How to use AI in learning and development

One of the key ways that AI can be used to aid learning and development is through its personalisation capabilities. These tools can improve the efficiency and speed of learning and development programmes. 

AI can be used to automate specific tasks that learning and development teams would have had to create themselves in the past. This can free up valuable time and resources.

AI-driven learning and development tool use cases

In this section, we’ll look at some practical examples for AI-driven learning and development tools. 

Personalised learning

Some AI tool algorithms can analyse an employee’s performance data, including:

• Quality of work;
• Errors made;
• Time management;
• Objective management.

By analysing the data, these tools can provide a personalised training plan and career development plan for employee in question. As an employee progresses through their training, the AI adjusts their L&D plan to match their changing and advancing skill-set.

AI L&D tools can help employers to identify strengths and weaknesses in an employee’s skill-set. It can then provide the resources an employee needs to improve these skills. AI personalised learning tools can also adapt to different learning styles. It can potentially take on board an employee’s interests and their preferred career progression course.

This can be useful as not all employees will learn in the same way. Some may prefer to learn through listening and speaking. Others might learn better through writing and reading. 

Personalised learning and neurodiversity

According to our guide to neurodiversity in the workplace, neurodiverse employees can have uneven skill profiles. This means that they might be more capable than average in some areas, while less capable than average in others. 

By creating personalised L&D tools which can enable neurodiverse employees to use their skill profiles to their advantage, employers can make their workplace more accommodating to neurodiverse employees while also harnessing their talent. Personalised learning can also create an awareness of the possibility of different learning styles. This could improve camaraderie and understanding of different skill profiles within teams themselves.

Helping employers to identify skills gaps

On a larger scale, AI L&D tools can aid employers with identifying key skills gaps in their business and opportunities to upskill employees in certain areas. By analysing employee metrics such as employee performance, these tools can highlight areas for improvement. Then, a company’s L&D team can step in and develop a training programme to upskill employees in these weak spots.

Continuous learning and development opportunities

UK employers may find it more challenging than in other countries to close skills gaps. As our guide to upskilling strategy found, UK workers aren’t as willing as employees in other countries to learn skills. 

Employers can therefore benefit from understanding how to empower employees with a culture of continuous learning and development. AI tools are one of the ways they can create continuous learning opportunities through personalised, relevant training. 

The case for continuous identification of skills gaps via AI is also boosted by how rapidly skills are being made redundant. As Indeed CEO Chris Hyams explains, technological disruption has become faster over time. Skills learned by students at university may be redundant even by the time they graduate.

This means that it may be up to businesses to provide regular upskilling opportunities for recent graduates. This is another case for using AI L&D, as these tools can adapt and react to new skills trends.

Other opportunities for AI L&D

Employers can also explore the following avenues to aid them in creating AI-based L&D plans:

• AI simulations and virtual reality training, which could be useful for teaching employees how to avoid risks while completing complex manual tasks. 
• Virtual communities for exchanging knowledge, resources and solutions. This could be useful to programmers looking to exchange coding solutions, for example.
• AI chatbots to help with basic employee questions while using new applications and software.

The challenges of using AI learning and development tools

While AI and learning and development can work well together, there are some challenges to using these tools which employers can benefit from considering. The next section will address some key concerns. 

Keeping a ‘human’ face to L&D

One of the main challenges of using AI in learning and development is that it might not give employees a chance to directly learn from their colleagues or managers. As learning from others and knowledge-sharing is a part of growing as a team, employees who focus solely on digitised L&D may be missing out on this.

While knowledge-sharing is achievable through virtual communities, being able to troubleshoot with colleagues face-to-face can help develop strong relationships between colleagues. Some employees with complimentary learning styles may especially benefit from solving problems together. 

Many teams have a social ‘chemistry’ which can’t be easily replicated digitally. The social connection of problem-solving together may also help to improve employee wellbeing. 

To compensate for this, consider complimenting virtual knowledge-sharing and digital L&D opportunities with face-to-face catch-ups, meetings and informal team discussions. That way, employees can still feel engaged with one another and troubleshoot together as part of a team. Consider using video conferencing tools to connect remote employees with their teams during learning and development programmes.

AI L&D can disrupt L&D team roles

AI L&D tools may affect a business’s current L&D team, as it could absorb some of their role responsibilities. In this case, employers can look at upgrading L&D roles to include AI as a partner in the creation of training programmes. It could be that their role responsibilities shift and that they will have to upskill in order to keep their skills relevant.

L&D teams may be unlikely to be made completely redundant as they are available to coordinate in-person training, seminars and workshops. Many employees may also appreciate having a human element to their learning. Teams that work on a hybrid or on-site basis can therefore still benefit from in-person learning opportunities – which can be combined with team-building exercises too. 

Employee data privacy

Learning and development tools require access to employee performance data. As this data is sensitive, employers should look into storing this data securely. As our article on data protection and HR GDPR for employers states, it is important for employers to stay compliant with GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 regulations.

According to UK GDPR, employees have a right to:

• Be informed about the collection of their data;
• Access their data;
• Rectify their data;
• Restrict the processing of this data.

They also have rights surrounding ‘automated decision-making and profiling’, which could include personalised AI learning and development.

According to UK regulations, employers also have an obligation to securely store any employee data they have. Some employees may object to their personal data being collected. It is therefore up to businesses to negotiate this legal terrain carefully. For more information, please visit the UK government website. 

AI can have many uses for L&D, including the personalisation of training and career progression opportunities. However, when it comes to data protection and disruption to L&D professions, employers may face challenges. Consider keeping a focus on the ‘human’ element of learning and development too, so that employees receive the best of both worlds.