Get Ready for AI Adoption with 3 Important Steps
May 1 | Written by Julie Dozier & Kathryn Olson
Follow our 3-step ideation – visioning – planning process now while waiting for learning technology to advance.
If you missed our last newsletter, we are currently meeting with learning technology vendors to learn about how they are incorporating AI into their products. We hope to discover tools and systems that are worth knowing about and share those with you soon.
In the meantime, what should learning teams do? We recommend taking advantage of this time to think deeply about the possibilities and understand the needs of your organization. Here are three steps you can take now.
Step 1: Gather Inspiration
First, go on an AI learning journey. Immerse yourself in different AI experiences by using systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity . . . take your pick. It’s interesting to experience the nuances of each system and see their design choices. Try different prompts that fulfill your personal learning needs. You might even try some prompts you think your workplace audience might search for on the job.
With that personal experience under your belt, take note of what different industries and consumer companies are doing with AI and what their outcomes are so far. This will give you ideas that may apply to your own organization and to the learning context.
Because hardly a week goes by without some major AI news, here are some podcasts we follow to stay on top of things:
ACTION
Listen to at least one podcast per week to keep up to speed.
Step 2: Envision the Future
The next step is to dream about what learning might look like in the future for your learners in your workplace. How might AI improve the learning experience in your workplace?
How might it interact with the thousands of learning objects in your LMS?
How might it change the time spent creating custom training?
How might it change the way learners get feedback and coaching?
Use the inspiration you gather to dream up future AI-assisted learning moments. A clear vision will help you as you explore the landscape and talk to new vendors.
ACTION
Document 8-10 concrete visions you have for the future.
Step 3: Plan Your Path
Knowing what the future holds may change the way you think about the current state. Your current pain points may be irrelevant, or they may be replaced with new concerns. How can you start moving now toward the future you want?
What can you and your team prioritize or focus on now that will set you up for success? E.g., For training that is unique and essential to your organization, ensure the content is up to date and complete so it can be used as content for a GenAI tool.
What things might you communicate to your current vendors to influence their roadmap?
Which vendors will you follow as they work out the bugs in their implementation and their systems become more robust?
Are there aspects of AI that you want to seek training on?
Who in your organization might you communicate your ideas and plans to?
ACTION
Share your list of plans with your team and your partners so they can add to it.
We find that following our ideation – visioning – planning process is both satisfying and informative at times like this. As your ideas crystalize, you will develop concrete steps you can take personally and as a team. You will also have defined ideas you can return to and continue to iterate as technology evolves.