How to Use Artificial Intelligence in Learning and Development

Because AI has evolved so rapidly, people in a variety of jobs are experiencing the fear of missing out (FOMO). The same is true for AI and L&D. Many learning and development professionals are now facing the challenges of implementing AI for corporate training due to their lack of understanding, awareness, and necessary skills.

At the same time, research conducted by IBM revealed that 50% of organizations are using AI to increase employee learning and training when addressing shortages in their workforces or skills.

Read this article if you also value artificial neural networks but don’t know where to start. We’ll show you the basic AI and learning use cases in corporate training, as well as its limitations to take into consideration.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

AI, short for artificial intelligence, is a technology that can mimic human-like cognitive functions. These functions include speech recognition, logical thinking, decision-making, natural language processing, learning, and visual perception.

Artificial intelligence encompasses a growing set of models and technologies, such as machine learning (ML) solutions, deep learning (DL), and natural language processing (NLP).

Now, let’s explore the key ways that AI contributes to learning and development (L&D).

Benefits of AI in Corporate Learning and Development

When used correctly, AI can add significant value to your corporate training program. Here are the key benefits of employing AI tools in learning and development.

Simplifying content creation

Developing an entire course from scratch is a time-consuming task. What’s more, companies often hire subject matter experts to create content, which can be expensive. 

Synthesia reports that L&D specialists were able to reduce the average training video production time by 8 days (62%) by using modern AI tools. 

Artificial intelligence also allows you to:

• Generate course ideas, outlines, and learning programs
• Search for information on the internet and present it in a manner that’s easy to understand 
• Turn your internal knowledge base into a learning program that’s focused on specific criteria and outcomes
• Use adaptive learning algorithms to adjust a course’s level of difficulty to employee progress and performance
• Use NLP to analyze written content and identify key concepts that should be included in corporate learning materials
• Write scripts and generate training videos.

Automating administrative tasks

Businesses leverage AI and learning and development to automate boring admin tasks, such as scheduling, course enrollment, completion tracking, and reporting.

This allows you to cut costs and focus on more creative and strategic initiatives.

Increasing scalability

AI can easily scale your learning platform to a large number of learners worldwide thanks to AI-driven chatbots that can translate the entire course into different languages, provide answers to learners’ questions instantly, and offer 24/7 support without human intervention. 

This allows you to deploy new training programs, update existing ones, or streamline processes within learning management systems without substantial expenditures of time or resources.

Ensuring better training results

With artificial intelligence, tutors can identify and address employee knowledge gaps, allowing instructors to provide personalized learning experiences. Additionally, AI-powered virtual mentors can simulate user scenarios, engage learners in conversations, assess progress, and provide real-time feedback. All in all, AI enhances knowledge comprehension and, therefore, employees’ performance.

What AI Features Can Be Helpful in Learning and Development?

Now, let’s discover how to start using AI for some of the use cases discussed above.

The first 4 features we mentioned above are available in iSpring Page, an intuitive AI-powered course creation tool. You can start with this simple software solution designed for training specialists. You can co-create a course for online learning with AI in a text document that is ready to be shared with learners.

Feature 1. Develop modules

First, know that AI tools for training and development can assist in breaking down training into smaller, manageable topics by generating module ideas.

Here is an example of a prompt you can use to create an employee training outline in iSpring Page:

You are an L&D manager and professional coach at a successful tech company. Create a training program outline on best practices for one-on-one meetings with clients for sales managers. Make it engaging, interactive, and helpful.

Feed iSpring Page with a sufficient amount of input information, and AI will provide the desired results. If you don’t like the outcome, you can regenerate the response.

Finally, click Add, and the app will move the result to the text section.

If you are more accustomed to using ChatGPT, you can learn how to create a course using AI.

Feature 2. Add quizzes

You can save a lot of time by generating assessment questions and assignments with AI. You’ll get starting points or even ready-to-go tasks.

When creating a prompt, you can provide the type of quiz question you want to create or request AI to generate tasks that have varying levels of difficulty.

Feature 3. Summarize texts

An AI chatbot can also create a summary text for you, eliminating the need to find the most relevant information by yourself. This is one of the most useful AI functionalities to use if you work with large volumes of content. 

For example, you can:

• Develop summaries of modules for learners to reinforce key points;
• Summarize transcribed text from your calls with subject matter experts;
• Summarize different academic papers, articles, and reports when you’re conducting research for a new course;
• Summarize existing training materials to spot gaps where you can add more information.

Feature 4. Create scripts for training videos

Video is one of the most effective learning resources. To help you create videos, AI can generate a script based on your training materials. All you need to do is select the text and ask the AI chatbot to create a video script.

Include your training objective, video type, and other requirements in the prompt.

Feature 5. Generate training videos

AI-driven learning platforms like Synthesia can generate training videos based on your materials. For example, this software can create voice-overs and subtitles, characters and avatars for storytelling, and role-playing training scenarios. It can also customize templates to match your brand style. This helps you augment your training modules with far less effort and enhance the learning experience overall.

Feature 6. Identify knowledge gaps

Machine learning algorithms can assess skills, analyze past performance, determine learning goals, and identify areas for improvement. Instead of spending hours analyzing data, L&D professionals can use artificial intelligence to monitor performance and even predict future gaps.

For example, generative AI tools like Workera allow L&D specialists to identify any existing knowledge gap, use data-driven insights to avoid bias, and determine learning objectives. 

When managers identify learning trends and patterns, they can provide targeted support and create personalized development plans that cover proprietary, free, and paid resources.

Businesses can also utilize AI to monitor how learners are progressing, analyze the data, evaluate the effectiveness of training materials, and make informed decisions to contribute to operational growth.

Here is an example of a ChatGPT prompt that helps to find content based on specific insights generated by tools like Workera:

You are a certified coach in the ___ industry. You are developing learning plans based on your team’s professional development goals. You have a new sales trainee who needs to learn basic sales skills across five two-hour virtual sessions. Create a lesson plan and outline for each session, with a focus on one core skill per session. This new manager is an excellent communicator and is ready to learn actively, but they need help with cold calling and handling objections.

Suggest a couple of books dedicated to these topics in a business environment to supplement the five sessions.

Feature 7. Simulate customer interactions

Use AI to reduce the time spent on or eliminate the need for developing role-play scenarios.

AI-based software like Zenarate can create realistic training simulations that respond according to users’ decisions. These simulated customer interactions improve decision-making skills and situational awareness in different, often unpredictable scenarios. 

This also implies that AI enables your employees to practice their skills in a secure and supervised environment. This functionality is especially beneficial for blended learning scenarios, in which trainees can complement face-to-face interactions with AI-simulated exercises. 

Limits of AI in Corporate Learning

Be aware of these obstacles so your AI learning and development initiative doesn’t turn into a headache for your company. 

Human touch

Although AI can automate many repetitive tasks and provide personalized recommendations, it cannot replicate humans. Building a training and development program involves a human touch that AI can only supplement.

The 2023 Wiley research shows that people crave a human connection, with 59% wanting an instructor to direct their learning while only 7% prefer AI-directed learning. In addition, the vast majority (87%) of respondents say they want the L&D content to be developed by a subject matter expert as opposed to AI technologies (12%).

Ethical concerns

A crucial ethical aspect regarding the use of AI, especially in a corporate environment, is safeguarding privacy. As AI is able to handle vast amounts of data, including employees’ personal details, organizations need to ensure compliance with data protection regulations. Transparency in collecting, processing, and using data is essential for the responsible use of AI.

Another issue when implementing artificial intelligence into corporate learning management systems (and beyond) is potential bias. Artificial intelligence algorithms are only as good as the data they are trained on, and if that data is biased, the outcomes can be too. That’s why you should regularly audit AI systems and resolve any identified issues.

Legal risks

Using AI for content creation raises legal concerns around copyright. Since algorithms are often trained on copyrighted material, there’s a risk of reproducing it without proper licensing. 

For example, this summer, Getty Images sued a generative AI image creation tool, Stable Diffusion by Stability AI, over its use of a copyrighted image library.

To avoid possible legal issues, ensure you’re using AI systems that are properly licensed and rely only on authorized content.

Technical restrictions

There is a lot of excitement about AI-based training. However, many employees may miss the steep learning curve of this technology. 

Managers need to:

• Spend some time learning how to work with AI to implement such tools in their workflows effectively.
• Ensure that employees have the upskilling and onboarding needed to interact with the AI technology for learning purposes.

Liability

While AI technology is groundbreaking, it’s still a “work in progress.” 

Businesses should double-check the information provided by artificial intelligence, avoid over-reliance on AI, and be ready to take responsibility for any possible mistakes or issues.

Wrap Up

Josh Bersin, an industry analyst and the founder of Bersin by Deloitte, claims, “The future of L&D has arrived, and it’s all powered by AI.” This is a strong indication that familiarity with AI-powered tools will soon become a requirement, not a bonus skill, for all digital employees, including L&D managers.

We therefore recommend that you start utilizing AI in your learning and development strategy.

You can start with a simple tool like iSpring Page. Also, always ask whether AI can handle this or that task in your workflow and then seek out related tools or leverage one of the readily available tools, such as ChatGPT, Bing, Bard, Copy.ai and others.

FAQ on AI Tools and Learning

Still have questions about AI in L&D? Check out our answers.

How can I create a course with AI?

Here are some ideas on how to create courses with AI algorithms:

• Generate training ideas and audience personas
• Create training outlines, content modules, questions for quizzes, etc.
• Generate video scripts and voice-overs
• Record training videos
• Translate training materials into different languages.

Can AI tools improve learner engagement and motivation?

Yes, it can. Artificial intelligence allows training managers to create custom training programs and immersive experiences, provide real-time feedback, and transform static training materials into interactive courses. These elements boost learner engagement and result in greater motivation to participate in the learning process.

How does AI personalize the learning experience?

• Analyze learner performance data
• Identify areas for improvement
• Offer personalized assistance to learners by answering questions and providing explanations
• Monitor learners’ progress

What are the ethical considerations for using AI for learning and development?

Ethical considerations regarding artificial intelligence in training and development include safeguarding data privacy, ensuring transparency in algorithms, preventing biases, and promoting fair access to AI-powered tools.