Inc.
AI is turning workplace learning from one-size-fits-all training into personalised, real-time skill-building.
How AI Could Make Workplace Training More Human
Author: Jay Sullivan
Technology has always evolved, but “evolution” happens at a slow, measured pace. Watching how AI develops, improves, and expands is like watching one of those time-lapse, sped-up videos of a skyscraper being built — or flood waters rising — depending on whether you’re inspired or overwhelmed. There’s that sense of the unstoppable.
Hopefully, people can manage to translate that into a challenge to engage, adopt, and eventually embrace all that AI has to offer. That attitude will require a willingness to learn. Also, for many, it will require a willingness to teach — to teach both the AI tools as they grow more sophisticated and colleagues as they figure out how to use AI in their own daily workflows.
The shift from traditional training to AI-powered, personalized learning
Most organizations measure an employee’s growth and readiness for promotion by comparison to a competency model. But how can you measure an employee’s development when the standards change as fast as they do in the age of AI?
According to Brett Locascio, managing director at KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm, it’s about changing the culture of learning.
“We’re developing people-centered designs that work two ways,” he shared. “We’re using AI to unlock the power of learning and using learning to unlock the power of AI.”
How companies are applying AI to transform learning in practice
Locascio and his team are rethinking how AI can be applied across their work, challenging conventional approaches to unlock greater value from the tools at their disposal, particularly through KPMG’s strategic relationships with alliance partners like Google. Anthropic, and Microsoft.
Locascio and his team are using AI tools to create new and innovative training experiences faster previously possible.
“Many people learn differently and have a distinct set of skills to master,” Locascio noted. “AI allows us to better target and personalize learning experiences more to the individual, which enhances the impact on the participant’s growth.”
Making learning faster and more human
Early promotion of and adoption of AI tools has allowed KPMG to see results quickly, especially when it comes to designing and developing learning programs.
“The time it takes to prepare the first draft of a training program has decreased by 75% in many cases,” Locascio explained. “That lessens the need to take professionals away from client service work to act as advisors on programs and allows staff to focus on the value-add in the process that only comes with experience and the human touch.”
To those in the L&D space, AI isn’t about efficiency or products.
“It’s about amplifying the performance of our people to be more innovative, strategic, and impactful,” Locascio added.
At KPMG, adding AI components to learning experiences is fundamental, not optional. AI allows L&D professionals to complement traditional, formal learning experiences with more interactive learning models that require more engagement. These are embedded in the flow of work or served up to learners through Spark Learning, the firm’s new personal learning agent.
Additionally, KPMG has invited some learners to be part of an “AI Champions Network” where they can share informally what they have found helpful and how they have learned to navigate the use of AI in various aspects of their work. That dialogue, which can be organized and refined with AI, fosters a culture of innovation by helping each person leverage the collective knowledge and experience of the larger group.
“Because so many of our people work in a matrix structure based on the ways their various disciplines complement each other, having a more informal manner of communicating with each other about approaches and successes can serve as a more efficient way for people to learn from each other,” Locascio shared.
To implement this approach for the greatest impact, the firm has encouraged participation at all levels of seniority. Since the benefit is in “pairing the AI tools with the human in the loop,” including participants with varying levels of experience and openness to innovation fosters the best outcomes.
How the firm defines “success” and “performance” is changing, as well. AI will allow KPMG to track each person’s growth not only based on whether someone attended a training, but rather on how they actually implemented the targeted skills. This approach requires an organization to be more intentional about its approach to L&D.
AI efficiency powered by human wisdom
L&D teams at KPMG and many other firms I’ve spoken with have started to take AI to the next level — to embrace AI as a tool to help professionals think differently. Artificial intelligence will never replace the genuine wisdom that comes from humans, but it can free up time to focus on the parts of work that require that wisdom.
I’ve heard this same sentiment from organizations in the legal, financial services, and even tech sectors. While AI and its constant changes can feel overwhelming, it’s best to take a deep breath and reflect on the many possible advantages of integrating AI into all aspects of your professional development and training curriculum.
Credits: TCA, LLC.