L&D Activities Led by AI? No Thanks, Say Workers in New Wiley Survey

~ Employees are optimistic about the benefits of AI, but they still want humans in charge of their L&D program.

12th September 2023: Workers express little interest in seeing learning and development (L&D) activities taken over by artificial intelligence (AI), according to new survey data from Wiley.

Nearly six in ten respondents (59%) in the latest Wiley Workplace Intelligence report, Artificial Intelligence in Learning and Development: Five Surprising Facts You Need to Know, say they prefer to see an instructor—in-person or virtual—direct their workforce development learning, while only 7% prefer AI-directed learning.

In addition, the vast majority (87%) of respondents say they want the L&D content to be developed by a subject matter expert as opposed to AI technology (12%). “When it comes to learning and development, employees crave a human connection,” said Dr. Mark Scullard, senior director of product innovation at Wiley. “They want a person to create and lead their instruction, even if it’s in an online setting.”

Respondents are not opposed to L&D practitioners using AI technology to improve their efforts, but they still want humans to create, plan, and direct the activities.

Other Findings

Among the other “surprising facts” found by the survey are the following:

Nearly one-third of workplaces are actively using AI. Twenty-nine percent say their organization has adopted AI capabilities in at least one business function. Another 36% say their organization has not yet adopted AI, while more than a third say they are unsure.
· AI is being leveraged in every organizational function, most often in operations, marketing and sales, and/or product/service development.
· Budget is the biggest barrier to wider AI utilization. A fourth of respondents said budget constraints are a significant barrier to AI integration in their organization. AI adoption is likely a complex, costly, and time-consuming process that can require upgrading current infrastructure, software, training, and ongoing maintenance.
· L&D professionals are optimistic about benefits of AI. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed agreed that using AI for administrative tasks will increase efficiency.

The findings were gathered in a survey conducted by Wiley among 3,000 professionals across various industries in North America.