AI has moved from the margins of business strategy to its center. It has skyrocketed from being mentioned in less than 10% of corporate earnings calls a few years ago to appearing in nearly 100% today. AI is creating foundational shifts in how we work, where we concentrate our efforts, and our organizational strategies for growth and innovation.
AI is also changing how people learn at work.
This moment represents both urgency and opportunity for human development. For learning programs, traditional courses and static content libraries aren’t cutting it anymore. They can’t keep up with the speed at which needed skills evolve and they aren’t personalized enough to support the kind of continual development that employees need to remain relevant and agile in their roles.
But AI can help make upskilling more dynamic, interactive, and therefore more effective. For example, this can look like: getting instant feedback, talking through high-stakes conversations, or practicing a presentation.
Let’s take a deeper dive into how human-AI interactions are changing learning, and how to make the most of these opportunities—for both the organization and individual employees.
AI is Expanding Into What Previously Were Human-Only Interactions
One of the most significant developmental shifts is the move from human-to-human interactions to a mix of human-AI collaborations. Activities that once required peer or mentor relationships—like coaching, role plays, and simulations—are now being augmented by AI capabilities.
Getting enough regular feedback interactions, coaching sessions, and role plays was less feasible when it was just humans to humans. There are limited hours in the day, scheduling conflicts, and competing responsibilities at play. Managers and colleagues don’t always have time to support a team member who wants to practice that important presentation for the third time, even if they need the extra practice.
In the words of Nicole Helmer, Degreed’s Chief Product Officer, during a recent webinar: “These were human-only interactions. They’re now human and AI interactions, and there’s tremendous value to be unlocked by thinking about the scalability and the personalization that comes from those sorts of AI experiences.”
These newer human-AI interactions are not replacing interpersonal connection, they are expanding opportunities to learn more effectively, develop skills faster, and as a result, they grow human potential better. Now, managers don’t have to do all of the one-on-one coaching themselves, and can instead leverage AI to help them upskill their teams.
There will always be a need for those one-on-one human interactions, they can become more purposeful and intentional, since AI tools can now provide some ongoing interactive coaching and feedback.
Human-AI Learning that Stays With You
One of the most exciting developments in the intersection of AI, learning, and human intelligence is how technology is making knowledge more accessible within daily workflows. Degreed is formalizing Model Context Protocol (MCP) capabilities that allow learning content and recommendations to become available through enterprise-level AI agents, ensuring that knowledge finds the learner through different platforms and tools, when and where they need it.
Much like how Google Maps can provide relevant directions to a new place because it knows your current location, MCP-enabled systems understand your work and knowledge context to deliver appropriate learning recommendations. This creates a more seamless integration between work and learning, breaking down the barriers between the two.
“If that’s now where people are experiencing their working life, we want to be able to offer individuals the right nudges, the right discovery, the right learning initiation in that flow of work,” Helmer notes.
Double Down on Human Capabilities
It’s all too easy to assume that your workforce can rely on AI, whether it’s for information, strategy, or advice. Leaders have to be cognizant to avoid this tendency, and to guide employees to avoid it as well.
The value of human capability doesn’t decrease in an AI-enabled workplace. It increases. But only if there’s a deliberate effort to go beyond reliance on AI for fast and easy access to information. As Helmer said: “We have got to be training people to think, not just to access answers.”
The real goal of AI transformation is far more complex: to complement and empower humans to grow their capabilities and increase what’s possible.
Judgment. Adaptability. Critical thinking. The ability to navigate ambiguity. These capabilities are not generated by AI tools, and they can’t be replaced by them either. These human skills are built through deliberate practice and development over time. Employees know it, too. According to Degreed data, seven of the 10 most in-demand skills for 2026 are human skills like leadership, communication, and problem solving. It’s clear that employees and leaders alike are investing in developing their human skills alongside their AI skills, recognizing the essential importance of both.
Make Human Development More Dynamic and Effective
Static courses and episodic development programs are no longer enough to meet the needs of today’s employees, as they seek to keep pace with the rapid change caused by evolving technology. Human-AI learning collaboration offers a new model:
- Humans provide context, judgment, and creativity.
- AI offers scale, personalization, and continuous reinforcement.
- Together, they build capability that evolves as fast as work does.
Organizations that thrive in this environment won’t be the ones with the most AI tools. They’ll be the ones who use AI to help people develop more effectively, and as quickly as the skills they need change.
To learn more about this human-AI learning collaboration, watch the full Degreed in Action webinar series.
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