{"id":88264,"date":"2026-02-19T22:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T22:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/degreed.com\/experience\/?p=88264"},"modified":"2026-02-20T18:37:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:37:29","slug":"how-ai-is-shaping-the-future-of-learning-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/degreed.com\/experience\/blog\/how-ai-is-shaping-the-future-of-learning-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"How AI Is Shaping the Future of Learning Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Learning technology wasn\u2019t designed for the world we\u2019re operating in now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most platforms were built for stable roles, predictable skills, and linear change. Today\u2019s reality includes mid-year strategy shifts and monthly AI tool evolutions. Expectations are changing before teams have fully come up to speed on previous standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this environment, it\u2019s no longer enough for learning to simply deliver information. Learning has to help people adjust quickly, repeatedly, and in-flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This era of constant change has been amplified into a pressure point by the growing accessibility and innovation of AI tools, which are evolving how we work. AI isn\u2019t the main character of this story, though. Change is. Constant change is what\u2019s pushing learning technology to move beyond content toward something more practical, more experiential, and more aligned to how work actually happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Degreed webinar on The AI-Powered Future of Learning Technology<\/a>, leaders from Boehringer Ingelheim and Fosway Group shared what\u2019s actually changing (and what\u2019s working) as AI moves from experimentation to execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. AI can finally bridge the gap between business strategy and L&D.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Business leaders know where they want to go. What\u2019s often missing is a clear, shared view of which workforce capabilities need to change to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin Hess, Chief Learning Officer at Boehringer Ingelheim, described a simple but powerful approach: Use AI to analyze business strategy documents and produce a first pass at the skills required to execute them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly, instead of having abstract conversations about transformation, learning leaders can walk into the room with something tangible that builds the initiative\u2019s momentum: \u201cBased on your strategy, here are the ten skills that look critical. Let\u2019s pressure-test this together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is faster alignment, stronger engagement from leaders, and adaptive learning that\u2019s anchored to real business priorities, instead of generic capability frameworks. AI doesn\u2019t replace human judgment here. It removes friction and gets everyone on the same page faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Virtual Reality (VR) and AI tools are making realistic practice possible and scalable.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For decades, L&D has talked about the importance of practice to cement capabilities, especially for those \u201csoft\u201d or intangible skills that come into play during sales conversations, leadership moments, and difficult feedback interactions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most employees rarely get enough safe, repeatable opportunities to try a skill before it matters. Personal coaching is effective, but expensive. Role-play works, but only for small groups. Most employees never get enough practice to build real confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI and VR tools are opening up practice opportunities in ways we\u2019ve never seen before. AI-powered simulations and VR environments now allow people to rehearse real-world scenarios like sales pitches, high-stakes negotiations, and performance conversations. Not by watching a video or reading an article, but by actively participating, responding, adjusting, and trying again. This leads to faster time-to-readiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo company on this planet, I believe, can afford to provide a personal coach to everyone,\u201d Hess said. \u201cNow this becomes suddenly affordable and feasible, and we can provide a very hyper-personalized experience to pretty much everybody at scale, which is revolutionary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sets work up for two major changes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Practice is finally scalable. <\/strong>What used to require expensive one-to-one coaching or small-group role plays can now reach more people without sacrificing relevance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Psychological safety improves.<\/strong> Employees can experiment, make mistakes, and build more confidence<\/a> when they can practice without fear of being evaluated by another human. The stakes are lower. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    In essence, all employees can now practice repeatedly for business-critical moments, in context, and without fear of judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Practice stops being a privilege for a few and becomes part of how capability is built across the organization. These kinds of tools give more people a safe space to build confidence before it matters, so real conversations go better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    3. The future of L&D relies on teams upskilling themselves in this evolving learning technology.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Instead of depending on legacy and manual processes, organizations are redeploying talent and relying more heavily on AI-enabled workflows. This is as true for learning and development as it is for every other function in the organization. The implication is unavoidable: Learning teams need to be as fluent in AI as the workforce they support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At Boehringer Ingelheim, the response was decisive. The learning function went \u201call in\u201d early by upskilling not just L&D, but senior HR leaders and executives, as well. Leaders weren\u2019t expected to become technologists, but they were expected to understand what AI can do, how it works, and where it creates risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In L&D departments, this is a moment of choice: The acceptance and application of AI can either erode L&D influence or expand it, depending on whether teams step into the opportunity that this new operating model offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Leteny advised learning pros to pick up the pace in their AI upskilling so that they can help lead the movement and dictate how it shapes the tech stack: \u201cYou need to run quick now if you’ve not already gotten there, because the business is doing it already and it might be imposed on you from the business perspective as to what tools you can use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is more than a moment of deciding which tools will be used. It’s a moment for transforming how L&D performs its role through the use of AI. And a lot of professionals are looking at content creation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Using AI to support content creation is a growing goal for L&D teams.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Content creation is easily one of the most common AI use cases for learning technology solutions. According to research Leteny cited from the Fosway Group, 71% of respondents say they are going to use AI to support content creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This process looks different depending on the need. For example, new AI capabilities can support content by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n