What's shaping the future of L&D? The newly released 2025 Global Sentiment Survey by Donald Taylor provides crucial insights. Here, our Chief Product Officer, Anna Lloyd, unpacks the key takeaways, highlighting the pivotal role of AI, data, and proving tangible value in learning.
AI in learning and development is becoming the new normal
For the second year running, AI has topped the L&D Global Sentiment Survey (GSS). When it first hit number 1 in 2024, many assumed it was a temporary spike. A moment of excitement driven by the explosion of generative AI. Instead, AI’s influence has grown even stronger, securing an even higher vote share in 2025 (22.6%).
“In a series of three Focus reports… we watched L&D’s use of AI grow to over 80% of practitioners surveyed by October 2024.”
AI is no longer just a talking point—it’s becoming an expected part of learning technology. But the way AI is being used today highlights an important gap. Most applications still focus on content production and automation, rather than deep personalization, adaptive learning, or behavioral change.
That’s a missed opportunity. AI isn’t just a way to generate more content faster—it’s a tool that can transform how learning happens.
At Learning Pool, we’ve seen this shift firsthand. Customers are moving beyond early AI experiments to real adoption, using products like AI Conversations to practice difficult conversations in immersive, realistic ways. These kinds of tools take AI beyond efficiency and into the realm of real skills development and behavioral impact.
Data remains key—and buyers expect more
One of the biggest takeaways from this year’s survey is that data-driven approaches remain central to L&D’s future. The top five trends in the survey remain unchanged. This reinforces that organizations are looking for AI-powered insights as much as AI-driven automation:
- AI (22.6%)
- Reskilling/Upskilling (10.0%)
- Skills-based Talent Management (8.9%)
- Personalization/Adaptive Learning (8.2%)
- Learning Analytics (6.9%)
This highlights an ongoing shift: L&D teams need more than just content and automation. They need better data, better insights, and better ways to measure impact.
At Learning Pool, we see this reflected in buyer behavior. More organizations are prioritizing data-driven decision-making. They need tools that help them interpret learning data in meaningful ways.
That’s why we’ve invested heavily in AI Behavioral Insights, an enhancement to our compliance data product that helps compliance officers identify trends and actionable insights within their training data. Instead of simply tracking completions, AI-driven analytics surface behavioral risks and patterns—providing real intelligence, not just reports.
For L&D teams, this level of insight is no longer optional—it’s expected. And vendors who fail to help organizations connect learning to performance outcomes will struggle to keep up.
The return of ‘value’—and why L&D must take notice
One of the biggest shifts in this year’s results is the rebound of L&D’s focus on demonstrating value. In 2024, interest in proving ROI dipped, as AI dominated the conversation. But this year, the "value trio"—consulting with the business, showing value, and performance support—has surged back up the rankings:
- Consulting more deeply with the business (+1.1%)
- Showing value (+1.2%)
- Performance support (+1.0%)
As Donald H Taylor notes in the report:
“Anecdotally, the answer seems to be a realization among L&D professionals that their employment is under threat from a combination of budget cuts and from AI itself.”
For vendors, this is an important signal. Simply selling AI-powered tools isn’t enough—customers need help using them in ways that demonstrate real business value. That’s why so many companies are now demanding better analytics, better automation, and better ways to link learning outcomes to performance improvements.
At Learning Pool, we’ve responded by ensuring our AI and analytics products don’t just track learning but help L&D teams measure their impact in ways the business understands. AI might be making some training more efficient, but without evidence of behavioral and business outcomes, it won’t get long-term investment.
Will AI drop from the ‘hot’ list next year? Possibly—but that’s a sign of maturity
One of the most interesting predictions from this year’s report is that AI might fall from the top spot in 2026. As Donald Taylor explains, AI may fall from the top of the table next year, not because it is unimportant, but that it may simply become the new normal and no longer perceived to be “hot”.
This is a crucial point. AI is no longer just a buzzword—it’s infrastructure. And vendors need to prepare for that shift. The focus must move from "AI as a selling point" to "AI as a core, integrated part of learning technology".
What could take AI’s place as the "hot" trend in 2026? My prediction is that AI agents—like ChatGPT’s Operator—will be the game-changer. These tools have the potential to automate complex tasks, provide real-time guidance, and act as AI-powered learning assistants. The possibilities are enormous, from intelligent content curation to personalized coaching that adapts dynamically to learner needs.
If AI has been about speeding up production, AI agents will be about enhancing interactivity and real-time support. That’s the one to watch.
The role of vendors: Being a true AI partner
With AI moving from novelty to necessity, vendors have a responsibility to ensure that L&D teams and learners realize the full benefits of these technologies. Our job isn’t just to sell AI-powered products—it’s to make sure they work seamlessly and deliver real impact.
For learners, AI should enable:
- Greater personalization, so learning adapts to individual needs.
- More immersive, authentic practice, through AI-driven simulations.
- More effective and efficient training, using AI-powered guidance.
- Better accessibility and ease of use, ensuring no one is left behind.
For L&D teams, AI should provide:
- Greater support in proving value, through advanced analytics.
- Stronger learning insights, using AI to surface trends and opportunities.
- More automation for admin and operations, freeing up time for strategy.
The reality is that L&D professionals don’t have time to become AI experts—they need vendors to make AI adoption as easy, intuitive, and impactful as possible.
At Learning Pool, that’s exactly what we’re focused on—ensuring that AI isn’t just a feature, but a genuine learning advantage. And as AI moves from "hot topic" to "essential tool," it’s up to all of us in the industry to be responsible partners, helping organizations navigate this shift with confidence.
Final thoughts:
The future of L&D is AI-driven, but value-led
The 2025 Global Sentiment Survey makes one thing clear: AI is here to stay, but L&D’s priorities are shifting toward impact, analytics, and value.
For L&D leaders, the message is clear:
✅ AI is now table stakes—it’s time to focus on using it effectively.
✅ Data and analytics are critical—proving impact is more important than ever.
✅ AI agents could be the next big disruptor—watch this space.
For vendors, the challenge is equally clear: our job isn’t just to provide AI tools, but to ensure L&D teams and learners get the most out of them. We need to be a trusted and valuable partner to our customers and their learners, at a time of great changes and huge opportunity.
Discover our suite of AI-powered tools
Learn more about our suite of AI-powered learning innovations, including AI Assess, an advanced AI-powered competency evaluation tool, AI Coach for on-demand professional coaching at scale and AI Conversations, which uses immersive simulations to help teams master challenging workplace conversations.
Anna Lloyd is the Chief Product Officer at Learning Pool and a highly experienced digital education and training specialist.
Anna has worked in education and training product development and management for the past 10 years. With experience as a senior leader in large education companies, Anna has lead teams developing and managing a wide range of learning products reaching hundreds of thousands of learners.
