AI-Enhanced Learning and Development: The Next Generation of Corporate Training
I recently attended a week-long virtual conference called "AI and Your Life: The Essential Summit," where I listened to a diverse lineup of speakers explore AI's role in various areas of life. I’ll highlight a few of the speakers that were noteworthy, and got me thinking about the impact AI will have on the corporate training industry.
One of the speakers, Brian Keating, an Astrophysicist and Professor at UCSD, described how he had turned some of Galileo's original works into an AI chatbot. He also described another project where a team was working to develop an artificial Gandhi chatbot. In another talk, one of the moderators, Davar Ardalan, described how her family had created an AI from her late mother's scholarly works, enabling ongoing conversations with her mother's knowledge base.
Imagine being able to engage directly with the works of your intellectual or spiritual heroes through AI. Imagine learning history by going into a VR of ancient times where you can interact with important figures from the past. The potential for transformative educational experiences through conversational AI is vast!?
Another fascinating presentation was by Jo Aggarwal, the Founder and CEO of Wysa, an AI chatbot for mental health support. She explained how many people feel more comfortable opening up about the challenges they face to a chatbot because they feel more psychological safety than with humans.?
Wysa has over 6 millions users, and one of the arenas they help in is workplace wellness. Their research shows that 40% of employees suffer from symptoms of depression or anxiety, yet less than 7% seek help from the Employee Assistance Program. Consider these points from their website:
"Every year, unaddressed depression and anxiety cost $580 per employee in absenteeism, lost productivity and turnover.
AI-led support has been proven to improve symptoms while taking on 80% of the support load, to free up human support for where it's really needed."
The success of such platforms, rooted in the psychological safety they offer, presents a compelling case for AI's role in areas requiring sensitive interactions, like career coaching.
These examples of how AI is revolutionizing both education and mental healthcare point to another space where similar strides can be made, and that is in corporate training programs. This is a realm in which education and psychology converge to help adults continue to provide value to their organizations throughout their career. There are elements of coaching, learning, and developing skills like empathy and self-awareness that AI can assist with.
Here are some ways that AI can help in L&D:
AI Provides Psychological Safety For Career Coaching
Drawing from the success of chatbots in mental health, AI can offer a judgment-free zone in career coaching. It can encourage candid discussions about career aspirations or challenges, fostering a sense of psychological safety. This aspect is crucial in developing trust and openness, leading to more effective coaching and mentorship. Because AI chatbots can offer people reflections on their thoughts, it has the potential to increase people’s self-awareness, helping in a host of areas from productivity to collaboration.
Interactive and Immersive Training Tools
The use of AI-driven simulations and virtual coaches for soft skills, leadership training, and other knowledge-based programs offers immersive and interactive learning experiences, enhancing the depth and impact of training. Imagine having a chatbot that understands the curriculum you are learning, so you can ask questions at any hour of the day?
Enhanced Customization in Learning
AI's ability to tailor learning experiences based on individual styles and performance is pivotal. It can adaptively modify training content, making it more relevant and effective for each learner.
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Efficiency in Content Creation and Management
AI can automate and update training materials in real-time, ensuring relevance and reducing development costs. This scalability is crucial for keeping pace with evolving industry trends and practices.
Actionable Insights from Data Analytics
AI can track and analyze learning progress, providing valuable insights for targeted improvements. Predictive analytics can preemptively identify learners' challenges, allowing for timely intervention.
Accessible and Inclusive Learning Platforms
AI enhances accessibility, with features like real-time translation and captioning, making training inclusive for a diverse workforce. It also facilitates remote and asynchronous learning, essential in today's global work environment.
Seamless Integration with Corporate Ecosystems
AI tools can be integrated with existing corporate systems, such as LMS and HR platforms, streamlining training administration and ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
Practical Ways to Incorporate Generative AI into L&D:
Conclusion
Training companies with extensive knowledge bases and subject matter experts should be thinking about how AI can make their training programs more scalable. People aren’t just paying for the knowledge, they are paying for the experience. The experience is all about the interactivity with the material, and this is an area that AI can help scale the interactions with subject matter expertise. This will open up ways to make training not just more scalable, but more engaging, effective, and impactful.
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