L&D – AI – Hype or Real Impact?

The Terminator came out when I was 6 years old. I was petrified, watching human robot killing people. My mother was too, and my father got a scolding for allowing me to watch that movie.

Then, The Iron Man happened. And I fell in love with Jarvis. Like, everyone I know wanted a Jarvis in their lives. Like, seriously! How easy lives can be!

Just like these two movies, Artificial Intelligence has both its pros and cons in our personal and professional lives. It really depends on how we use them.

AI is not just a hype anymore. It does give a real impact to L&D by shifting it from just a “content creation” function to a “performance enablement” driver, changing L&D into a strategic partner that links employee growth directly to business outcomes. AI achieves this by hyper-personalising learning, automating administrative burdens, and providing data-driven, predictive insights that allow L&D to align talent development with organisational goals.

1. Real Impact of AI on L&D
   
   

• Hyper-Personalisation at Scale – AI moves away from one-size-fits-all training, analysing individual skill gaps, career aspirations, and learning styles to deliver tailored learning paths.

• Drastic Content Creation Speed – Generative AI allows L&D teams to create training materials (videos, quizzes, simulations) in hours rather than weeks.

• Just In Time Learning (in the flow of work) – AI-powered bots and virtual assistance provide immediate, 24/7 support and training in the moment of need, reducing the downtime associated with formal training.

• Immersive, Risk-Free Practice – AI drives virtual reality (VR) and scenario-based simulations, allowing employees to practice complex skills (like difficult customer conversations) with instant, actionable feedback.

• Increased ROI and Engagement – AI-driven, relevant training boosts engagement, with some studies showing a 78% increase in engagement and a 30% increase in productivity.

2. Changing L&D into a Strategist

        AI changes the L&D role from a “service provider” to a “strategic partner” by allowing them to              focus on high-impact initiatives:

• From Content Creation to Curation/Orchestration – L&D moves from manual course building to overseeing AI-driven learning platforms and high-quality “content corpus”, becoming curators and quality checkers.

• Skills-Based Strategic Planning – Instead of focusing on “hours completed”, L&D uses AI to map skills gaps against future business needs, allowing them to proactively reskill the workforce for future roles.

• Data-Driven Decision Making – L&D uses AI analytics to analyse learning behaviours, identifying which programs actually impact performance metrics and aligning training with business KPIs (like revenue growth or safety compliance).

• Proactive Talent Retention – By using AI to create clear career paths and personalised development, L&D directly influences employee retention, with 94% of employees saying they would stay longer at a company that invests in their learning.

These lists may give you some insights on how to utilise AI in your L&D journey to become a strategist to your organisation. However, following it blindly may cause you to be The Terminator, instead of Jarvis.

Here are some questions you may want to ponder before embarking on AI:

1. What are your business problems? Are you ready for digital transformation? Would an AI tool helps you or makes your work harder because you aren’t just ready?

2. Are your partners (HR, IT) aligned with the company goals? Are they ready too, to transform with you together?

3. Do your stakeholders (management and employees) understand the importance of “learning in the flow of work”? Can they cope without just focusing on formal, off-the-job training.

Remember, AI is to be used for the heavy lifting (personalised learning paths, course creation, automation of administrative duties, etc). It is not to replace the empathy, culture, and high-level strategy. The human-in-the-loop must be embraced by you, the L&D team.

Till we meet again in the next episode!

Here is how AI provides real impact and transforms L&D into a strategist:

About the author

Hazie Halim has more than 15 years of experience in Talent Management Solution and L&D Tech. Her approach has never been about the technology; it has always been about the people in the industry. She understands HR & L&D, she understands the pain and the stress, and she understands the fear and reluctance of system integration drama. Combining these has allowed her to be compassionate when sharing her experience and knowledge during project implementation. She is passionate about making the HR & L&D experts look good in front of their stakeholders. Their win is her win.

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