9 impactful uses of AI in learning and development in 2024

"AI is the new electricity," says leading AI pioneer Andrew Ng.

Just as electricity transformed industries over a century ago, AI and machine learning algorithms are now set to revolutionize learning and development. 

With the ability to turn thoughts into written scripts and plain text into engaging training videos, AI might as well be wearing a cape. So, in this blog post, we look at its superpowers. 🧐

From personalized learning paths to immersive VR experiences, discover how artificial intelligence is powering the future of education and professional growth, making the once-impossible now possible.

How is AI useful in learning?

AI in learning and development makes the learning journey personal, engaging, and efficient for everyone involved. Imagine learning that feels like it's made just for you — that's the power of AI in education.

For learners, artificial intelligence can create enjoyable, personalized learning paths that match their strengths and weaknesses. Think of custom study guides and exercises that adjust difficulty on the fly, keeping you challenged but never lost. Or interactive games, simulations, and even VR that make learning immersive and fun while also boosting knowledge retention.

But teachers aren't left out either, as AI significantly reduces administrative burdens. It frees up educators' time to guide and inspire their students by handling tasks like grading and feedback with automation.

Lastly, L&D managers can wave goodbye to the endless program creation process. AI helps whip up engaging training materials and shows the areas where learners need a lift, giving precise and insanely valuable indications on making training sharper and more impactful.

Just look at the following short video with a tutor giving personalized feedback to a learner on a quiz — it's entirely made with AI!

How will AI impact the L&D industry?

AI will impact all areas of the L&D industry, from the creation of training materials to the management of learning programs.

Primarily, AI technology will help workers stay ahead of the changing job game by providing smart upskilling and reskilling opportunities on a scale that was previously unattainable. This change will push organizations to rethink their L&D strategies, using data to make better decisions and integrating AI and machine learning into corporate training. Ultimately, AI can be used to upgrade training programs to be more comprehensive, more engaging, and more relevant.

Use 1: Create effective training videos without equipment

By producing training videos in minutes, without cameras or actors, AI helps you say goodbye to all those budget constraints and hello to a world where any employee can create courses and personalized content without even recording themselves on camera.

Yes, user-generated content creation and virtual instructors and tutors are big advantages. So are translating course material into different languages and fostering a continuous learning culture.

One tool that makes the entire above possible is Synthesia, which enables users to generate professional-looking videos from text. This AI video maker has a friendly user interface where you can select from tens and hundreds of video templates, AI avatars (digital doubles of real actors), and AI voice capabilities. 

Unique options include cloning a person's appearance and voice and customizing an AI avatar's outfit for personalized or branded video content.

Watch this video to see how it all works:

The impact of adopting Synthesia varies by organization, with some companies reporting:

• Up to 70% more efficient training (BSH)
• Up to 200% improved video view retention (Cohesity)
• Up to 95% time savings in video creation (Persado)

A notable case is Teleperformance, which used AI to train over 380,000 people in more than 170 markets. They created videos in 40+ languages, saving 5 days and $5,000 per video.

Ben Kirby, Global SVP of Learning and Development, said, "From demo to adoption, it was the shortest amount of time I have ever spent with any technology at Teleperformance. That's a testament to the fact that people immediately saw the value in the solution and wanted to use it."

Use 2: Turn your ideas into written scripts with NLP

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is one of AI's coolest applications in content creation, and you can see it in action with popular tools like ChatGPT and Gemini (previously Bard). In some ways, it's similar to aspects of human intelligence. It acts like a writing assistant that uses AI algorithms to understand exactly what you need for your L&D script and then creates it for you.

Basically, NLP is a way for computers to understand human language and use it to generate new written content. It can whip up training material drafts, brainstorm ideas, and even guide learners with lists of best practices, all tailored to your specific audience and goals.

NLP powered by deep learning can also polish your script, making it clear, engaging, and personalized to different learning styles. It automatically creates subtitles and transcripts, ensuring your content reaches learners with diverse needs. And it identifies knowledge gaps and helps you keep your learning content fresh with trends and semantic analysis.

Here's a quick video on how to use AI (ChatGPT and Synthesia) to create a YouTube video:

Use 3: Create interactive courses and instant feedback

Turning education into an interactive adventure, generative AI helps you leave behind boring lectures and one-size-fits-all training. With the proper interactions, you can craft a personalized learning experience. Imagine the impact of using paths that bend and twist to the learner's strengths and weaknesses or fun game elements and challenges that keep them hooked.

Quizzes are no longer just about grading a learner — they help identify knowledge gaps and improve the learning experience as a whole. AI technology creates specific training and assessments, gives feedback based on answers, and can keep track of a learner's progress. It doesn't just show how far they've come but also suggests where to go next. 

Artificial intelligence makes learning truly effective with adaptive content that matches each learner's unique pace and needs and AI subject matter experts that significantly impact the engagement of your learning content.

Zoom, for instance, uses Synthesia to create interactive training videos. Then, they upload it into authoring tools like Rise 360 or Storyline to create an interactive learning experience like the one below:

Use 4: Support learning with chatbots

Remember struggling to find accurate answers or feeling lost in a course? With chatbots as your 24/7 virtual assistants, kids in school will always have someone to guide them and help fill any knowledge gap.

For students, these chatbots blend instant information access with personalized help. Thanks to fancy tech like NLP, bots understand your questions and can learn from each interaction, getting better at helping you over time.

For teachers, chatbots save time with admin tasks like enrolment, scheduling sessions, and reminding students about deadlines. This could have huge impacts in settings where teachers are overwhelmed, managing hundreds of students each.

ChatGPT, Bard, and Duolingo's chatbot show how AI is revolutionizing learning. From answering questions and providing feedback to creating immersive language practice, these chatbots prove that learning can be fun and effective.

Use 5: Make learning accessible to those with disabilities

Personalized and adaptive learning experiences break down barriers for individuals with disabilities and make learning more accessible.

For those with visual impairments, AI learning solutions turn text into voices or Braille, so information is easily understood. And for those with hearing impairments, AI-powered captions, and sign language interpreters bring understanding and engagement to a new level.

The best part? Artificial intelligence can translate content into multiple languages and adjust the learning pace to individual needs. Whether you learn differently or need more time, AI ensures everyone feels included and has the chance to shine.

Use 6: Facilitate immersive VR and AR learning experiences

While this application of AI isn't as straightforward as the other uses on this list, there's a tremendous amount of calculation happening behind the scenes of any VR (Virtual Reality) or AR (Augmented Reality) program.

VR transports you to completely digital worlds, using headsets and gloves to let you interact with them. Conversely, AR brings the digital world to you, layering cool info onto your real-world view through your phone or special glasses.

One could practice surgery in a safe VR environment, interact with virtual humans to hone their leadership skills, or overlay digital info on real objects to visualize repairs. All these examples show that VR and AR form a dynamic duo perfect for different learning objectives like:

• Mastering practical skills: Safely practice mechanical interventions, surgical procedures, and emergency response drills in realistic VR simulations that help improve employee performance.
• Nailing soft skills: Fill knowledge gaps as you chat with virtual characters, tackle tricky scenarios, and get quick feedback to boost your communication, leadership, and empathy.

Walmart has implemented VR training with Oculus VR headsets across its training centers to simulate real-world scenarios employees might face in stores.

Bosch employs AR to facilitate service technician training, overlaying digital information and instructions over real automotive parts.

Even the U.S. Army uses this technology for training and combat — VR pilot training, combat simulation or stress inoculation training, and AR maintenance training, navigation, and targeting.

Use 7: Scale video training programs by 10x

With generative AI, you can create consistent and custom employee training materials that keep everyone up-to-date and make your organization agile and adaptable.

Video training that uses AI presenters and text-to-voice technology can:

1. Speed up the creation of new training material
2. Distribute the creation of these materials across a larger range of employees.

Cohesity is a leading AI-powered data management company that used Synthesia to empower all their SMEs to create AI training videos without needing to manually record a voiceover. Now, their team is able to respond to all training requests on a vastly reduced timeline and create hours of high-quality training every quarter. Cohesity has also increased its impressive average watch percentage to 80% and scored a 200% increase in video view retention.

Use 8: Advanced learning analytics analysis

Data analytics is not new, but its advanced analysis is mindblowing. By zooming in on how learners interact with your platform — how long they stay, what they click on, if they join discussions, etc. — AI data analysis shows you exactly what keeps your learners hooked and what leaves them clicking on something else.

These insights will tell you which materials need a makeover to be more interesting or easier to understand. No more guessing, just machine learning data-driven decisions that help information stick.

For example, Moodle is one of the best AI-powered learning management systems. This learning platform uses smart algorithms to analyze a learner's past performance and behavior and predict future outcomes.

As an AI-powered LMS, Moodle can warn you if a student is at risk of dropping out, suggest ways to improve their experience, and even recommend specific content that might rekindle their interest. Plus, it's a super flexible learning experience platform for any educational setting because it allows you to create custom learning models and predictions.

Use 9: Curate educational content

AI-powered content curation uses clever algorithms to pick and organize learning materials for every user. Key benefits include keeping learners' knowledge levels in mind and providing relevant content that challenges and helps fill their knowledge and skill gaps.

Curation can happen based on your preferred learning style, goals, and progress. An example of this in practice is the AI tool behind LinkedIn Learning. It employs artificial intelligence to suggest courses and content based on your job role, skills, and what you've already explored.

Make your L&D programs more effective with AI videos

We surveyed 102 L&D professionals, and 97% said video is more effective than text-based documents.

But that's not all! Since using modern AI tools, these content creators and instructional designers reduced their average time for training video content development by 8 days (62%).

Don't take our word for it. 

See for yourself what it's like to turn text into compelling course content videos in minutes with this free AI video maker.