Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay. The rise of the chatbots (could be the name of a film!) has meant that people the world over have suddenly gained free access to a tool they never thought they needed.
AI has filtered into our schools, universities, and workplaces and now resides firmly in our collective consciousness. It will not be long before it has a transformative impact on Learning and Development. It will surely change our industry and it is enough to look at five areas in which the upgrading will begin.
For L&D, it could monitor learners’ progress and adjust the learning experience to meet their specific needs.
1. Adaptive Learning
Artificial intelligence is already performing a variety of monitoring functions in many industries. For L&D, it could monitor learners’ progress and adjust the learning experience to meet their specific needs.
Adaptive learning can help learners better understand a variety of complex topics and retain information more effectively. According to a study by eLearning Industry, 61% of L&D professionals believe that adaptive learning can improve learning outcomes.
the use of algorithms which analyse learner data to create customised learning paths
2. Personalised Learning
Recent L&D surveys (Donald H. Taylor, amongst others) have found that personalised learning is at the forefront of the minds of L&D professionals. As with adaptive learning, personalised learning is the key to ramp up the education experience for individual learners.
Artificial intelligence can play a key role in this through the use of algorithms which analyse learner data to create customised learning paths, select appropriate content, and then provide personalised feedback.
The good people at eLearning Industry found that 47% of L&D professionals believe that AI and machine learning can personalise the learning experience.
3. Gamification
As we know, artificial intelligence can incorporate game-like elements into learning to increase engagement and motivation. AI algorithms can also adapt the level of difficulty to suit the individual learner’s progress.
A study by TalentLMS found that 80% of learners said that they would be more productive if their work was more game-like. Food for thought for learning professionals.
AI will create immersive learning experiences with virtual and augmented reality.
4. Immersive Learning
Immersive learning is perhaps the next step in learning after gamification. Artificial intelligence will be a lynchpin in creating immersive learning experiences by making use of virtual and augmented reality.
Immersive learning can provide learners with realistic scenarios and interactive simulations to further their learning experience. This is no small matter. According to Research and Markets, the global market for AR in training and education is set to surpass a massive $68bn by 2026.
5. Skills Assessment
Various forms of assessment have been collated and analysed by learning professionals for years. Additionally, big data and analytics are now part of the industrial discourse. Excellent guides like Khan and Millner’s “Introduction to People Analytics” or Hall, Mattox, and Parskey’s “Learning Analytics” have opened up our minds to analytics for L&D.
Artificial intelligence can take this one step further by assessing learners’ skills and knowledge, identifying learning gaps, and recommending appropriate learning interventions in real time. This will help organisations make better-informed decisions about learning and development needs and how to use financial resources for training more efficiently.
AI is here to stay
Whether we like it or not, AI will have a transformative effect on L&D.
The direction in which it goes, however, is entirely up to us.
“The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” (Arthur C. Clarke)
