Personalized Learning 201: Millennial Managers can Unlock AI Adoption

Jennifer Edwards

Martes, 30 de Septiembre de 2025

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This is part two of a three part series. Read part one here.

When I first stepped into management as a millennial leader, I didn’t have decades of leadership experience to lean on. What I did have was curiosity and a willingness to try new tools. I experimented with platforms that helped me onboard faster, understand my team’s strengths, and keep projects moving. That openness to technology wasn’t just convenience. It became a way to fill in gaps and lead with confidence.

It got me thinking, is the flexibility of the millennial generation the key to bridging the gap between traditional ways of working and the new tech-first tactics? We’re digital natives who’ve grown up making technology second nature. We introduced our workplaces to Slack and Zoom. And yes, we showed them all–probably more than once–how to export that doc as a PDF. Now, we’re ready to champion AI-powered learning. 

This is my call: L&D leaders, use us to ease the AI transformation. When L&D leaders make us partners, adoption won’t trickle in through slow rollouts. It will spread like a wildfire. We’ve done it before and we can do it again. Here’s how to activate your millennial managers so you can personalize learning better than ever before:

Lesson 1: Adoption Starts With People, Not Platforms.

Corporate learning has always chased personalization. For years, it meant nothing more than a recommended course list based on your department. Today, AI has changed the game. Platforms can identify current skills, map them to career goals, and adjust learning pathways as people grow.

But here’s what I’ve learned as a manager: technology doesn’t drive change by itself. People do. My team was never excited about “a new system” just because it came from HR. They got on board when they saw me using it, sharing results, and showing them how it made their work easier.

Millennial managers are uniquely positioned to spark that kind of adoption. Why? We:

• Make up the largest share of the workforce, many now in leadership roles
• Are more comfortable experimenting with AI tools than other generations
• Value growth, work/life balance, and want to create career opportunities for our teams

When managers use AI for learning, they normalize it for their employees.

Lesson 2: AI Removes Barriers and Elevates Coaching for Personalized Learning

The first time I piloted an AI learning tool, I noticed something right away. My team didn’t spend hours searching for resources anymore. The platform pushed exactly what they needed at the moment they needed it.

AI in learning looks like this:

• Onboarding that clicks: New hires get pathways built for their role from day one.
• Skill gaps closed in real time: When regulations change or a new system goes live, people can upskill immediately.
• Personalized growth: Employees see learning tied to their individual career paths, not just generic compliance courses.
• Retention through relevance: People stick around when they see their manager investing in their future.

For me as a manager, the biggest shift was that Degreed Maestro, our AI purpose build for learning, helped me coach better. Instead of guessing what my team needed, I had insights into their skills and progress. That made my 1:1s more meaningful and our work more effective.

Lesson 3: Managers Multiply the Impact of AI

Here’s the difference I’ve seen first-hand:

• Without managers leading, AI feels like another HR initiative. Adoption is slow, and employees are skeptical.
• With managers leading, AI feels like a team advantage. Employees see real benefits in their day-to-day work.

When I shared how AI helped me conduct competitive intelligence research in half the usual time, the rest of the team leaned in. It wasn’t about me “selling” them on technology. It was about showing them what was possible.

This is why millennial managers are multipliers. Our willingness to test and share gives AI in learning credibility across every generation we lead.

Lesson 4: L&D Leaders Can Activate Millennial Managers Now

So how can you activate millennial managers to accelerate AI learning adoption?

1. Start small: Invite a group of millennial managers to pilot AI-curated pathways in areas like leadership or digital skills. [Degreed Open Library]
2. Give us a platform: Encourage us to share wins and stories with peers. A quick case study or team success story builds trust. 
3. Equip us with context: Don’t hand us scripts. Instead, show us how AI connects to skill growth, retention, or productivity. We’ll translate that for our teams.
4. Recognize us: Highlight millennial managers who lead adoption in company communications. Visibility motivates us and validates the effort.

Quick Assignment: Identify five managers in high-change roles. Give them access to an AI-powered learning pilot. Ask them to present outcomes like faster onboarding or higher team engagement at the next leadership meeting.

AI has made personalized learning possible at scale. But adoption depends on people, not platforms. As a millennial manager, I’ve seen how quickly teams respond when they see technology making their work easier and their future brighter.

That’s why companies can’t overlook this generation. We’re not just comfortable with AI, we’re confident with it. And when organizations empower millennial managers to lead the way, AI in learning won’t just be implemented. It will be embraced.

When millennials are empowered and set the tone, organizations don’t just keep pace with change. They set the pace of change.