L&D in the age of AI: what’s the point?

What’s the point of learning and development (L&D)? It is self-evident, isn’t it? Better trained people do better work. That’s true, and backed by research, but L&D has become a source of competitive advantage. 

In discussion with clients, I know that measuring training is hard. Asking about objectives always provokes quizzical looks and defensive answers. Providing the training people want is hard enough, without having to define measurements. 

L&D departments are trying to provide a good service for less money, with poorly defined objectives. These anecdotal findings are backed by research. Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends reports found only 3% of respondents claiming to be extremely effective at defining or measuring employee value. And if you can’t measure when someone is creating value, how will you know whether L&D has made a difference? 

But L&D is changing. Training has become online learning. Microlearning is real, and not a sign of being unable to concentrate. And knowledge workers go into the office when they can be more productive, not just because they are expected to. 

Then there’s the new kid on the block – generative AI or ChatGPT. Everyone’s new friend is reshaping how we learn and what we learn. Not only can it generate content, but it can also quiz you on whether you’ve understood the subject matter, something that traditional training often missed. 

Training that gets measured with a smiley or a frown will soon be as nostalgic as the golf ball typewriter or phones that were tied to the wall. (Look them up, they really did exist.)

So, in the age of AI and microlearning, what is the point of L&D? 

More and better data will lie at the heart of L&D. Data from a variety of sources will help us define what we expect from people, and what they need to know to do better work. Better metrics will provoke thinking in new ways at a time when options are arriving faster than we can imagine how to take advantage of them. Without clear objectives, you cannot measure the success or failure of any learning programme.

If we want to move learning out of the classroom and into the boardroom, we have to think like leaders. And increasingly, leaders are thinking about data.

Find out more about how Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, and the Azure intelligent data platform can position your L&D efforts to take advantage of AI.