Looking into the L&D Crystal Ball: Will AI Take My Job?

Aug 15, 2024 | AI, Articles, Instructional Design

Over the past year, artificial intelligence (AI) has garnered attention from multiple industries in terms of its potential to revolutionize the way we work. AI offers the possibility to increase efficiency by automating routine tasks carried out by learning and development (L&D) professionals such as content creation, generating assessments, and adapting materials to meet the needs of different learners. Automating different tasks enables L&D professionals to focus on more strategic and complex tasks.

L&D professionals can leverage AI-driven analytics to gather insights into learners’ performance and behavior. This information can be used to customize adaptive learning paths that meet the goals of each learner. AI can provide continuous feedback and support, guiding learners through complex concepts and ensuring mastery before moving on to more advanced topics. This integration of AI into instructional design not only ensures learners’ understanding of content but also supports L&D professionals’ abilities to deliver training efficiently and effectively.

With all of these technological advances and opportunities for AI to assist with expediting tasks, some L&D professionals have questioned whether AI will replace their jobs. Despite its many advantages, I do not believe that AI is unlikely to replace L&D professionals for several key reasons. In this blog, I’ll present three ways that L&D professionals can advocate for the value they bring to training in the age of AI.

The human element in empathetic design

We should never forget that there is a human element in learning design. Every L&D roadmap should be designed with the learner at its center. L&D professionals bring a deep understanding of pedagogy, empathy, and creativity that are essential for crafting meaningful and impactful learning experiences. They are adept at interpreting the unique needs and culture of the learners, which allows them to design content that resonates on a personal level, something AI cannot do comprehensively. While AI can analyze data that can be used to predict learner behavior within an LMS, it lacks the nuanced understanding and emotional intelligence to fully empathize with learners.

Contextual awareness and problem-solving

It is important to remember that our ability to design for context drives the transfer of learning. AI cannot effectively conduct contextual analysis because it cannot fully grasp the nuances and complexities of human experiences, cultures, and organizational environments. It struggles to interpret the subtle, often unspoken factors that influence behavior and decision-making. Contextual analysis requires a deep understanding of specific social, cultural, and situational elements that influence learners’ predispositions, expectations of learning, and perceived utility of training content.

Instructional design is as much an art as it is a science. L&D professionals make decisions during problem-solving by synthesizing subject matter content and navigating a wide range of contextual factors such as learner needs, organizational politics, complexity of content, and technological affordances. This decision-making process requires human judgment. AI cannot replace L&D professionals’ abilities to customize training that is relevant and aligned with learner and organizational goals.

Ensuring relevancy and accuracy of content

While AI has become a powerful tool in instructional design, it is still necessary for L&D professionals to verify the accuracy of AI-generated content. Content generated by AI can be outdated, biased, or incorrect. While AI systems can be useful for generating content and creating instructional outlines, L&D professionals must thoroughly review and fact-check the content produced by AI to ensure they are providing their learners with accurate and reliable content.

Working with subject-matter-experts is still needed especially when designing content related to compliance and industry standards that may have safety and legal implications. L&D professionals are still needed to ensure that the content is accurate and relevant. While AI can greatly assist with content creation and streamlining various L&D tasks, the human element is indispensable for maintaining relevancy.

It is important to remember that learners do not care how content is generated; they care about whether it’s accurate, relevant, and useful. While AI offers opportunities to improve the efficiency of instructional design and support L&D professionals with their tasks, the responsibility for ensuring the accuracy and relevance of educational content ultimately lies with L&D professionals. By balancing the affordances of AI with careful human oversight, L&D professionals can deliver educational experiences that are both innovative and reliable.