Learning and Development now faces a new critical challenge: shielding learners from the deluge of mediocre AI-generated content to prevent wasted time and resources. The question is, can generative AI be the solution to the very problem it creates? Optimistically, the answer is yes.
Prior to 2022, clunky eLearning programs saved corporate learners hours and hours of time worth millions of dollars. Why? The time and effort it took to program every button, every animation, and every voiceover was a natural gatekeeper. Learning and Development departments had to prioritize what mattered! In 2022, Articulate’s Rise changed everything and now, most anyone can make a decent-ish looking eLearning pretty darn quickly. With the rise of generative AI like Chat-GPT and Vyond Go, creating text, videos, and images is a cinch too. Today, development time and technical expertise are no longer gatekeepers. Current state, almost anyone can put anything in an eLearning format and more people are learning this each day.
Are our learners now condemned to take eLearning after eLearning on irrelevant content pushed by well-meaning stakeholders? Can anything save our companies the millions, if not billions, in wasted employee hours spent pushing ‘next’ on irrelevant eLearnings? Are we doomed to scream “what about adult learning principles” until we’re blue in the face?
Enter…. Generative AI!
Learning and Development must use generative AI to help us save learners from mediocre content:
1) Personalize Learning: By tailoring learning content to the individual’s current skill level and learning pace, AI ensures that learners are only presented with content that is relevant and necessary for their development. This approach prevents information overload by filtering out unnecessary or redundant material, focusing learners on what they need to know.
2) Create Effective Feedback Tools: The use of AI for personalized feedback ensures learners spend their time effectively, concentrating on areas that require improvement. This targeted feedback loop helps avoid the inefficiency of sifting through irrelevant content, allowing learners to focus on refining specific skills and knowledge areas.
3) Tailor learning paths to the individual:AI’s ability to analyze comprehensive data sets and recommends tailored learning paths means that learners are only directed towards courses and materials that fill existing gaps in skills or knowledge. This not only streamlines the learning process but also acts as a gatekeeper against the inundation of irrelevant content.
4) Shape company learning strategy through AI analysis: By analyzing learning outcomes and preferences, AI can identify what skills are missing and recommend learning to develop skills necessary for the company’s long-term strategy.
Yes, generative AI poses challenges and yes, our jobs as learner-champions will get harder. If we can embrace and understand the incredible opportunities generative AI brings for making a difference to our learners and our organization, maybe our jaws won’t clench up so tightly the next time we hear “I made this eLearning in no time”.
For more best practices on using generative AI to develop unique learning solutions, follow me on LinkedIn . Interested in partnering on custom learning solutions? Let’s connect.
Images created with DALL-E and text co-authored with Chat GPT-4.