By J. L. Brent

For over a decade, I’ve led learning strategy across sectors; education, government, manufacturing, and corporate. I’ve seen Learning & Development evolve from an optional investment to a vital business driver. Yet despite all that progress, many organizations still treat L&D as a compliance checkbox or a content warehouse.

But here’s the reality: the next chapter of L&D will be written by how we use Artificial Intelligence, not as a gimmick, but as a practical lever for transformation.

From Training to Capability Strategy

In one of my most recent roles, I led a learning strategy that impacted more than 1,000 employees across multiple departments. The focus wasn’t just on creating content, it was about scaling capability. We built a centralized Learning Center, launched structured onboarding and coaching pipelines, and aligned development with performance metrics and strategic goals.

Here’s what happened:

• 40% increase in productivity
• 30% boost in retention
• Learning KPIs exceeded by 10%+ each year

But those numbers are just the byproduct. What mattered most was this:

• Teams felt empowered, not just trained.
• Leaders became coaches, not just evaluators.
• Learning became a living strategy, not a siloed department.

The Practical Power of AI in L&D

We’re at the edge of another workplace shift, this one powered by AI. But the question is no longer if we’ll use AI. It’s how we’ll use it.

Here are the practical ways my team harnessed AI to help us achieve the numbers mentioned above:

• Streamlining Content Creation
  We use AI to draft course outlines, job aids, and video scripts that SMEs can then review, validate, and enrich. This cut content creation time by up to 50% and gave SMEs a structured framework to stay on track, especially valuable in our high-volume cross-functional development cycles.
• Accelerating Curriculum Development
  AI helped generate training modules in advance, aligned with role profiles, compliance standards, or business objectives, so designers aren’t starting from scratch. This enhances both consistency and efficiency.
• Root Cause Analysis and Proactive Design
  The team utilized AI tools to sift through feedback, performance data, and operational metrics to uncover training gaps or systemic issues. Even more importantly, we use it help predict potential risks and inform proactive learning interventions that prevent negative outcomes before they occur.
• Automated Learning Pathways & Skills Mapping
  AI can personalize training based on performance data, recommend upskilling paths, and identify critical skill gaps in real time, helping leaders stay ahead of future workforce needs.
• Translation & Accessibility
  We are learning how to implement AI tools for global teams. These tools can instantly translate and format content for different audiences, supporting inclusivity and compliance at scale.

It’s Not the Tool, It’s the Mindset

Too often, AI is treated like a novelty, good for generating funny images or mimicking voices. But real transformation happens when we use AI to elevate human potential.

To unlock that potential, we must teach people to:

• Ask better questions
• Interpret and apply insights
• Collaborate with AI in decision making
• Create ethical, human centered solutions

AI won’t replace people. But people who understand how to work alongside AI, thoughtfully and strategically, will lead the future.

The CLO Mindset in the Age of AI

Strategic learning leaders aren’t just delivering training anymore. We are:

• Translators between technology and talent
• Architects of learning ecosystems that support agility and scale
• Strategists who ensure AI is used to enhance, not replace, human expertise

That’s why L&D must be embedded into business planning cycles, digital transformation, and operational performance, not treated as an afterthought.

Let’s Lead the Shift, Together

This is the moment to evolve L&D into something more impactful and future focused. AI won’t replace us in creating training, it will enhance what we create. It helps us build learning experiences that are more meaningful, more applicable, and more engaging for our learners. With AI as a partner, we can focus less on busywork and more on designing solutions that truly move people and performance forward.

So, I’ll leave you with two questions:

• How is your organization using AI beyond the buzzwords?
• How are you helping your people become not just job ready, but AI ready?

Let’s move from ideas to action and build the future of learning together.

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J. L. Brent is a strategic learning and organizational development leader with expertise in enterprise learning, AI integration, and human centered transformation across corporate, government, and educational sectors. She helps organizations build scalable learning systems that align with both performance goals and human values.