AI is disrupting L&D teams, but not replacing them

• Key Insight: See why organizations are shifting their learning and development focus in the AI era.
• What's at Stake: Organizations that deprioritize human training departments to rush automated software rollouts could stunt professional development efforts.
• Expert Quote: "Just putting the technology in place doesn't guarantee you good outcomes," — Verity Creedy, SVP of product, DDI.
  Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

As artificial intelligence infiltrates yet another workplace department, learning and development professionals are left wondering what this means for their roles and their strategies.

According to a study conducted by AI company Synthesia, 87% of learning and development (L&D) teams are already using AI. Even among those that aren't yet using AI, only 2% have no adoption plans at all which is a steep shift compared to last year when 20% weren't considering AI at all. However, without a good understanding of what a department actually needs, readily investing in AI and implementing more integrations won't set L&D teams up for success. 

"I think some learning and development teams are feeling a little bit stuck with AI," said Verity Creedy, SVP of product at leadership consulting firm DDI. "There have been lots of opportunities for them to be leveraging it, but some of them have been very effective and others less so." 

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Historically, learning and development focused on knowledge transfer and foundational skill building, but in the AI era, that knowledge is increasingly available on demand. As a result, leaders' roles are shifting toward developing uniquely human capabilities that AI can't easily replicate, such as judgment, critical thinking, adaptability, resilience, trust-building and ethical decision-making. According to Synthesia's findings, today teams use AI mainly for voice generation (63%), content and quiz drafting (60%), and video creation (52%), reporting faster production and a better learner experience.

And while some organizations are deprioritizing L&D in favor of AI implementation, Creedy argues that's a mistake, warning they'll eventually realize that successful AI adoption depends on strong human relationships and skills, forcing them to rebuild those foundations.

"One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it's reducing the need for decision-making,"Creedy said. "AI can definitely increase options and accelerate information, and it'll generate ideas and recommendations, but companies should still be looking to humans to decide what matters." 

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Aligning people with the tech

For that reason, Creedy suggested that organizations treat AI adoption as a strategic business transformation rather than a typical software rollout. Leaders should carefully determine where AI can enhance work, where automation makes sense, as well as where it could undermine competitive advantages. 

Because AI implementation is a major organizational change, companies should align strategy, structure, people and processes from the outset instead of deploying AI first and addressing those elements later. 

Creedy also emphasized the importance of transparency around AI strategy, including outlining where experimentation is encouraged, where human judgment will remain essential, and which roles or tasks are not intended to be replaced by AI.

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"More than anything it shows that there's a thoughtful plan as opposed to an intimidating evolution of AI," Creedy said. "Helping people see and understand whether AI will impact their jobs can really help build trust and make the transition smoother." 

As with anything, Creedy warned leaders against being too ambitious or too rash with their AI rollouts. Instead, she urged them to take their time and implement changes slowly and wait for results before disrupting their teams. 

"Just putting the technology in place doesn't guarantee you good outcomes," Creedy said. "That's the paradox of AI isn't it? The more technology enters the workplace, the more valuable actual human leadership really becomes."