When OpenAI’s generative chatbot, ChatGPT, launched in late 2022, it took the world by storm. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been quietly developing for years, but suddenly the public was paying more attention, and every industry seemed to be asking how AI could be applied to their field.
Learning and Development (L&D) is no exception. The last few months has seen a flurry of think pieces about the applications of AI in L&D. While AI does have the potential to change the future of learning, the truth of the matter is this: AI has been playing a role in L&D for years.
AI for training is already here
Most of the buzz around AI has been about generative AI — a type of AI that learns from data and creates new content based on that information. However, there are other types of AI that have been used to improve L&D.
Specifically, learning professionals have been using analytical AI — AI that analyzes existing data to make predictions, suggestions, or to automate manual processes.
“It’s implicit that we are always using a piece of AI or machine learning technology in learning and in analytics,” said Lee. AI is mostly used to aggregate large sets of data, and to automate processes that might take up a lot of a human worker’s time.
One example, Lee said, is personalized learning paths. In the past an L&D professional would review a learner’s progress in courses as well as their seniority and expertise, and handpick the content the learner should consume next. This can be time-consuming, especially if the company has a lot of learning content or a lot of learners. AI is able to do this quickly, and at scale, sorting through massive amounts of data to tailor a learning path for each learner.
Use cases for AI in L&D
While L&D is already using AI to parse data, there are many other uses for AI in learning, especially now that generative AI has entered the chat. While any discussion of generative AI usually comes with fears that the technology will take the jobs of human L&D professionals, it’s important to remember that like all technology, AI is a tool designed to make the jobs of human workers easier.
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Making training more discoverable and digestible with AI
The better a learning platform’s search function is, the more quickly learners can find the content they need. Instead of navigating through pages of traditional search results, learners using AI learning assistants can find the courses they need instantly and can also use AI to receive recommendations for courses and learning paths, or summarize information from past courses to apply previous knowledge in the moment.
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Streamlining course creation with AI
This is the one that makes instructional designers nervous, and understandably so. However, rather than developing an entire module or course, generative AI can be used by course authors to streamline the creation process by. For example, AI can be used to generate a list of ideas for learning, or to synthesize information, or to document course ideas. It can be used to outline a section or summarize a long document into a series of salient points. AI content authoring tools* can ultimately help administrators or instructional designers build learning content more quickly, by taking some of the time and effort out of synthesizing data.
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Customize job simulations with AI
While simulations are a great training tool, they’re not as effective if they don’t adapt to the learner’s actions. AI tools will be able to create interactive simulations that respond to the actions of a learner in the moment, to reflect the responses and reactions a learner might receive in the real world.
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Automate assessments and feedback with AI
AI can make completing assessments easier for learners, and can make evaluating assessments easier for instructors.
By providing personalized, real-time insights to learners, AI can provide feedback that is more relevant to learners’ needs than traditional, standardized assessments. Instant feedback that learners can receive from AI assessment tools can ultimately foster a more adaptive workplace learning environment. Instead of waiting for quiz results after completing a course, learners who use AI assessments can identify and improve on the skills they’re learning in the moment. For example, a salesperson can use an AI video assessment tool to perfect their pitch in real-time, receiving real-time feedback on sentiment, keyword analysis, and other pre-defined criteria.
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Tailored learning paths
Learners looking to dive deeper into a topic or pursue further training in a new skill can leverage AI tools to guide their learning journeys. By analyzing a learner’s previous learning experience and desired learning goals, AI can curate personalized learning paths that make self-guided training easy (and even fun!).
AI is a natural fit for learning
“(AI) is a learning technology. It learns. For a learning professional not to use it would be churlish,” says author and learning expert Donald Clark in an interview.
AI allows learning professionals to do their jobs more easily and get back to the reasons they got into L&D in the first place: helping people learn new skills. Rather than getting bogged down in the manual details of course creation, L&D pros can work to differentiate learning, create more engaging content, and come up with ideas that will help learners be happier and more effective.
Want to know where AI in L&D is headed? Our latest infographic explores the state of AI in eLearning and how Litmos is leading the way with privacy and security in mind. Check out the AI in eLearning Infographic here!
*Coming Fall/Winter 2024. Visit our AI Solutions page for updates!