Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT recorded total traffic of 14.6 billion visits over the past year, according to a study conducted by writerbuddy.ai. Averaging 1.5 billion visits every month, this platform witnessed a positive net traffic growth of 1.8 billion, translating to an average monthly growth of 195.1 million visits. Other rising stars such as Character AI, Google Bard, and Perplexity AI collectively accounted for 18.69 percent of the chatbot market’s monthly visits.
With those kinds of numbers, you don’t need a crystal ball to predict AI’s influence on the workplace—and learning and development (L&D)—will only continue to grow in 2024, as noted by just about all the experts cited in our 2024 L&D and HR Forecast.
“In 2024, AI’s role in workforce training will evolve into a more dynamic, interactive partner in the learning process,” believes Dr. Sam Zheng, CEO and co-founder, DeepHow. “Gone are the days of passive data crunching. AI is set to revolutionize how knowledge is captured and shared, turning raw data into customized, interactive learning experiences. This will not only enhance learning outcomes but also revolutionize how industries approach training and knowledge retention.”
AI and L&D
More than 1 in 5 (21 percent) of 500 L&D professionals said generative AI (which responds to input and variously produces text, images, video, audio, etc.) is a priority for the next 12 months—a massive leap from a likely near-zero percentage a little more than year ago, according to a survey conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and Training magazine on the learning and development technology landscape. The survey found respondents increasingly are moving from using AI for learning content recommendations to leveraging AI tools to help create, improve, or draft a wide range of learning-related content.
Tom Stone, a senior research analyst at i4cp, notes that three of the AI use cases in the tech study were deemed next practices—those highly correlated with market performance, but that few organizations are implementing yet:
- Matching learning to skills and skill gaps (8 percent currently in use)
- Adaptive learning (8 percent)
- Career journey mapping (7 percent)
Check out “The Fast Growth of Generative AI in the L&D Technology Ecosystem” for more survey results and analysis.
New Skills Needed
Jeremy Walsh, EVP, Partner Solutions, AllCampus, notes the importance “reskilling employees on practical skills such as critical thinking to refresh their ability to analyze and evaluate information and outputs from generative AI.”
A recent survey of HR managers conducted by TalentLMS reinforces Walsh’s statement. Some 64 percent of HR managers acknowledged that the rise of AI is transforming the landscape of in-demand skills, with 65 percent of respondents believing digital skills, interpersonal skills, and cognitive skills will be crucial for success in the AI era. According to respondents, the top three in-demand cognitive skills in the AI era are: problem-solving; creativity, originality, and imagination; and ability to learn.
Some 43 percent of HR managers estimated that their organization will face a skills gap as a result of AI. Recognizing the urgency to bridge this gap, a majority of HR managers (58 percent) will use upskilling (63 percent) and reskilling (62 percent) initiatives, along with investing in AI training tools (58 percent). The survey revealed that 85 percent of HR managers plan to invest in L&D initiatives to train employees on AI.
We’re Only Human
Even as they see a future dominated by technology-driven work and automation, globally, workers are focused on developing their human skills, according to the latest edition of the Pearson Skills Outlook series conducted in partnership with Google.
The survey of 4,000 workers across the U.S., UK, Brazil, and India revealed that people are most interested in careers in the tech and business-related fields such as eCommerce, software services, data science, and financial services. However, they believe they will need to focus on human skills such as problem solving and teamwork to land these jobs or advance in their current role. Here are the top two human skills workers in each market are actively prioritizing developing and maintaining to advance their careers:
- U.S.: Problem solving; Decision-Making
- UK: Problem Solving; Teamwork
- Brazil: Teamwork; Leadership
- India: Teamwork; Data Processing
Looking to the future, the top two skills workers want to be trained on remain focused on human skills (except in India):
- U.S.: Leadership; Entrepreneurial Skills and Project Management [Tie]
- UK: Leadership; Problem Solving
- Brazil: Language Skills; Leadership
- India: Problem Solving; Coding/Programming, Data Processing, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning [Tie]
Learning More at Training 2024 Conference & Expo
Our upcoming Training 2024 Conference & Expo (Feb. 26-28 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort) will feature a variety of breakout sessions and hands-on clinics on AI (including an “AI Prompt-Off kickoff event), upskilling/reskilling, personalized learning, and other L&D topics. It also will offer attendees a chance to network and get hands-on with new training solutions and technologies in the Learning Discovery Zone, Innovations in Training Test Kitchen, Emerging Tech Pantry, and Virtual Engagement Lab. Click here to register by Feb. 2 and get the $150 Early Bird Discount.
Your Training Matters—especially during these constantly evolving times. I hope to see you in Orlando next month!
