02/10/25
3 ways L&D can use GenAI for meaningful impact
From uncovering actionable insights to transforming learning experiences with AI coaches and avatars. Ross Stevenson shares three practical ways L&D teams can use GenAI in their learning strategy for meaningful impact.
Many L&D teams are already using GenAI for content creation. If done well and thoughtfully, without replacing human input, this can meet requirements and reduce costs.
But effective learning isn’t about churning out more content. L&D professionals need to be cautious about GenAI just becoming a way to pump out a higher volume of materials.
On our Speak to the Human Podcast, Ross Stevenson of Steal These Thoughts and expert in technology in L&D shares three smarter ways L&D teams can use AI to achieve real impact. Whether you’re one of the 71% of L&D pros exploring, experimenting or integrating AI into your work, or you haven’t quite worked out where to start, these are three ways you can use GenAI for meaningful impact…
1: GenAI for research and insights
GenAI can help L&D teams make data-driven decisions more quickly.
This could be through using an AI agent to interact with users across an organisation, or by using a tool like Copilot to analyse, summarise and present results.
Consider how you could use AI to:
- collect feedback from learners,
- analyse sentiment and trends, and/or
- generate actionable insights.
2: AI to enhance learning experiences
Typical learning assessments focus on testing recall. Too often this is done in an unengaging way, and seems increasingly less relevant as we move into an era where GenAI can answer questions for us quickly anyway.
Ross told us about a much better learning experience of his own…
“Recently I was doing an online certification and instead of this standard recall test, I had an AI assistant that came to work with me, and asked me about what I remembered from the course - to articulate to it, like you’d explain to another person. So I had to think about what I’d actually learned and understood, and be able to explain it.”
There’s increasing deployment of AI coaches and other tools providing these kinds of learning opportunities, embedding learning in the flow of work where it’s actually relevant.
Our own Breeio tool is a good example. It’s an AI coach that provides immediate feedback to learners. AI conversation coaches give learners the opportunity to put into practice their learning to support deeper reflection and reasoning.
Case study: 93% of new hires pass certification first time following use of the AI conversation coach
3: AI avatars in online learning
Rather than simply using avatars to talk over presentations, how could they provide a better experience? Remote learning can lack human connection. Where it’s not possible to have a live facilitator, an AI avatar could be an interesting way to create more engaging learning experiences by:
- greeting learners in a virtual session,
- guiding learners through the experience, and/or
- prompting reflection and conversation in breakout rooms by asking questions.
At Acteon we’ve been creating AI avatars for our clients, using tools like Synthesia. While it doesn't replace genuine human interaction, perhaps this can be an alternative that's more appealing than just reading text from the screen. This is a fast-moving field with potential for interesting uses and results.
Start using AI with purpose
If L&D teams resist asking ‘What can AI do?’ and instead ask ‘What do our people need?’ they’ll drive real impact.
For more human-centred insights on AI in L&D from why most teams are still experimenting, to how psychology and culture shape AI adoption, listen to the full episode with Ross Stevenson here.
