills shortage.” By 2027, she said, that number will grow to 90%.
Yet, if skills gaps are a significant concern when thinking about the future of work, they’re not the only one.
A 2023 LinkedIn report found a whopping 93% of organizations are concerned about their ability to retain employees. And providing learning opportunities is one the best ways for companies to improve retention.
To solve those challenges, artificial intelligence emerges as a potent solution.
AI’s Role in Workplace Learning and Development
There may be skeptics, but Dani Johnson, co-founder and principal analyst at RedThread Research, predicts that AI — particularly generative AI — will change organizational learning and development “dramatically” in the next few years.
“We just finished some research where about 35% of learning solution providers indicated that they are experimenting heavily with generative AI, particularly to simplify some of the stupid work, such as curation, creation and improving search,” Johnson said.
As robots complete these routine tasks, she said, learning and development teams have time to focus on more strategic work.
Right now, L&D functions are responsible for understanding the skills the organization needs, how to best develop those skills, how to encourage people to develop those skills and understanding the data associated with developing those skills. “Generative AI has the potential to turn all of that on its head.”
Related Article: Why We'll Get AI and the Future of Work Wrong
Personalized and Real-Time Learning
For years now — and well before ChatGPT emerged — John Boudreau, senior research scientist and professor emeritus at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, has seen early forms of AI contribute to more personalized and real-time learning.
“AI can examine the profile of a worker and extrapolate what additional capabilities that worker might already have,” he said. “It can also extrapolate adjacent capabilities that workers may obtain, based on the patterns of others like them.”
Today, it’s become somewhat easy for companies to apply AI capabilities within their organization, said Boudreau, but what’s still relatively nascent for organizations is applying these capabilities to the ecosystem of potential workers, including workers in traditionally untapped areas (i.e., the neuro-diverse, those with criminal records, non-employee workers, etc.).
“This implies a profound change in the way learning and development professionals conceive the very concept of learning,” he said. “They must learn to consider themselves a part of a large learning ecosystem that no longer encapsulates learning in episodic moments … but operates in real time, beyond traditional organization boundaries.”
Smith added that generative AI tools may also be valuable for quick, just-in-time (JIT) learning for employees who need on-the-fly access to new skills. “It can provide rapid, JIT responses to questions employees have around those skills,” she said.
Related Article: How Gamification at Work Fits Into Learning & Development
Virtual and Unbiased Mentorship
Mentorship has a positive impact on all areas of life, including in the workplace. Studies show mentor-mentee relationships come with a wide range of benefits for the mentee, including behavioral, attitudinal, health-related, relational, motivational, career outcomes and more.
With AI, said Smith, virtual mentorship is now on the table. “ChatGPT and other GAI tools will be utilized as AI mentors for new hires as they train on new IT skills and during onboarding.”
And think: organizations can customize AI mentors to individual learning styles and paces. A virtual mentor can adapt in real time to the learning needs of the mentee and provide resources and feedback based on employee responses and progress.
Plus, AI is not confined by the same time constraints as a human mentor, meaning it can provide round-the-clock support, which could reduce the learning curve for new hires.
Another added benefit is complete objectivity (ideally), which can encourage honest self-assessment without fear of judgment.
Related Article: When AI Discriminates, Who’s to Blame?
Workplace Knowledge Management
Think of where you find information at your organization. Is there more than one place to look? Different ways to search? Certain keywords you might have to use? Pain points that can cause issues — and waste time — throughout the process?
AI could be a breath of fresh air for organizational knowledge management.
“GAI tools like ChatGPT will certainly be used to help employees and learners quickly find answers for the most common IT issues,” said Smith. “It could maintain and analyze a database of frequently asked questions, for instance, and it could even anticipate such questions from learners who query repeatedly.”
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AI-based systems can be trained to continuously learn from the growing pool of company data and update the knowledge base. In practice, employees would always have access to the most up-to-date information, cutting out outdated practices or duplicated efforts.
They can also provide context-aware insights, aligning relevant information to an individual's role or task at hand. In effect, AI becomes a digital coworker whose sole job is to streamline information access and foster a culture of continuous learning.
Related Article: AI Is Coming for Talent Acquisition and Recruiters Are Ready
Skills Reach a Level Playing Field
When it comes to skills development and career progression, the process may not always seem fair and equal to all employees. That notion is especially true for organizations that operate in a hybrid capacity, where some executives have observed alarming inequities between remote and in-office employees.
Generative AI has the potential to level the playing field, said Johnson, making information about skills, roles, development opportunities and performance progress available to employees more broadly.
“Think about that: What takes huge budgets, lots of maneuvering, elaborate communication strategies and lots and lots of content may be solved with some carefully worded prompts,” she said. For example:
- What skills does my organization value right now?
- What roles have those skills?
- Give me 10 ways that I can develop those skills.
- Tell me how I can let my organization know that I have these skills.
Related Article: Help Your Organization and Employees Thrive With Equitable Talent Development
Automatic and Predictive Course Updates
“One of the thorniest challenges for enterprises is updating their courses to reflect the latest tech capabilities,” said Smith. And AI tools like ChatGPT might be the solution L&D departments and IT training vendors have been looking for because they can automatically track the latest trend technologies, update courses and ensure learners are at the leading edge.
Boudreau added that generative AI has democratized the production of learning and development and put it into the hands of those who have knowledge to share. The technology “allows virtually anyone to build a curriculum and learning materials,” he said.
With AI, organizations will be able to maintain a state of perpetual learning that aligns with the fast-paced evolution of technology. Through machine learning, it can also predict future learning needs based on industry trends, further ensuring workplace courses stay relevant.
Potential for Limitations and False Information
AI is expected to have considerable positive effects on workplace learning and development, but it will have a few negative ones, too.
The limitations and cautions that come with AI for learning and development largely parallel the same considerations for AI and automation, said Boudreau. “Recently, we have seen a good deal of attention to the possibility that AI can generate mistaken or false information.”
Another danger, according to Boudreau: “If AI can only be developed by the world’s wealthiest corporations, then it will naturally be designed to serve those very limited objectives.” And addressing those limitations, he said, will require careful and thoughtful human oversight.
“One of the most interesting, emerging future occupations will be in the arena of learning and development professionals who are very good at working with AI and very good at identifying and solving the problems that come with it,” he said.
Related Article: How to Overcome the Barriers to a Rewarding Training Program
Preparing for Generative AI’s Impact on L&D
“GAI is going to massively change employee development and as such, the job of the L&D function,” said Johnson. For now, she recommends L&D professionals do three things — and soon — to prepare themselves for the integration of AI in their work:
1. Experiment. “Figure out what stupid work GAI can take off their plates and how GAI can be leveraged to provide more value to the organization.” This step also includes working with counterparts in other functions to figure out how to safely use the technology.
2. Set aside fear. “This is a gigantic opportunity for L&D professionals. Holding onto old ways or panning some of these new functionalities will be detrimental.” Instead, Johnson said L&D should be leading the charge and, in some cases, even convincing organizations to get on board.
3. Look for solutions providers. But beware of those that spout sensationalism or fear-driven messages, she said. Focus on those who understand the unique things that GAI will allow both L&D functions and employees to do.
