AI is reshaping how organizations build skills, but it hasn’t answered one of learning and development’s biggest questions: What learning methods actually produce lasting skill development?
While organizations continue to rely on online and classroom-based training, we’re now firmly in the age of AI in L&D. This new era of professional learning brings equal parts excitement and uncertainty. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded into skills development programs, many learning leaders asking an increasingly important question:
Is AI a threat or an opportunity for L&D?
Can it truly reinvent how organizations build skills, or will instructor-led training remain the most effective way to develop the human capabilities AI can’t replace?
Understanding Upskilling and Reskilling
Upskilling and reskilling are distinct yet interconnected strategies that help organizations strengthen their learning and development strategy.
Upskilling focuses on expanding or refining an employee’s existing capabilities through structured learning, workshops, or technology-driven programs.
The primary goal for upskilling programs is to close skill gaps, support career progression, and ensure employees can adapt as their roles evolve.
For example, a bank may launch an internal talent marketplace or corporate learning academy that allows employees to identify growth opportunities and pursue targeted training to qualify for leadership or technical roles.
Reskilling, by contrast, involves equipping employees with a completely new skill set so they can transition into a different role or field. This approach is common in industries affected by automation or technological disruption.
For instance, a healthcare firm may retrain administrative staff to take on data analytics or compliance management positions to support current duties, while logistics companies may reskill warehouse employees as reliability engineers to fill hard-to-hire technical roles.
The benefits of upskilling and reskilling initiatives are unrivaled for today’s organization. According to the World Economic Forum, 86% of employees will engage in some new technical skill or craft by 2028 to address the growth of AI tools and increasing automation.
From improving retention and increasing workforce adaptability to staying ahead of the competition, no training department has ever said otherwise.
Dive Deeper: Understanding Skills Development with Upskilling, Reskilling, & Cross-skilling
AI Integration for Upskilling and Reskilling
Developing new skills with the help of AI can occur in a variety of ways for both learners and training management teams. The allure of AI lies in its ability to save time and deliver faster turnaround for modern training experiences.
Some notable examples in practice include:
- Adaptive learning platforms that tailor content and assessments to each individual’s pace and knowledge gaps.
- Automated skills gap analysis, helping managers pinpoint which training is needed most.
- AI chatbots to answer learners’ questions in real time.
- Data-driven recommendations for next-step courses or microlearning modules.
- Content creation tools that source and generate learning materials almost instantly.
- Providing training managers with key metric data on learner performance.
With AI agent training, the opportunities to use AI in upskilling or reskilling seem almost limitless.
In theory, this can make massive initiatives like upskilling a global workforce more achievable than before, but the best training managers need to act cautiously when using AI tools for training delivery or content authority.
The Pros of AI-Powered Learning & Development
- Scalability and Reach
- Continuous Learning
- Learning Analytics
Scalability and Reach
AI-assisted tools can automate and deliver online training to thousands of employees at once and streamline key processes such as assignments, video lessons, and required tests.
Current AI tools can provide these to learners in a matter of minutes within their online training portal.
Continuous Learning
Based on learning content, AI can provide similar recommendations for training courses, akin to both professional and organizational needs.
Learning Analytics
LMS platforms with AI capability can provide precise learning insights, including engagement stats, completion rates, performance heatmaps, and time on site, to help map out future learning courses.
These strengths position AI as an invaluable tool for learning at scale, driving productivity, and making use of workforce data that was once out of reach.
The Cons and Risks of AI in Learning & Development
- Decrease Human Connection
- Quantity over Quality
- Tech Fatigue
Decrease Human Connection
As if online training wasn’t enough, the implementation of AI-assisted training can make learning feel more robotic than it needs to be.
A 2024 study by Harvard Business Review indicated that despite work processes feeling easier due to automation, workers felt increasingly isolated and lonelier during training, let alone during their daily duties.
Learners and trainees alike in the workplace value learning experiences that develop a sense of belonging, structure, and organization as opposed to isolation for the sake of efficiency.
Quality over Quantity
When AI models were previous introduced in 2024 to a multitude of training software platforms it was it instantly became praised for delivering learning content faster than ever before. Generative AI in learning had taken the training industry by storm until we learned that we had to slow down a bit.
AI models are notorious for producing many kinds of “slop”. When it comes to AI-assisted training, “workslop” may take the cake among L&D teams. Another study by the Harvard Business Review found that AI-reliance on deliverables, including training modules, has created distrust, frustration, and a negative perception of senior management.
The reason?
Coworkers and learners alike don’t want embellished and poorly crafted training material that lacks substance or meaning.
When AI tools become integrated within the learning and development space, training managers must understand that using these tools potentially sacrifices quality for quantity, and effectiveness for “efficiency“.
AI Tech Fatigue
Despite its ability to handle mundane and complex processes, AI as a tool can become frustrating even for the most seasoned users. AI is very much “human” in that it makes errors more often than not.
Training managers and learners alike will face frustration and higher workloads due to the need for increased accuracy checks and corrections to be made on learning platforms.
This is primarily due to the “double-edged sword” effect of AI in completing routine tasks such as course completion and module development.
Unlock the Potential of ILT and Streamlined Training Operations
What if your upskilling and reskilling training programs could run smoother, run more effectively, and deliver greater training ROI – without increasing headcount or budget?
Top-performing L&D teams at companies like Dell and Wells Fargo are already doing it. Find out how in this guide by Brandon Hall Group™.
Why Instructor-Led Training (ILT) Remains Essential in an AI Learning Age
As AI continues to transform learning, many training departments and L&D providers are exploring how to bring these tools into their next training program.
Yet the core principle remains unchanged:
AI serves as a tool for ILT, helping to enhance, not replace, the human connection and impact of skills development and training.
Key benefits of ILT in the AI Learning Age include:
- Human Insight and Adaptability
- Experiential Learning
- Mentoring and Community
- Organizational Engagement
- Soft and Hard Skills Development
Human Insight and Adaptability
Humans as professionals are at the heart of every business. The same applies to skill-based training and development.
With every upskilling and reskilling program lies a professional trainer who’s responsible for translating the most complex skill into digestible concepts that learners can consume.
The best part? If learners feel lost in even the slightest way, they can ask questions and receive guided, hands-on assistance from the live subject-matter expert.
Try that with your AI chatbot model.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is a training delivery method that develops comprehension through real-world interaction, hands-on application, and workplace interaction.
Researchers at Harvard Business School have indicated that concepts introduced in the classroom very rarely translate to any workplace setting, corporate or otherwise.
The reason is based on practicality.
Regardless of your role, whether you’re a manager or machinist, perfecting the skills needed to make a company succeed requires time, practice, repetition, and guidance.
Mentoring and Community
The best business leaders are developed from within by senior mentorship and experience.
A study by Bloomberg Law found that developing the succeeding leaders of middle management and senior leadership was a result of mentorship and face-to-face collaboration held over varying periods of time.
The main reason?
Ideas are important just as much as the professionals (humans) providing those ideas.
While processes within training could be taken over by AI, developing leaders requires another human who can communicate complex thoughts and suggestions.
Organizational Engagement
ILT is the preferred method for improving organizational efficiency and performance.
Compared to AI or online training models, Pavlakou et al (2025) found that for five large pharmaceutical companies, instructor-led training modules focused on critical thinking, complex skills development, leadership training, and situations requiring empathy could not be substituted with AI-based learning tools.
Soft and Hard Skills Development
Science proves that ILT remains the preferred method of learning and mastering both soft and hard skills.
Espina-Romero et al (2023) found that developing skills competency with regular, facilitator-guided training allowed learners to improve their communication, teamwork, and adaptability while working in small groups as opposed to one-way instructional videos or manuals.
In other words, instructor-led programs build relationship capital, drive learning accountability, and support organizational change in ways AI simply cannot.
Learn More: 13 Benefits to Instructor-led Training in an Online Learning World
What does the Future of Skills Development Look like in the AI Age?
Welcome to the age of Blended Learning 2.0
Much like how eLearning is expected to be a staple in corporate learning, we can be assured the same goes for AI in L&D.
The future for corporate and enterprise training looks like a combination of three modalities that include:
- Learning management systems for eLearning
- AI-based tools for assisting with L&D processes for learners, trainers, and admin teams
- Instructor-led training for skills development, including technical expertise and soft & hard skills
The wisest path forward isn’t choosing between AI, eLearning, or the best trainers.
Instead, the best approach for modern corporate training programs and skills development rests in using a combination of delivery methods.
An Example of Blended Learning 2.0 in Action
McKinsey and Co. said it best when their studies proved that a blended learning approach to corporate learning was the most ideal due to its flexibility and scalability.
With AI in the L&D picture, training managers must account for the scope they intend to use it.
AI is expected to be used for automated skills gap analysis, personalized learning recommendations, and scalable digital modules, freeing instructors to focus on workshops, coaching sessions, and high-impact programs.
A blended approach 2.0 can look like:
- Pre-program skills diagnostic using AI-based models
- Self-paced online modules curated by adaptive platforms
- Live instructor-led sessions for collaborative projects, discussions, and exercises
- Ongoing mentorship, feedback, and coaching provided by experts, enriched by AI data insights
In this new chapter of learning technologies, we see AI empowering L&D teams to operate more efficiently by handling data-heavy processes like summarizing training metrics, but not becoming an actual training delivery method itself.
The most refined AI model for L&D will play a limited role both in training material for online eLearning and will surely be further away from being an interactive instructor in the classroom.
While keeping true to the “effectiveness and efficiency” model of training delivery, L&D teams will provide conceptual information over online training methods while reserving skills training and long-term talent development (i.e, upskilling and reskilling) using instructor-led training methods.
Learn More: Managing Blended Learning for Efficiency and Learner Success
Roundtable Replay: The New Age of Instructor-Led Training with Josh Bersin, United Airlines, & GE Healthcare
As AI reshapes work and learning, ILT remains a critical driver of skills and agility. Hear how global leaders are reimagining ILT at scale – and why it’s more essential than ever
How to Perfect ILT in an AI Learning World
L&D providers and training departments alike shouldn’t go all in on the AI hype train just yet.
Training in new skills and developing talent will require much more work from both training management teams and instructors.
- Start Small
- Prioritize Quality Training and Human Interaction
- Invest in Instructors
- Focus on Ethics and Transparency
Start Small
Rolling out ILT or any in-person training event can be daunting due to the multiple resources needed to make just one session go live.
But don’t panic!
Take it easy, and take it step by step.
Assess what you need to make just one skills development seminar happen.
For starters, you’ll likely need:
- An instructor(s)
- Computers
- A training site
- Catering (oh, yes)
Be sure to keep track of each session’s pertinent resources on a checklist to serve as your template.
After one successful session, you can begin to use this as your model session scheduling template for future sessions.
Prioritize Quality Training and Human Interaction
It’s no surprise that Harvard Business School found nearly 60% of online corporate training programs to be downright boring.
So much so that some employees took upskilling into their own hands by finding other training opportunities on their own.
If modern businesses want to invest in their talent properly, providing skills development experiences that have an impact will need to focus on more substance and less filler.
What do we mean?
Training program managers must implement training material that’s engaging and intellectually stimulating.
It should allow learners to interact with the training material but express their opinions and exercise their curiosity while in training.
Second, training managers must make open discussion and instructor-to-learner dialogue a key part of skills development training.
Dialogue in training doesn’t stop at demonstrations and answering questions.
It continues with:
- Facilitated guidance
- Pointing out errors and showing better options
- Encouraging group participation
- Translating complex topics into digestible ideas
- Having cordial and professional talks, the way humans do with other humans.
We almost guarantee that when this is made a high priority in ILT, it will be nothing close to boring in your next skills training seminar.
Identify and Invest in the Best Instructors
Instructors are the gateway to upskilling learners and meeting training objectives.
Given that the learning & development process overall is very much a human-centric process, it’s only right that the best instructors lead the most complex and niche skills training sessions.
For training managers, this means strategizing on what you want from trainers.
Before you assign an instructor to a skills development session, be sure to:
- Outline high-level objectives for new skills training to instructors
- Discuss prior weaknesses and patterns with training topics
- Review previous instructor feedback from past sessions
- Organize training materials to be used for skills training
Training teams make instructor collaboration a key component of a winning skills development strategy to ensure goals and objectives are met with each session.
Learn more: Closing Skill Gaps Through Skill Transfer: Insights from Learning Industry Leaders
Focus on Ethics and Transparency
Transparency and truthfulness will become essential foundations of instructor-led training, especially as training organizations increasingly rely on AI-based tools for.
Unlike AI software, human instructors can communicate their decision-making processes, share reasoning behind content choices, and openly address questions, ensuring that learners always understand the “why” behind the skills being trained on.
Training managers and teams must proactively place learner goals and safety at the forefront, designing programs that uphold professional responsibility, fairness, and equity within a climate of trust.
Transparent instruction and clear ethical guidelines will continue to strengthen the need for more ILT-based skills development, more than passive online learning and AI-dependent models.
Ultimately, by prioritizing ethics and transparency, instructor-led training builds confident, well-informed individuals, supporting both personal development and a culture of organizational integrity.
What’s Next For ILT?
AI is transforming learning and development, offering powerful opportunities to scale learning content delivery and make training more manageable for learners and instructors alike.
But when it comes to developing upskilling and skills development in general, AI alone isn’t enough. Instructor-led training remains the cornerstone of meaningful talent building.
Studies and real-world feedback continue to show that AI still has a way to go when it comes to developing new skills with the depth and impact of instructor-led training.
For L&D teams who are leading instructor-led training, the path forward isn’t about resisting AI but to shape it: combining the power of intelligent tools with the irreplaceable value of ILT.
Powering ILT Management in the Era of AI
Upskilling and reskilling your organization requires dedicated and well-planned instructor-led training.
But, delivering instructor-led training at scale, efficiently and effectively, takes more than great instructors; it takes the right technology.
That’s where Training Orchestra’s Training Management System (TMS) comes in.
Recognized by the Fosway Group and Brandon Hall as the leading training management software specialist for ILT, vILT, and blended learning programs, Training Orchestra helps organizations streamline operations, reduce costs, and focus on what truly matters: developing real skills.
Why Training Orchestra?
- Fast and efficient scheduling for in-person (ILT) and live online (vILT) training events without the need for spreadsheets.
- Resource monitoring and allocation tools, from instructor management to equipment reservations, and more.
- Integration with other learning software platforms for data transfers.
Ready to enter the next age of ILT management?
See how Training Orchestra helps you orchestrate training that scales.
