Many L&D leaders need the opportunity to discuss exciting trends in our profession with their colleagues. Fortunately, there is an annual report that serves as a bouncing board for these critical conversations.
Since 2014, the L&D Global Sentiment Survey (GSS) has been a barometer to guide L&D leaders toward the trends that most concern our peers.
In this article, with the help of the GSS author Donald H. Taylor, we explore four AI trends to look out for, why fewer people are talking about upskilling and reskilling, and how to leverage the survey’s findings to make an impact in your practice.
Have the robots really taken over?
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AI is dominating how L&Ds think about the future
AI is the hot topic in the L&D landscape, but as we look to leverage this powerful tool, we need to change how we see our profession.
The GSS 2024 indicates that AI is increasingly capturing our attention, with a vote share of 21.5%. AI appears to be shaping L&D's perception of what is important and determining the challenges we face.
However, the more significant challenge is how we perceive our profession. So far, the trend has been to see a large part of our value as content creators, which can distract us from the essential tasks that help us make an impact.
“So much of what happens in L&D is driven by content production rather than being a part of the larger process to give people the skills and knowledge they need to do their jobs. That mindset switch may be holding back the implementation of AI in L&D,” Donald H. Taylor, Author of The L&D Global Sentiment Survey
“So much of what happens in L&D is driven by content production rather than being a part of the larger process to give people the skills and knowledge they need to do their jobs.” Donald H. Taylor, Author of The L&D Global Sentiment Survey
4 AI trends to expect in L&D
With the continued advancement and integration of AI, we can expect four trends to emerge in learning and development.
1. Enhanced AI development
AI technology will continue to evolve, including consumer tools based on advanced versions of the major GPTs. These tools will offer L&D professionals more resources to increase personal and organizational efficiency.
2. From experimentation to application
The eventual demystification of AI will see a rise in its broader acceptance as L&D’s focus shifts from experimenting with AI to applying it in practical, impactful ways.
3. Backlash against AI-generated content
We can expect to see a backlash against AI-generated content. Critics will likely target the technology rather than the creators, challenging L&D to ensure we use AI to prioritize quality over quantity.
4. Reimagining L&D's role
By adopting and leveraging AI, L&D can focus on understanding and solving complex workforce development issues to enhance our strategic impact on organizational needs.
The reskilling and upskilling wordscape
Although reskilling and upskilling remain in the top two priorities at 11%, they did fall compared to last year: this drop reflects the fact that fewer people are discussing this critical aspect of L&D.
“The GSS reflects the reality of people’s lives and their challenges, but it also reflects what I call the wordscape—the words around us that we don’t really notice anymore but which still permeate our daily lives,” Donald H. Taylor, author, L&D Global Sentiment Survey.
“The GSS reflects the reality of people’s lives and their challenges, but it also reflects what I call the wordscape—the words around us that we don’t really notice anymore but which still permeate our daily lives."
In January 2020, the World Economic Forum launched the Reskilling Revolution, which ignited a global conversation about the importance of upskilling and reskilling. Since then, it has been the number one hot topic in the GSS until this year, when the impact of AI knocked it down to number two.
The rise of technical-focused L&D
The GSS 2024 trends suggest a shift in L&D’s perception of our role from a personal to a technical focus.
If you compare the top five of the GSS 2024, there is a big difference in the vote share of the top five with everything else in the table. The top five for 2024 are:
- AI – 21.5%
- Reskilling/upskilling – 11%
- Skills-based talent management – 8.9%
- Personalization/adaptive delivery – 8.1%
- Learning analytics – 7.8%
These hot five are all aspects of L&D driven by the good use of data, which suggests a shift toward a technical focus in L&D. This may be due to the growing interest in AI and data-related skills or a natural inclination towards technology and data-driven approaches.
“My feeling is it’s a combination of the two, and L&D sees its role as more about data and skills being integral to what we do. I think that’s good, but I don’t like the fact that it seems to be at the cost of collaborative learning, and coaching and mentoring,” Donald H. Taylor, author, L&D Global Sentiment Survey.
“My feeling is it’s a combination of the two, and L&D sees its role as more about data and skills being integral to what we do."
How to leverage the GSS to better your L&D practice
Personally, I have used the survey for many years to validate my thinking and support my conversations with different client groups.
Here are some tips for leveraging the survey in your L&D context:
1. Stimulate conversation: Use the GSS as a catalyst for discussion within your L&D team or network to engage in meaningful conversations about your practices and challenges.
2. Consider your context: Assess the relevance of the survey’s trends within the context of your organization, culture, and geography.
3. Explore new possibilities: The findings can serve as a sparring partner to help you and your team question your current practices and strategies to explore new options.
4. Collaborative interpretation: Engage with peers within and outside your organization to gain diverse perspectives to help interpret the data to support your organizational needs.
Dive deeper into the GSS 2024 results in the episode on The L&D Podcast: L&D Global Sentiment Survey 2024 Findings with Donald H. Taylor.
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