Artificial Intelligence, or using an AI tool, is changing how we work, how we access information and increasingly, how we learn. For learning and development teams, AI presents an enormous opportunity.
Therefore, as organisations look to make the most of AI, the important question that is emerging is: where does technology support learning, and where does human expertise remain essential?
AI Is Already Changing the Workplace
AI is no longer something that sits on the horizon. It is already part of everyday working life.
The Office for National Statistics reported in 2026 that around 35% of UK businesses with 10 or more employees were using at least one AI technology, while 55% of employees reported using AI for work or education. At the same time, only 11% of businesses said that more than half of their workforce had received AI-related training.
That gap is important.
People are using AI, but widespread use does not necessarily mean effective use. An employee may know how to ask an AI tool to produce a report, summarise a document or generate ideas, but that does not automatically mean they understand when the output can be trusted, what needs challenging, how it should be applied or what the consequences might be.
AI capability therefore becomes a learning and development issue.
Interestingly, the same ONS research data shows that training or retraining existing employees is the most common way businesses are integrating AI-related skills into their workforce. Around 40% of medium and large businesses reported using this approach, while only around 10% reported automating or replacing roles with AI.
The emerging picture is not simply one of technology replacing people. It is one of people needing to learn how to work differently with technology.
AI Can Be a Powerful Learning Tool
Used well, AI can make learning more accessible and responsive.
It can help someone prepare for a difficult conversation by providing possible scenarios to work through. Generate questions to help someone reflect on a problem. Explain a concept in different ways, provide examples, challenge an initial idea or help someone structure their thinking.
For an L&D professional, AI can also become a valuable development aid. It can help create first drafts of learning materials, generate workplace scenarios, suggest activities, adapt content for different audiences and support learners between formal sessions.
This is particularly useful when learning needs to be continuous rather than confined to a classroom.
Imagine a manager who has attended a session on giving effective feedback. A few weeks later, they have a difficult performance conversation approaching. An AI tool might help them rehearse possible approaches, generate questions or think through different responses.
But the technology does not know the individual, the team dynamics, the organisational culture or the history behind that conversation. That is where human expertise still matters.
The Difference Between Information and Development
One of the biggest risks in relying too heavily on AI for learning is confusing information with development.
Information can be generated almost instantly. Development takes longer. A person can ask an AI tool to explain emotional intelligence in seconds. That does not mean they have developed greater emotional intelligence.
They can ask for ten tips on managing conflict. That does not mean they will feel confident when a real disagreement emerges in their team. They can generate a leadership plan. That does not mean they have reflected honestly on their own leadership behaviour.
Learning becomes meaningful when people have opportunities to question, practise, receive feedback, reflect and apply ideas to their own circumstances. This is particularly important for leadership, management, communication and interpersonal skills, where context and judgement matter as much as knowledge.
Where the Human Expert Adds Value
The role of the trainer, facilitator, coach or L&D professional is therefore not necessarily diminished by AI. In many cases, it becomes more important.
An experienced facilitator can recognise when a discussion needs to go deeper. They can challenge an assumption, ask the question that someone did not expect, draw out a quieter participant or connect a theoretical model to a real organisational challenge.
They also bring something AI cannot fully replicate: lived experience and professional judgement.
A manager discussing a difficult employee relationship does not simply need a technically correct answer. They may need help understanding the situation from another perspective. Or need to explore their own contribution to the problem. They might need to practice what they are going to say and receive feedback on how it comes across.
That is development. And why simply replacing training budgets with AI subscriptions risks missing the point.
The Risk of Cutting the Learning, Not the Cost
There is understandable pressure on organisations to make budgets work harder. AI can appear to offer an attractive solution: why pay for a trainer when a tool can generate learning materials, answer questions and provide information on demand?
But this can be a false economy if the objective is behaviour change rather than content delivery.
The cost of a training programme is not simply the cost of transferring information. It includes the expertise required to understand a learning need, create relevant experiences, challenge thinking, facilitate discussion and help people apply learning in the workplace.
AI may reduce the time required to create certain resources. It may make learning more accessible. It may help an individual continue learning after a programme has finished.
AI Skills Need More Than Technical Training
There is also a danger in treating AI development as purely technical. People need to understand how to use the tools, but they also need to develop the judgement to use them responsibly.
The ONS found that among businesses experiencing barriers to AI adoption, a lack of expertise was one of the most frequently cited challenges. Importantly, around 62% of businesses identifying a lack of AI expertise were training or retraining existing staff, compared with around 26% of businesses that reported no such barrier.
Suggesting that AI capability is not simply about recruiting people who already know how to use the technology. It is about developing the existing workforce.
For L&D teams, this creates a broader agenda: digital confidence, critical thinking, communication, ethical judgement, adaptability and leadership all become part of AI readiness.
The Future of L&D May Be More Blended, Not Less Human
The most effective approach may be one where AI and human-led development complement each other.
AI can support preparation, provide additional practice, personalise resources and keep learning active between formal sessions. Trainers and coaches can provide challenge, context, expertise and feedback. Organisations can create opportunities for people to apply what they have learned in real situations.
For example, an employee might use AI to explore a new concept before attending a face-to-face programme. During the programme, an experienced facilitator can help them test that knowledge against real workplace situations. Afterwards, AI can provide additional prompts or practice while a manager, coach or learning buddy helps turn the learning into sustained behaviour.
The technology becomes part of the learning ecosystem rather than the entire ecosystem.
Learning Is Still a Human Process
AI has undoubtedly changed the way organisations approach learning and development. But development has never simply been about access to information. It is about people changing how they think, behave and work.
As AI takes on more routine tasks, the value of human judgement, communication, curiosity, emotional intelligence, collaboration and leadership may become even more significant. The organisations that benefit most from AI will be those that use technology intelligently while continuing to invest in the people who know how to question it, apply it and lead alongside it.
The future of learning isn’t AI instead of people. It is AI helping people learn better.
If you’re considering how to support your organisation’s learning and development strategy, contact us to discuss what your people need and how we can help you.