Over the past years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a revolutionary force, transforming various aspects of our lives. These days development and AI’s many day-to-day applications are obviously moving lightning-fast. Although AI has been in development at large tech companies for a long time (the first steps were already taken around 1950) many of us will see the introduction of chatbots, and ChatGPT in particular, as recent benchmarks in the public availability of AI.

One field where AI is already making a significant impact is Learning and Development (L&D). The world of employee development is constantly evolving, and it’s essential for organizations to keep up with the latest trends and technologies to stay ahead of the curve. AI has the potential to further revolutionize the way that companies and their employees organize training and development.

One trend within the field of Learning and Development is tailoring training content to the specific needs of each employee. AI is paving the way for personalized learning experiences tailored to individual and business needs. By analyzing data about learners' preferences, job requirements, skills and experiences, AI-powered systems nowadays already can deliver customized content, adaptive assessments, and personalized learning journeys. This approach helps learners progress at their own pace, filling knowledge and skill gaps and providing relevant resources, ultimately improving learning outcomes. With help of AI it is suddenly possible to process enormous amounts of data and thereby recognize patterns in individual development, gain insights into someone's personal interests and make suggestions that are in line with your organization’s needs, without having to work with an entire team of data analysts. With a laser sharp learning offer that is more personal, and focused on development and upskilling, your employees will develop faster and future-proof their careers (and with that the entire organization).

And it is not only the learner who is experiencing the benefits of AI. By analyzing learner behavior, interactions, and performance patterns, the collected data also gives learning administrators and trainers the possibility to identify areas for improvement, insight into what their learners are discussing, and which content is less interesting and could use some promotion or adjustments.

As AI takes over routine tasks, including searching for and adding content, associating certain content with functions, skills or groups, and recommending relevant content, learning administrators can focus on more meaningful activities like designing innovative learning strategies, empower the engagement of learners, and providing personalized support.

One of the systems paving the way with Artificial Intelligence applications in L&D is EdCast by Cornerstone. EdCast combines best of both worlds, by facilitating organizations with both AI and social learning aspects. This platform is a so-called LXP (Learning eXperience Platform) that offers several benefits on top of a traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS). It not only allows users to access a wide range of resources from a single platform, eliminating the need to navigate multiple (content providing) systems, it also enables learners to access diverse learning materials conveniently. By making use of AI and fostering social learning via liking, commenting and sharing content, completions and recommendations, the focus is on personalized content, knowledge sharing and interaction. Learners can continuously develop their skills, acquire new knowledge, and stay updated with the latest trends and developments in their respective fields.

In the long run, L&D departments and businesses that don't start checking out this technology and it’s applications will end up getting left in the dust while their competitors take advantage of the power of AI. The future of L&D is will about AI, and there are probably tons of ways it can be used that we haven't even discovered yet, let alone perfected. So, all L&D teams should start diving into generative AI tools and see how they can make their jobs easier and kick up their effectiveness and productivity.

Twan Akkers