Everything you need to know about this AI tool
I have witnessed something I have never seen in the field of learning and development in 24 years. Fortune 500 Chief Learning Officer literally interacts, getting coffee and tweeting about how the entire training department becomes “outdated” for one AI implementation. What causes this unprecedented anxiety attack? The same AI tools are quietly revolutionizing how 37% of forward thinking organizations are approaching employee development, while the remaining 63% are pressing the panic button.
Great learning and development gaps in 2025
According to the latest Bersin Global Learning Technologies Report, since the introduction of e-learning 20 years ago, we have witnessed the most important forks in corporate learning strategies. Data does not lie:
78% of L&D experts report “medium to exclusive concerns” about AI-powered learning tools. However, organizations employing these tools have seen a 42% improvement in knowledge retention. Average training development time decreased by 68% among early adopters. Employee satisfaction with training has increased by 51% for companies using AI learning assistants.
As the veteran training director at a major telecom company confided (after swearing me to anonymity), “I feel like I have to choose whether to jump off a cliff or be pushed. Either way, everything is changing.”
AI tools will lose everyone’s heart
So, what is this mystical technique causing both panic and celebration? It’s not just generative AI. It specifically is the emergence of possible adaptive learning personnel.
Generates fully customized learning pathways for individual employees. We will prepare evaluation training materials in minutes rather than weeks. It acts as a constantly available, unexamined personal tutor for employees. Analyze learning patterns across your organization to identify skill gaps in real time.
A senior HR executive at a global manufacturing company said, “We spent $3.2 million building a learning management system over three years. The AI tool replicated 80% of its functionality in the afternoon and asked if it needed to improve it.”
It’s no wonder people are going crazy.
Why some learning leaders are invading cold sweat
Let’s be honest about why this is scary for many traditional L&D departments.
Erosion of expertise
For decades, learning professionals have built careers in educational design principles, adult learning theory, and specialized knowledge of content development workflows. New AI tools can apply these principles instantly at scale.
The issue of budget justification
The North American corporate training budget reached $83 billion last year. Many leaders struggle to justify department personnel and budgets as AI tools reduce development costs by up to 70%.
Control difficulties
Perhaps the most unsettling thing is the loss of central control over the learning experience. What happens to quality control and brand consistency when you can generate personalized learning content?
The global training leader said, “We spent years building learning brands and voices. Now managers can create training that looks professional but can completely contradict our methods and values.”
Why are smart people dancing happily?
Many people are panicking, but the ever-increasing number of innovative learning instructors is practically whimsical about these same tools. This is why they accept it rather than resist.
Strategic Pivot
The wisest L&D leaders are aware of the essential truth. Their value never came to the creation of content. It was about understanding human potential and organizational needs.
The progressive CLOs of high-tech companies explain that their teams spend 80% of their time on consultation and strategy learning initiatives instead of building modules, resulting in an increased influence in the organization.
The Benefits of Democratization
Advanced organizations are using AI to democratize learning across the enterprise. Rather than viewing this as a threat, they believe it is fulfilling its promise to create a true learning organization.
“We have made it possible for 2,300 employees to use AI learning tools to create and share knowledge,” the manufacturing learning director explained. “Our tribal knowledge is finally captured, and experts who don’t have time to develop their training do so in just a few minutes.”
result? There will be a 218% increase in employee-generated learning content and a 43% increase in sensual knowledge sharing.
Personalization revolution
Perhaps the biggest advantage comes from the unprecedented ability to personalize learning at scale. Healthcare’s L&D innovators shared that it will be used to create one size training for 11,000 employees. Currently, each person has a learning experience tailored to their role, skill gaps, learning style and career aspirations. The organization has seen compliance training completion rates rise from 68% to 97%, reducing the time spent competing for newcomers for more than five weeks.
Amazing Learning Reset: What Will Come Next
If you’re a learning leader reading this, you’re probably in one of three camps now:
Denier: “This doesn’t apply to my industry/company/situation.” Panicker: “We’re all doomed. We need to update our LinkedIn profile.” Practical innovator: “How can we use this to change the culture of learning?”
For deniers, the data suggest that this is about 16-18 months before it becomes impossible to ignore. If you’re a Panicker, take a deep breath. Your work hasn’t disappeared, it’s evolving. But for practical innovators, here’s your playbook:
Step 1: Redefine your value proposition
Stop thinking of your L&D features as a content creator. You are learning experiences. AI can build training. You can confirm that the correct problem is resolved.
Step 2: Embracing democratization (with guardrail)
Rather than fighting the tide of user-generated content, we create frameworks that allow for innovation while maintaining quality. One of the innovative pharmaceutical companies has created an “AI Learning Accelerator” program that allows employees to use AI to generate training, but has gone through a lightweight review process to ensure accuracy and adjustment.
Step 3: Expand your team in the AI era
The most successful L&D division is rapidly developing new features.
Prompt engineering for AI learning. Learning experience curation (creation and creation). Data analysis and measurement of learning impact. Performance consulting and strategic alignment. Step 4: Focus on what AI can’t do (still)
Double the human element of learning that still eliminates AI:
Development of emotional intelligence. Culture building and value adjustment. Complex ethical decision-making. Interpersonal coaching and mentoring.
The final words: the story of two learning leaders
Leave the story of two learning leaders facing the same AI revolution. For the first three months, they fight the implementation of AI learning tools, claiming it will reduce quality and threaten employment. Their energy was consumed by resistance and fear. Anyway, when the tools were finally implemented, their teams were not ready and lost morale.
The second leader took a different approach. Within days of discovering the technology, they gathered teams to carry out the experiment. They identified restrictions, developed guardrails, and rethinked the creator-to-curator functionality. When the full implementation came, they were already in charge of experts and strategic advisors.
Six months later, the first leader’s team was reduced by 40%, while the second team actually increased by 15%. The difference wasn’t technology. That was their reaction to it.
What is your organization’s approach to AI in learning? Are you panic, embracing change, or seeing something in between? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article reflect the author’s personal views and do not necessarily represent the e-learning industry position.
Editor’s note: Check out Elarning Industry’s top content providers with expertise in AI tools.
Appposite Learning Solutions
Appposite is a trusted strategic learning service partner for organizations committed to empowering employees and creating a learning culture tailored to business outcomes.
