L&D by AI? Workers say no thanks

Survey reveals strong inclination towards human-led approach

This article posted the wonderful people at Talent International – click here to access original article

In a recent study conducted by Wiley Workplace Intelligence involving 3,000 participants across North America, findings indicate a strong inclination towards human-led learning and development (L&D) rather than AI-driven approaches. The survey highlights that 59% of respondents express a preference for an instructor—whether physically present or virtually—to guide their workforce development training, while merely seven percent favour AI.

Of those surveyed, a significant majority (87%) emphasize the importance of having subject matter experts curate L&D content rather than relying on AI (12%). Dr. Mark Scullard, Senior Director of Product Innovation at Wiley, underscores this preference, stating, “When it comes to learning and development, employees crave a human connection. They want a person to create and lead their instruction, even if it’s in an online setting.”

These revelations emerge at a time when L&D professionals are increasingly open to integrating AI into their practices. The survey reflects that 64% of respondents believe that AI could enhance efficiency by handling administrative tasks. AI’s potential as an automation tool is seen as a means for L&D professionals to redirect their efforts towards more value-added pursuits, such as curriculum design, instructional design, and learner support.

While the respondents from Wiley’s survey express reluctance towards AI-directed workforce development training, they do not discount the possibility of L&D practitioners enhancing their methodologies. This stance comes amidst the broader adoption of AI in various workplace functions. Approximately one-third of workplaces have actively integrated AI into their operations, with 29% incorporating it into at least one business facet.

Key Insights:

• AI finds the highest adoption rate in service operations across various business functions.
• Human resources and development show a seven percent AI adoption rate.
• Additional areas where AI is utilised include marketing and sales (15%), product or service departments (15%), supply chain management (9%), manufacturing (8%), strategy and corporate finance (7%), and risk assessment (6%).
• Despite its increasing popularity, 36% of respondents indicate that their organizations have yet to embrace AI.
• Major barriers to AI implementation include budget constraints, integration uncertainty, a lack of strategic priority, time limitations, and insufficient buy-in.

Recruitment School Comments

There is a lot of hype around about AI and there is no doubt it will become – or has become a commonplace in our lives, both work and personal. However according to this article from Talent International, AI is not welcome when it comes to Learning & Development at work.

So on the back of this article, we have carried out our own informal survey with the people in our coaching programs and they all said no to AI. Their reasons was mainly because the coach from Recruitment School has more than knowledge, they have experience, they have stories, they have empathy, so you can ask anything you like and all of a sudden, from the depths of their onboard “neuro-database” comes all this relevant information on how to address any situation coupled with practical stories that go with it to help implement the strategy. You cant get that from AI so no wonder people are saying No Thanks to L&D via AI

If you would like access to Recruitment School live (not AI) coaching, then click here and complete our coaching form and we will be in touch.

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