Innovative impacts of GenAI on workplace learning and development

Published: April 23, 2024 | by Taylor Lewellyn, Legal Editor at Brightmine

Much has been said about the need for accelerated training on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the world of learning and development (L&D), but there has been less talk about the profound impact that GenAI promises to have on the practice of employee training itself. Though still in its early stages, companies using GenAI in employee training already are able to offer their workforces more personalized, immersive and adaptable learning experiences, while at the same time optimizing their resources when developing training materials. Not only can leveraging these new GenAI capabilities keep early adopters at the forefront of L&D trends and technology, it can also help bridge the skills gap and enhance employee engagement.

A personalized learning experience

While traditional L&D methods generally offer uniform content without regard to individual learning styles, needs, goals or abilities, platforms supported by GenAI are increasingly able to use detailed learner data to assess employee competencies and preferences. With natural language processing (NLP) — a technology that enables machines to understand and respond to human language — GenAI can analyze individual learning patterns and preferences to build customized training materials at scale. NLP allows organizations to use a data-driven approach to create or recommend customized learning content that resonates with an employee’s learning style, aligns with their career goals, and ultimately optimizes engagement and retention.

Additionally, GenAI automates assessments and grading results, providing instant and detailed feedback so employees can improve in real-time. This capability also enables trainers to analyze the nuances of employee feedback, allowing them to uncover each employee’s specific needs and preferences and offering another means of tailoring training modules to individual learning styles.

Immersive environments

GenAI is also revolutionizing employee training through the creation of realistic, varied training simulations that provide safe and immersive environments for employees to practice complex tasks. These hands-on experiences adapt to user decisions in real time and offer feedback specifically tailored to an individual’s performance and progress. Integrating these scenarios into a training program accelerates skills development, situational awareness and confidence, and has proven particularly beneficial in high-stakes professions such as military operations and emergency response.

Addressing the skills gap

GenAI can address another training pain point – the presence of skills gaps in an employer’s workforce. As Albert Galarza of the Forbes Human Resources Council has explained, AI-driven adaptive learning platforms can dynamically adjust learning paths based on individual progress, strengths and areas for improvement. Relying on traditional periodic performance assessments to identify and address skills gaps can lead to delays in necessary interventions. Instead, an organization can use GenAI-supported platforms to predict potential skills gaps in its workforce through continuous analysis of employee performance data and proactively design targeted learning programs to address these gaps. This ensures that employees focus on relevant and current content and makes learning journeys more efficient and effective.

GenAI can also help remedy the skills gap by incorporating training into daily workflows, ensuring comprehensive, prompt and ongoing skill development. The right learning management system (LMS) can integrate GenAI-driven training modules with work applications and tools to recognize specific knowledge gaps in real-time and provide on-the-job learning. For example, Training magazine described an AI system embedded within a work app that can detect when an employee is struggling with a task or concept and immediately offer a targeted tutorial or helpful tips. Employees with more advanced knowledge will need less help, while those new to a specific tool may need more guidance. The GenAI-supported LMS recognizes and adapts its delivery of training materials accordingly, minimizing employee downtime and maximizing productivity. This capability allows employers to create a learning environment that is flexible and closely aligned with the needs and challenges employees face day-to-day.

Maximizing resources

In addition to the benefits GenAI promises for the employee training experience, the evolving technology also maximizes employers’ and trainers’ resources when developing training materials. GenAI facilitates continuous updates that can reflect latest case law, regulatory developments and industry trends, reducing the time and effort it takes individuals to revise and adapt existing training modules. Furthermore, the technology can precisely and quickly translate training content into dozens of languages, a process that would normally take numerous hours. By making the development of training materials more efficient, GenAI supports a global workforce with current, relevant content that encourages a culture of continuous learning.

Challenges

Despite the enormous potential of and innovative L&D solutions offered by GenAI, using the developing technology is not without its drawbacks. Currently, AI technologies generate inaccuracies and outright errors, as well as creating information not based on factual data or reality, known as hallucinations. This could result in training programs that are incorrect, irrelevant or misleading, potentially hindering the learning experience rather than enhancing it.

An additional and significant concern is the risk of GenAI perpetuating biases present in the data on which it is trained. As Harvard Business Review explains, if an AI system is trained on data that predominantly represents a certain demographic, it may develop learning pathways that are inadvertently biased toward that group, which can marginalize others and increase an organization’s risk for discrimination claims.

Finally, the use of GenAI in employee training can pose a threat to data privacy for the unwary. GenAI-supported learning platforms rely on sensitive data, which can include employees’ performance metrics, learning preferences and personal characteristics. It is critical to comply with data protection regulations like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and maintain transparency in data usage to protect against privacy infringements.