There is no doubt that technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) offer promise for improving organizational performance. The roles for the teams are changing to focus less on execution of repetitive tasks (which machines are excellent at doing) and more on the things that people can do that machines cannot. There is also no doubt that L&D needs to understand how these technologies can leverage human learning and performance in order to facilitate the delivery of clear business value. The range of AI capabilities and their application to L&D strategies—including personalization, performance support, and advanced analytics—is only beginning to be understood.

Artificial intelligence itself is part of a group of technologies that includes deep learning and neural networks. IBM has developed a framework called “the AI Ladder” that provides a prescriptive approach to the successful adoption of AI for solving business problems. The AI Ladder is a simple four-step framework, but it is not easy to apply without understanding those other technologies and without an understanding of the information architecture required for AI.

According to the MIT Sloan Management Review Research Report, Reshaping Business with Artificial Intelligence (2017), 81 percent of business leaders do not understand the data and infrastructure required for AI. In spite of high expectations for AI, it is still at an early stage of adoption, and only about half of organizations are investigating AI or experimenting with it. The barriers to adoption mainly involve getting organizational commitment to deal with the difficulties: AI is not necessarily suited for every organization. It depends in part on whether AI solves a business problem or not. In addition, coordinating communication and coordination between people and AI systems is a difficult problem for some organizations.

This is not a journey that will be completed quickly.

You need a map to get there

JD Dillon and Becca Wilson will present “The AI Ladder: Preparing for the Not-So-Distant Future of Learning Technology” at the December 2-3, 2020 Understanding Learning Trends Online Conference. In this session, you will learn:

  • How AI can be leveraged to solve a range of workplace learning problems
  • How to establish the information structure necessary to execute an AI strategy
  • How to begin an informed AI conversation with your peers and stakeholders

Register now for this online conference and discover how you can implement today’s best practices! If you are interested in attending this online event but are unable to attend on either December 2 or 3, register anyway and you’ll receive access to the recorded sessions and handouts after the event.

You can also get a Learning Guild Online Conference Subscription to access this and all online conferences for the next year, plus much more.