The AI revolution is here, and it's leaving L&D professionals with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. Everyone agrees that AI has arrived, but the true impact of AI in training and development is still an unknown. Will it be a powerful new partner, or a major disruption to the way we've always worked?
To dig into these questions, our Learning Designer and Death of E-Learning podcast host, Luke Smith, has been reflecting on a recent conversation with AI expert and strategic learning consultant, Dr. Ashwin Mehta.
Here, Luke shares his key takeaways from their conversation, offering a glimpse into what’s next for L&D...
It’s hard to escape the conversation around AI right now, no matter what industry you’re in. But it feels like AI in learning and development is having a particularly loud moment. When I attended the Learning Technologies Conference back in April, “AI” was everywhere – on banners, slides, product demos – so much that it risked becoming just another buzzword.
Yes, it’s powering new tools and platforms. But what does it actually mean for the learning industry and those of us who create learning content or work on platforms? What’s about to end – and what’s just beginning? And crucially, what are the L&D skills of the future?
Realizing how many questions still needed answers, Stefan and I knew it was time for a new episode of The Death of E-learning podcast. We wanted to talk to someone who really knows AI – and had the learning credentials to match. Luckily, we knew just the person: Dr. Ashwin Mehta, MBA.
Dr Mehta, or Ash, as we call him in our chat, has worked in L&D for many years. He now specialises in strategic consultancy in learning technology, with a particular focus on AI in learning and development. As always with the podcast, our aim was to cut through the hype and get to the heart of the real challenges we’re facing.
Little did I realize, Ash would soon reveal the true question behind AI’s rise in L&D: Is this the boost we want, or the downfall we fear? (Spoilers: it may be a bit of both).
Our first question was simple:
What’s the current state of AI in learning?
Ash answers this by first explaining the way AI can be used to help improve our already tried-and-tested processes.
“In the traditional paradigm, we give content to learners on a platform. Learners then access that content and it produces data on that interaction.”
“From a cognitive perspective, we try to provide people with a stimulus which hopefully enables them to think and go on to create new skills and behaviors.”
So, where does AI fit here? As Ash puts it:
“To help make a better stimulus.”
Here, AI acts as an accelerator. Whether improving content quality or speeding up production, the process itself stays the same. Ash puts it clearly:
“If we rest on our laurels, we’re not changing anything – but we’re allowing AI to play its part in that traditional paradigm… But we have AI capability as accelerators. 3D world building, dialogue, whatever you need it for.”
Still in familiar territory, Ash sets his sights on the platform side of L&D – outlining how AI can help make more personalized, practical learning experiences:
“We have the potential for AI search capability… to create pathways for the point of need… Even matching algorithms.”
Matching algorithms, in this case, is the capability to match a learning program with real-world opportunities for application. For example, you want to work on refining web development skills – and hey presto, your platform has found you someone that needs a website and is happy for you to have a go! It’s an exciting example of how AI can potentially help solve problems and make learning more meaningful.
So far, we’ve been looking at familiar territory: AI as a tool for the L&D team. But next, Ash introduces the real disruption: what happens when learners start training themselves?
“The big, scary beast in the room is that we have all these systems that are available to everybody. Not just people in a corporation. Anyone with a phone, with a laptop can go and access ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, any of these systems… And there’s a whole load of other tools… You can create music with Suno, podcasts with Notebook. There’s all these things out there that are basically free! And you can go out and start making things”.
He’s not wrong. The control that L&D teams once had is rapidly slipping away. People are learning on their own terms, using tools that don’t need permission or oversight. Ash refers to it as democratised learning:
“This is the big, scary thing for corporations because now we have no control over what people are doing or over how they are learning… It’s democratised and away from the corporate structures.”
Ash’s take? Maybe it’s time to stop creating so much content.
“We have to really think about why we’re making content in the first place… For me, the only answer is that you need an output that requires a particular expertise that goes way beyond what AI can do. But that gap is narrowing.”
It raises the unsettling question: how much do learners even need us any more?
This summary only covers Ash’s answer to our first question. In the full episode, we explore much more:
Listen to the full conversation.