By Shradha Dhar

The recent breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have transformative potential to revolutionize end-to-end learning and development process. The answer is clear – AI is designed both as a disruptor and an enabler, and definitely not as a replacement. It is a game changer for the L&D industry because it can automate repetitive tasks, offer insights and recommendations, and enhance the experience of the learners.

I recently attended an insightful virtual session on Enhancing L&D with Generative AI: Pioneering the Future of Work, organized by People Matters in association with Coursera. The panelists were thought leaders from the industry who have both implemented AI in Learning at the workplace, and hold visionary ideas about its future impact.

If you are a L&D practitioner and like me, curious to explore how AI can be leveraged in learning, do check out the insights shared in the session. I had documented these for my personal learning –  extending here to the larger community for shared learning.

My Key Takeaways from the session

Segment 1: A Disruption or An Enabler: Is Generative AI a game changer?

The potential of Generative AI in the context of Learning and Development was discussed. Some of the key points highlighted by the speakers are as follows.

1. Recent research by McKinsey estimates that Generative AI has the potential to generate $4.4 trillion global productivity over the next decades, which includes 3-5% surge in sales productivity
2. There is huge potential of Generative AI in the learning & development industry, both as a disruptor and an enabler, but that completely depends on how the organizations bring it to life and make it accessible
3. Disruption with AI has already happened with ChatGPT being used for self-learning
4. Generative AI has also made skill building possible now, apart from the common knowledge building for which most digital platforms have been created
5. There is a huge potential in AI being used for training need analysis, that requires gathering, reviewing and analysing large amounts of employee skill data, right from the shop floor to the top management, across industries

Segment 2: What are the use cases of Generative AI in Learning? How do you customize the learning using Generative AI?

Generative AI can be used in the following listed ways to support and enhance the learning experience.

1. Chatbots are a big thing now in the space of learning, as it can simulate human-like dialogue. It can be used for answering immediate questions, giving feedback, doing assessment debriefs and can even provide personalized coaching.
2. Gen AI can now help to personalize the learning content to the regional languages of the learners. It has made learning accessible to local employees, especially on the shop floor. Coursera has also been able to bridge the language barriers by translating their content to 9 languages, not just in terms of transcript but also in video-courses.
3. Facial & Emotional recognition is another added feature that enhances online learning experience. It can be used for skill building by combining it with role plays in the context of learning. Facial recognition has also made proctoring easier when completing assessments.
4. Adaptive recommendation systems using AI have helped to personalize the learning experience by recommending learning content and modules based on identified skill gaps, individual preferences and characteristics.
5. Scalability and enablement of people who require re-skilling, especially those who are coming back after a career break.
6. AI helps to curate and build high quality content reducing the time, effort and cost required for content development. Coursera is currently reducing their content development time with the use of AI. They are also able to use AI for content authoring wherein content creators can upload the required content, mix & match different other kinds of content from Coursera and design a customized learning path of a fixed duration.
7. The Coursera Coach is another use case for Gen AI in learning. When learners get stuck or have questions on how to apply the concept or framework, the feature of the Coursera Coach can be availed. The Coach also helps to summarize the learning, suggest what to learn next, give examples, and answer other questions.
8. Reducing screen fatigue and information overload are one of the other use cases of Gen AI in learning which needs further deliberation on application. AI can be used to enable the learners to find the right information (and not all the information) amidst the information overload. AI can make it easy for the learners to absorb and retain the information.
9. Prompt engineering is the future which can help to find and ask the right questions to get the right answers. Example is ChatGPT which has been blown up for prompt engineering.

Segment 3: How can organizations chart a reskill and upskill policy using Gen AI?

The speakers discussed 3 insightful and creative ways in which Gen AI can support organizations with employee reskill and upskill, especially at high volumes.

1. Use Gen AI to baseline and identify skill gaps – The skill gap on current versus ideal skill level, along with futuristic career goals of the individual can be identified and mapped to suggest a personalized learning path. A graded learning path can be designed based on this information. 
2. Predictive Analysis for Speed – Since speed is important for any business, leveraging predictive analysis to fast-track upskilling programs and conducting mass customization of learning based on role and industry, is the expectation from Gen AI. With this, platforms can show where the person currently is versus where they should move in the career path, and then recommend powerful content. AI can help with the speed in which Learning & Development deliverables need to be made.
3. Reskilling with adaptive learning – Let’s say 5 people have to learn a topic, but they are at different levels of knowledge and skill with respect to the topic. Gen AI can be used to adapt the topic and learning based on the individual needs of the 5 learners. This is a great way to support employee re-skilling by structuring the learning paths in Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels (or even Professional Paths like from Data Analyst to Data Scientist) and assigning learners to each path based on their level of knowledge and skill.

Concluding Comments by Speakers

1. Gen AI & online learning will be responsible for transitioning people into new roles, and impact upskilling and reskilling of employees. It will also open the doors for assessing talent.
2. The role of the senior leadership is critical – Are they demonstrating learning agility and adopting technology? Leaders have to start talking about it. They have to play the role of digital champions and also adopt technology. The Reverse Mentoring program helps senior leaders today to become comfortable and adapt to technology.
3. Technology Quotient and Digital Mindset are important traits to have for every employee within an organization today. They need not be experts on technology, but basic understanding of what the various technologies mean, and having an open mindset to learn about it, is a critical sign of a healthy organization.
4. Finally, we need to Democratize Learning by helping learners to learn what they need instead of mandating learning hours and topics for them.

Overall, the virtual session was extremely beneficial for me to push my thinking beyond the usual application of using Gen AI in learning. You can watch the full virtual session here.

In a data-informed world, organizations look at data as their North Star. When it comes to gender diversity, it’s no different.

We intuitively know that women leadership is crucial for an organization’s success. We know that women leaders bring on-board a different set of skills, perspectives and context to problem solving.

Yet, the question persists. Is there data to support this? Does women leadership actually translate into real business impact?

The answer is a Big Yes. Consider these facts:

And that’s because women have emerged as more effective leaders in today’s world. There is no dearth of research on how women score equal or higher in most leadership skills. Women have proved to be better leaders during crises, including in managing the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

So you may ask what’s the issue?

As you discovered in this article, we have troves of data on how women leadership has proved to be more effective and that their presence leads to real business impact.

Unfortunately, the one place we wish we had better data to share is women’s representation in the workforce especially in women leadership positions.

• Women represent 45% of the S&P 500 workforce, but only 4% are CEOs.
• Globally, women hold just 24% of senior women leadership positions
• In a study of nearly 22,000 publicly traded organizations worldwide, 60% have no female board members.

Why is women's representation at work dismal?

A one size fits all approach does not work for women professionals as they find themselves confronted with some unique challenges at work.
In our conversations with women professionals, we hear them articulate so many of these challenges that are well-documented through research:

1. 1. Women leaders find themselves in a ‘double bind’ when gender stereotypes end up binding them in difficult situations
      a. They are seen as too soft (likeable, but incompetent) or too tough (competent, but unlikeable) but never just right
      b. The ‘think leader, think male’ mindset creates an invisible barrier for women where women leaders work twice as hard as men for the same recognition
   2.  “Senior-level women are also nearly twice as likely as women overall to be ‘Onlys’ -the only or one of the only women in the room at work. They are more likely than women who work with other women, to feel pressure to work more, and to experience microaggressions, including needing to provide additional evidence of their competence.”
   3. There are studies on how people and companies commonly misinterpret displays of confidence as a sign of competence, which tends to put men at a position of advantage as they come across as more confident
   4. COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified challenges that women already faced. Senior-level women are significantly more likely than men, at the same level, to feel burned out and under pressure to work more, and “as though they have to be ‘always on.’” They are 1.5 times more likely, than senior-level men, to think about downshifting their role, or leaving the workforce altogether due to the pandemic. Almost three in four cite burnout as the main reason.

What do we need to do to address this issue?

While we can’t change the world, we can certainly enable and empower women leadership professionals to navigate through these realities with the courage, confidence and the right skill-sets. What’s needed is to enable women to discover their authentic voice and lead their life with balance, fulfillment and growth.

If the challenges facing women leadership professionals are different, the solutions too need to be tailored to their specific needs.

Interested to know what these solutions can be? Read-on!

How Evolve is helping women leadership grow in their journeys?

Non-customized leadership journeys rarely work because they don’t factor in the realities of women in the corporate world. The realities of the 21st century post-pandemic world have added further complexities to women leadership  journeys that require to be recognized and acted upon by organizations.

Based on these insights, we have been working with several global corporations through Evolve, our unique offering tailored to the needs of their women leadership professionals across ranks and functions.

Evolve by TransforMe is a transformational development journey for women leadership professionals, created to address these realities and unique challenges faced by them. Evolve catalyzes an internal journey that helps women professionals evolve and unleash their fullest potential by:

1. Getting in touch with their authentic self
2. Recognizing their internal barriers and
3. Discovering skills to elevate their growth

For Diversity, By Diversity
This unique learning journey is designed by a team that breathes Diversity &Inclusion. It is led by world-class facilitators with decades of experience in D&I work.

Apart from deep expertise, it is the values that this team, led by women and men representing varied ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and unique cultural backgrounds, brings on-board that adds authenticity to the journey.

Rooted In Research, Leveraging Unique Methodologies
We leverage primary and secondary research to gain a deeper understanding of the real challenges faced by women professionals. The Evolve learning journey is designed using pattern-breaking transformational methodologies like T-group, Gestalt, Neuroscience, Projective cards and more.

Inspired by the work of thought leaders such as Brene Brown, Sheryl Sandberg among others, Evolve helps women leadership recognise and realise their potential.

Evolve Framework
Take a look at the Evolve framework optimised to create breakthrough experiences at every stage enabling women professionals to drive real change.

Here is what some of the women professionals who have been on this journey with us have shared about their experience.

What are your goals when it comes to nurturing a gender-diverse team?
What are the challenges in the path of women professionals in your organization?

If you would like to learn more about creating a meaningful learning journey for your team of women professionals or if you simply want to chat about your experiences and challenges, write to us at connect@transformelearning.com.

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