AI in Learning and Development: Potential and Pitfalls

The singularity is getting closer. The use of artificial intelligence has become commonplace in multiple industries, and L&D is no exception. Is AI-led learning the future to look forward to, or is the growing dependence on algorithms a problem for L&D experts worldwide? We’ll discuss these and other questions about AI in learning and development in this article. We’ll also give you a rundown of the top 5 AI-powered tools for learning and development initiatives. 

What Are The Concerns About Using AI in Learning and Development?

In falling for the hype of AI implementation, it’s easy to lose a critical approach. There are so many possibilities open for those who are using AI in learning and development that it’s easy to put too much trust in AI. But this comes at a certain cost:   

• There’s a normal level of resistance to every new technology, and AI is no exception. Even with cloud solutions, staff need time to adapt to new tools and features.
• Progress comes with a price, and with cutting-edge technologies comes the bill. Costs can vary based on factors like self-hosted vs. cloud solutions, a need for AI experts, and team training.
• Talent shortages: finding AI experts will be just as difficult as it currently is to hire tech employees. You’ll have to put a lot of effort into corporate training.
• Outdated setups will require investment since upgrades to fully utilize AI capabilities have to be made. So, a modern, powerful infrastructure will be needed to process vast amounts of data and ensure data privacy.

However, the biggest challenge is not ethical issues but the overestimation of the role of AI in learning and development. We might be expecting too much from AI at the moment. It’s not a magic wand relieving us of work; it’s merely a knowledge tool. And the results of any data that AI processes will only be as good as the data humans input. This is reflected by the timeworn IT phrase “Junk in, junk out.” aka “Garbage in, garbage out.” (GIGO).

So, while there are obvious advantages to using AI in learning and development, we can’t lose sight of the different aspects of L&D that are traditionally regulated by humans.  

What is the potential for the use of AI in learning and development?

There are two global L&D challenges that have appeared recently. Both of them exist on different organizational levels, and their resolution depends on different roles in each company. 

Psychological: Shifting towards skill-based hiring

The first is psychological: a personalized approach to management and development. A shift from credential-based to skills-based hiring sounds like a great solution to fill the tech labor deficit. But it comes with a cost: the lack of formal requirements leaves learning gaps that can’t be closed without a personalized development plan. There are real challenges, like the onboarding and learning development of people who are coming in with a skills-based profile and embarking on a less structured path that has to adapt to their learning needs.

Digital: Taking part in the digital transformation

The second global challenge is more of a financial nature: the digital transformation all modern businesses have to go through. The global digital transformation was valued at around 1.129 trillion USD in 2023. It is estimated to reach almost 5 trillion USD by 2030. Digital transformation in learning and development aims to make learning more engaging, accessible, and personalized. But, in order for it to run smoothly, the highest level of management in every company has to agree on the creation and implementation of a digital transformation strategy.

Digital transformation in learning and development will affect multiple layers of the process:

• eLearning platforms (LMS) become a centralized hub for content creation, distribution, and the tracking of learners’ progress.
• Mobile learning enables learners to access educational resources whenever and wherever needed, promoting flexibility and convenience.
• In virtual classrooms, learners engage in real-time discussions, participate in activities, and receive immediate feedback.
• Gamification includes leaderboards, badges, points, and trophies. It encourages learners to actively participate and achieve learning objectives.
• Data analytics and learning analytics gather insights into learners’ performance, behavior, and preferences. By analyzing data, organizations can personalize learning experiences and identify knowledge gaps.

What Is The Positive Role of AI in Learning and Development?

The ways in which AI can be applied seem to be endless. New products and uses emerge every year (or even every month). The technology is becoming more sophisticated, and the tasks are becoming more specific. The better that AI is implemented in learning and development, the closer we get to the choice of a strategy. There are two main ways AI can currently enable performance support for learning and development professionals: simple and strategic. 

• The simpler method is using AI to quickly generate materials from long courses, large documents, training event recordings, and transcripts.
• A more advanced method involves using an AI assistant to search for organizational data. This, in turn, requires access to sensitive data and raises security issues. An organization’s C-suite needs to take a leap of faith to deploy a more complicated solution.

Learning and development professionals are equally interested in using AI to create learning content faster and reduce costs (over 20% of respondents). Others have expectations that AI will simplify searching for, identifying, and personalizing a learner’s skills. And only 10% of respondents claimed they didn’t expect to see any benefits from using AI. Let’s look at the most acknowledged uses of AI in learning and development today. 

Increased efficiency and scalability

With the help of AI, L&D professionals can reach a larger number of employees with less effort. For example, Microsoft has integrated ChatGPT into Bing and plans to expand it into other products like Word. This allows L&D professionals to quickly draft workshop outlines, implementation plans, communications, and content.

Personalized learning experiences

AI creates personalized learning experiences tailored to individual needs. With the right input, an individualized learning journey can be outlined in seconds. Follow-up prompts can develop robust learning materials. This ensures that each team or individual gets a customized learning experience.

Interactive simulations and gamification

AI makes training more engaging and memorable by creating interactive simulations and gamifying learning. Role-playing scenarios are customized in real time to meet individual needs. AI makes these scenarios available anytime, and learners can keep practicing at their own pace. 

The Top AI Tools for Learning and Development 

What began as a solution for corporate learning (iSpring Learn, Docebo, TalentLMS, etc.) and online school learning (Zoom, Teams, Webex) has blossomed into an entire ecosystem of products and services for educators and L&D professionals. New solutions for eLearning, blended learning, microlearning, and other types of learning continue to emerge, and some of their AI-powered options are quite impressive. The abovementioned tools serve different purposes, from course creation to improving public speaking skills and even producing AI lecturers.

1. iSpring Cloud

iSpring Cloud is an AI-powered tool for creating courses, tutorials, and quizzes in your browser. This cloud-based software uses AI to empower L&D professionals to create engaging eLearning content. One of the most notable features of iSpring Cloud is its AI assistant for content creation. This assistant can generate and edit text, brainstorm course ideas, and create quiz questions based on user inputs and prompts. By automating these tasks, the virtual assistant drastically reduces the time and effort required to develop training materials. This feature is particularly beneficial for professionals who need to produce quality content under tight deadlines.

AI tools like iSpring Cloud simplify training by breaking it down into smaller, manageable modules through the generation of relevant module ideas. For instance, you can create a detailed training program outline using a specific prompt.

When you need to build an engaging, interactive, and highly informative training program under a tight deadline, try using iSpring Cloud. Provide iSpring Cloud with comprehensive input information, and the AI assistant will generate the outline. You can easily regenerate the response until it meets your needs. Once you’re satisfied with the generated content, simply click on Add.

If you’re familiar with ChatGPT, you won’t have any difficulty using AI-powered tools like iSpring Cloud. 

One of its standout features is the ability to add quizzes, which can save significant time by generating assessment questions and assignments. You can either specify the type of quiz questions you want or let the AI assistant generate tasks with varying levels of difficulty.

Another powerful feature of iSpring Cloud is its capacity to summarize texts. This function is incredibly useful when working with large volumes of content, as it can create concise summaries of modules to reinforce key points for learners.

Additionally, it can summarize transcribed text from calls with subject matter experts, academic papers, articles, and reports, or existing training materials in order to identify gaps where more information is needed.

Moreover, AI can help create scripts for training videos, which are highly effective learning resources. By selecting the text and specifying your training objectives and video requirements, the AI assistant can generate a video script based on your training materials.

Key AI features of iSpring Cloud include:

• Exercise and quiz creation
• Text generation
• Information summaries
• Multiple language translations
• Spelling and grammar checking
• Writing advice

Pricing: iSpring Cloud is priced at $720 USD per user per year and offers a 14-day free trial.

2. HeyGen

HeyGen is an AI-powered video generation tool. It has a vast library of avatars of different genders, age groups, and ethnicities. Three types of avatars (on-spot, studio, and fictional) provide a lifelike picture or a whimsical touch. As videos are more engaging than text, generating a narrator is a great way to boost course engagement.

Key AI Features:

• Realistic AI avatars and voices
• Text-to-speech capabilities
• Video options personalized by AI 
• Voice cloning and lip-syncing
• Multi-language support
• AI-powered video summarization
• Background music integration
• Multi-scene video creation capabilities

Pricing: Starts at $24 USD per month ($288 Billed yearly)

3. 7Taps

7Taps Microlearning is a web-based tool for creating, delivering, and tracking microlearning experiences. It is friendly and intuitive, but its functional side is not as complicated to use as traditional eLearning platforms. It has an AI assistant that converts text to speech in generated video dialogues. Microlearning nuggets that are easy to create seem like a good way to encourage on-the-go learning.

Key AI features:

• Learning paths
• Assignment scheduling
• Personalized content recommendations
• Interactive quizzes and assessments
• Automated content curation
• AI-driven analytics and insights
• Natural language processing for content creation

Pricing: 7taps Microlearning pricing starts at $99 USD per month per editor; a free trial is available.

4. PowerPoint Speaker Coach 

PowerPoint Speaker Coach helps you practice public speaking skills by analyzing your speech on the basis of its tone, pace, and emphasis and providing feedback in real time. This discrete speech practice tool will come in handy for lecturers and public speakers who want to sound more polished and engaging.

Key AI features:

• Rehearsal report on your speech performance
• Real-time suggestions on filler words, pacing, and intonation
• Speech tone analysis
• Pace monitoring
• Pronunciation guidance
• Filler word alert: Alerts you to overuse of filler words
• Emphasis coaching for better engagement

Pricing: PowerPoint Speaker Coach is available as a free version but also offers a paid version with additional feedback and analytics.

5. Quizizz

Quizizz creates simple quizzes from any source material. Upload a document, presentation, or link to a website or video, and the AI will create a customizable quiz. Quizzes help define learning gaps and allow you to check on a learner’s progress.

And it doesn’t stop there; with graded questions and detailed parameters, you can get a highly customized quiz. The app also works as a teacher worksheet generator and can even be used to create a wider range of learning activities.

Key AI features:

• AI-powered quiz generation
• Customizable and graded questions
• Learning activity suggestions
• Learning gap analysis
• Creates worksheets for classroom use.

Pricing: Upon request.

Examples of AI in Learning and Development

Here are three instances of AI being used in L&D. These examples illustrate the diverse ways AI is used to enhance learning experiences, personalize education, and improve accessibility and engagement across various educational institutions and platforms.

Staffordshire University

Beacon, an AI teaching assistant, is available to students as a “digital friend” who can connect them with teachers and recommend reading materials. Beacon customizes learning experiences by figuring out each student’s unique requirements and offering specialized academic assistance.

Deakin University

Genie is an AI helper that Deakin University in Australia uses. Genie keeps track of how well students are using the online course materials and offers relevant help in response to their activities, such as frequent trips to the library or extended stays in the dining hall. 

PluralSight’s Iris

Iris is an AI-powered tool used by PluralSight for adaptive assessments. It tailors learning content based on individual progress and skill levels, also offering personalized recommendations to improve specific growth points. Iris utilizes natural language processing and machine learning to continuously update and refine its guidance based on user feedback.

Conclusion

As AI continues to revolutionize learning and development (L&D), it’s crucial to approach it thoughtfully. AI technology offers remarkable opportunities: it can boost productivity, simplify course creation, and personalize learning experiences. For example, well-trained AI-powered chatbots might create content at the subject matter expert level and even write a comprehensive blog post.

However, there are also challenges with AI applications we have to face. Some of them are potential costs, talent shortages, and an overall overestimation of AI’s capabilities. Balancing AI’s potential with traditional human intelligence oversight will be key to leveraging its full benefits while mitigating risks. L&D professionals and company executives must embrace AI with caution and strategic planning so they can enhance learning outcomes and drive organizational growth.