How and Why to Use AI in Training, Learning, and Development in 2023

Let’s face it: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. It’s all over the news; every market and industry is looking for ways to leverage AI to improve processes or efficiency. 

AI is here to stay, and we will only see more advancements as teams continue to leverage its capabilities.  The AI market, worth a staggering $500 billion, is transforming how many training managers educate customers and employees.

As a learning and development (L&D) manager, most of your time is spent researching, producing, or evaluating training materials. It’s arguably the most critical part of your role. If your content isn’t engaging enough, there’s a slim chance that learners will complete the program.

But what if you could use AI to automate processes and streamline L&D content creation? Discover why AI is important in corporate learning and development and five unique examples of how training managers use AI in L&D. 

Why is AI important in corporate learning and development?

Artificial intelligence has huge potential to transform your L&D programs. From providing personalized learning experiences to advanced predictive analytics, let’s explore why AI is important for your corporate training programs. 

Personalized learning and testing

Nobody wants to spend time rehashing the things they’ve already learned. To keep training fun and engaging, learners need constant new materials that expand their knowledge and skill set.

Granted, you can create personalized learning paths based on job roles and years of experience. A learning management system (LMS) with AI capabilities goes one step further. It provides tailored training recommendations for learners at scale—a task impossible for a training manager responsible for hundreds of employees.

What does that look like in practice? Learners could plug skills gaps when AI tools recommend further training on the questions they missed in your end-of-module quiz. Or, they could expand their knowledge on topics they’re most interested in when an AI chatbot points them toward training materials related to their query.

24/7 digital tutoring

A few years back, L&D teams had one challenge: How do we keep learners engaged in training? Fast forward to today, and that challenge has become: how do we engage people who learn in bitesize chunks at all times of the day? 

Learning is no longer exclusive to dedicated training sessions. Modern learners sign into their company’s learning portal on their mobile devices, cramming bite-sized training into their commute or late-night study sessions. To stand any chance at engaging these learners, you need a 24/7 microlearning strategy.

Artificial intelligence is your sidekick, especially if it offers an intelligent tutoring system. Learners can get personalized study recommendations and feedback and access new training content on-demand without requiring their L&D manager to be online as they learn.

Automated content creation

New research, challenges, and business developments mean best practices constantly change. That presents a challenge for L&D managers. How can you keep your team’s knowledge up-to-date without committing hours each week to repurposing or creating new training materials? 

It’s easy to scale content creation with an LMS like the Learning Cloud with AI Assist. Its generative AI features can help you create content from scratch—even suggesting content you’re missing in existing learning content.

Read more: From Chaos to Clarity: Streamlining Training Content Curation

Instant feedback

Feedback might fall low on the priority list if you’re short on time. However, the vast majority (98 percent) of employees disengage from their work when they receive little or no feedback.

The Learning Cloud uses artificial intelligence to power online quizzes. Learners who complete training are greeted with an end-of-module quiz, prompting them to answer about the content they’ve just interacted with.

What’s great about this feature is that learners don’t have to wait for feedback. They get their quiz grade almost immediately and an explanation of where they got things wrong. (or, words of encouragement if they passed the quiz with flying colors.)

This gives training managers—who are often busy creating new courses or onboarding new learners—more time to work on bigger picture tasks, without neglecting the feedback employees need to continue learning. 

Reporting and predictive analytics

LMS analytics paint the picture of how well your L&D programs are performing. It’ll tell you which materials users engaged the most with, how long they watched, and if you’re using surveys, what they thought of the program. 

What they don’t always tell you is what that means for future learners. Oftentimes, that’s left for you to work out. 

Predictive analytics, however, fill the gap between current data and future outcomes. It can anticipate learner needs and provide relevant information before it’s too late.

Case in point: say you’re evaluating your annual compliance training program. Employees across the entire organization must complete the program each year to keep their certification up to date. Predictive analytics shows users are most likely to fail their certification if they don’t sign into your LMS within the first five days of their renewal notification. 

With that info, you can set automations to notify people who fail to sign in within the first two days. Remind them that their certification is set to expire and give them with incentives to sign in.

Examples of AI in training and development

Now we understand the value AI holds for training managers, let’s explore five different examples of AI in learning and development.

Unique image creation

It’s easy to default to text-based learning materials. They’re easy to reference; learners can digest new training materials without the inconvenience of finding a pair of headphones. 

That said, not all learners prefer to engage with text-based content. Multimodal learning is the practice of catering to several learning styles in your L&D program, such as videos, audio, or images. 

AI enables you to tick one format—images—off that to-do list with minimal effort. 

“By analyzing individual learning styles and performance, AI helps us deliver content that is most relevant and engaging for each team member. This ensures that our training is not only effective but also efficient, addressing the unique needs of our diverse team.”

 

—Slam Sarymamedov, Founder, Ubunzo

Artificial intelligence tools have the power to generate new imagery based on a prompt you enter. If you’re training learners on cybersecurity awareness, for example, you could ask the AI tool to produce an infographic based on the text content already in your module. 

Personalized AI videos

Speaking of alternative content formats, many L&D managers are leaning on artificial intelligence to produce personalized videos at scale. 

Take the dilemma of providing feedback to your learners. Quizzes relay text-based feedback for learners who complete your end-of-module quiz. But a personalized video—one that addresses the learner by name, recommends further training materials, and provides them with words of encouragement—could be the difference between losing a disengaged learner and convincing them to continue learning.

Practice conversations and role-play scenarios

There’s a vast difference between learning something online and actively doing it. Role-playing helps bridge that gap, giving your team the freedom to test actions, scenarios, and outcomes without risking customer relationships. 

AI-generated simulations provide a safe environment for learners to experiment. If you’re training customer service teams on how to handle a difficult customer, for example, use role-play to explore a customer’s response to each approach they take. 

Chatbots and virtual assistants

Chatbots use machine learning to hold conversations with learners. When used inside your LMS, learners get the personalized experience they’re looking for—all while reducing pressure on your L&D team to provide one-to-one direction. 

AI-assisted chatbots are particularly useful for routing people who need help locating specific training materials. Learners can ask your chatbot, “I want to learn more about managing sales teams. Which training is best for me, given my learning preferences and previous courses I’ve already undertaken?”

“We’re planning to deploy AI mentors like just another chatbot that serves our customers, but this time, this chatbot will serve in our L&D initiatives. Being available 24/7, AI mentorship will be available to our global team who’re working across different time zones.”

 

—Francois Gouelo, Co-Founder, Enso Connect

The best part: Once these chatbot conversations come to a close, you can prompt learners into completing a survey. Ask whether the chatbot directed them to a relevant training course or it returned a “Sorry, we couldn’t find anything” error. This can highlight training gaps—courses your team are looking to take, but can’t find.

Quiz generation

Confidence is a secondary—often unexpected—benefit of employee training. When your team is confident, they’re more likely to take control of their responsibilities, put forth new ideas, and experiment.

Studies show that quizzes can play a role in building learner confidence. Look for an AI-enabled interactive training software that allows you to create:

• Quizzes
• Polls
• Surveys

Let’s put that into practice and say you’re training managers on how to create employee development plans. Use this form of interactive content to create a fill-in-the-blank-style survey which models a typical conversation between the manager and a team member during these development reviews. 

Use AI to improve your training and development 

Artificial intelligence might seem daunting, especially if you’re unfamiliar with modernizing a training program. But the transition is worth it. 

With artificial intelligence, you can free up time  to focus on higher impact tasks without neglecting learners. Your team benefits from on-demand feedback, 24/7 learning, and digital tutoring. And when choosing an All-in-One LMS like the Learning Cloud, AI features come as standard—not the exception. 

Want to learn more about how the Learning Cloud and AI Assist can make your L&D programs more efficient? Contact us to schedule a free demo.