Generative AI, artificial intelligence that uses deep-learning models to generate new text and images, is a technology expected to bring significant economic growth to the global economy. However, many leaders are unsure how to use GenAI tools to boost their and their companies’ productivity. The viewer chat of our recent webinar, Skills for L&D Leaders in 2024: Embracing Generative AI and Leading Through Change, buzzed with talk of how leaders are using generative AI on their teams to bring their learning and employee experience programs to life. Because peer-to-peer learning is so important, especially in understanding a transformative technology like GenAI, we wanted to highlight the tips and tools viewers shared their experiences with during the webinar. 

Here is a non-exhaustive look at the many uses of generative AI technology for L&D and HR leaders to supercharge their programs. 

6 GenAI for L&D and HR leaders 

Before diving into GenAI uses, it’s important to remember, as one viewer in the chat noted, “AI is not a replacement. The resulting content still needs that human element.” AI technology, especially when used by learning and development or HR teams, can augment learning in the workplace. Still, it isn’t a substitute for your team’s experience and subject matter expertise. “AI is a copilot, not the autopilot,” another viewer noted. 

As you incorporate AI solutions into your company’s workflow, ensure you’ve worked with cross-functional partners like your technical, data science, and legal teams to provide safeguards to protect proprietary, customer, and employee data. Check out 5 Considerations to Establish AI Usage at Your Organization for more guidance.

Content creation: The most common use of GenAI technology for L&D and HR leaders is in various forms of content creation. Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or Microsoft’s Copilot can kickstart productivity when brainstorming at a project’s onset, summarizing data points, or creating an outline for a complicated initiative.

As shared in the webinar chat, the content people regularly create through GenAI includes drafting learning objectives, synthesizing themes from raw survey results, and building training courses. 

To make the most out of the GenAI tool you’re using, viewers recommend providing context to the tool when inputting a prompt so that you receive the best quality output. For instance, when writing learning objectives, prompt the AI to “Act as an instructional design expert using Bloom’s taxonomy to draft five learning objectives for the year.” Since this is a nascent technology, there is a risk that the AI’s output will be incorrect. Always double-check the citations and sources the AI produces. Remember: copilot, not autopilot. 

Build courses: The content creation tools mentioned above can also be used to design courses for your employees. However, there are also GenAI tools that can help with written content and visual and video content. 

GenAI-powered presentation tools like Gamma, as one viewer recommended, help leaders and their teams create engaging presentations without getting lost in formatting and design work. AI video tools, like Synthesia, can help resource-strapped L&D teams create compelling videos in over 100 languages. The tool can convert written training into videos, allowing L&D teams to offer multi-modal learning experiences for employees. If stuck on imagery to include in the course, OpenAI’s Dall-E can create images and art based on text descriptions.  

Knowledge sharing: Automating administrative and repetitive tasks through GenAI is especially promising for knowledge sharing throughout an organization. Whereas teams might have once relied on a volunteer sending notes after a meeting for those who couldn’t attend, a GenAI tool can instead keep teams informed and distill information. 

One example of this capability mentioned in the chat is Otter.ai, which can be used during meetings to create automated and searchable transcripts, meeting recaps, and detailed action items. GenAI is particularly convenient for keeping distributed and hybrid teams aligned or ensuring employees with different learning styles have visual, audio, and written options for staying current on projects. 

Coaching: GenAI-powered coaches can be a valuable and scalable way for learners to get real-time feedback. Learning coach tools trained on data related to subjects like sales development, new manager best practices, or accounting fundamentals could be deployed across an organization to help employees get expert guidance in the moment of learning. Many of these types of coaching tools will appear similar to the format of chatbots that many learners already have experience with.

Among the coaching tools mentioned in the webinar chat was RunYourself, a peer coaching platform that uses AI to analyze the coaching sessions so that each participant can get the most out of the sessions.  

Skills intelligence and mapping: Based on the enthusiasm in the chat for using AI in employee skills development, this is an area to watch for L&D and HR leaders. Learning companies, Udemy included, are leveraging GenAI technology to help leaders analyze employee skills and develop skills trees to empower learners with the courses they need to build the necessary skills for their career growth and organizational success. 

In Udemy Business, leaders can use the integrated AI tool to create custom learning paths built to the specific skills needs of various teams. Learning management systems like 360Learning, Cornerstone, and Workday are adding AI into their products to help organizations map acquired skills to employees and the skills they want to grow. Features like these are essential for skills-based organizations to build internal talent marketplaces and allow for internal career mobility. 

Hiring assistants: AI is helping streamline the hiring process by automating many manual hiring tasks like email outreach and interview scheduling. Chat participants mentioned that the AI-powered tool Qualifi is a productivity enhancement tool for hiring. Automations built into hiring assistant tools help HR teams scale candidate sourcing, resume screening, and initial candidate outreach based on predefined criteria. 

Many hiring tools can foster diversity and inclusion by anonymizing candidate information to reduce human bias. AI-powered skills assessment tools offer standardized and equitable ways to assess a candidate’s proficiency in critical skills.  

L&D and HR leaders have the opportunity to be early adopters and advocates for generative AI tools. By using GenAI effectively in the ways outlined above, leaders can help employees across the organization become familiar with GenAI’s uses and foster a culture where GenAI skills is seen as a productivity enhancement and not something to be feared. Watch the full webinar on-demand now with Udemy Chief Learning Officer Melissa Daimler for more insights on using generative AI technology in your company.