Training Impact Podcast

3. The 7 Artificial Intelligence Use Cases for Learning and Development

In a recent episode of the Training Impact Podcast, Jeff Walter, founder and CEO of LatitudeLearning, explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the learning and development (L&D) industry. Drawing historical parallels to past technological revolutions such as steam power, electricity, the internet, and personal computing, Walter sets the stage for AI as the next major wave poised to reshape all facets of life—including education and workforce development.
Understanding AI's Trajectory
Walter cautions that like all past revolutions, the current wave of AI is accompanied by overhyped expectations and potential setbacks. However, its long-term implications are undeniable. As with the internet, which fundamentally altered commerce and communication, AI will redefine how learning is delivered and consumed. Walter suggests that rather than fearing AI, L&D professionals should focus on the practical applications emerging today while maintaining a cautious and strategic approach.
Seven High-Impact AI Use Cases in Learning & Development
Chatbot Support AI-driven chatbots can revolutionize job aids and learner support by offering instant answers based on a curated body of knowledge. Instead of scouring internet sources, learners interact with bots trained on specific internal data. Walter emphasizes the importance of controlling the knowledge base to ensure consistency and accuracy. At LatitudeLearning, chatbots are already assisting administrators, with plans to extend this functionality to clients.
Content Creation AI is dramatically increasing productivity in content creation. Tools now embed AI to help draft courses and learning materials, especially beneficial for custom, company-specific training content. This is a game-changer for organizations that previously found content development too niche or expensive. AI allows creators to maintain control while enhancing efficiency, whether through text generation, multimedia content, or videos via tools like Synthesia.
Assessment Generation Creating high-quality assessments is time-intensive and often deprioritized. Generative AI now helps craft comprehensive tests with well-constructed distractors and meaningful evaluations. Walter envisions a future where assessments might precede training to pinpoint knowledge gaps, ensuring learners only train on what they don’t already know. Though still in development, this shift could lead to more efficient and targeted learning.
Role Playing for Skill Development Walter highlights the difference between knowledge acquisition and skill development using the analogy of a driving test (written vs. road test). While L&D has excelled at knowledge training, AI is enabling scalable role-playing simulations that mimic real-world interactions. Learners engage with AI avatars that respond dynamically and evaluate performance using predefined rubrics. This supports development of soft skills like interviewing, sales, and conflict resolution.
Simulation for Hard Skills While simulations have long existed in high-stakes environments like aviation, their prohibitive cost limited broader adoption. AI-driven tools are now slashing development costs, potentially bringing simulations to industries like automotive repair or surgical training. These advancements will make it economically feasible to deliver high-quality, hands-on technical training in diverse environments.
Advanced Analytics A persistent challenge in L&D is demonstrating return on investment. Traditional statistical methods are complex and often underutilized. AI can automate multivariate analysis, revealing which training programs impact performance metrics. This not only validates L&D investments but also elevates the strategic role of training by tying it directly to business outcomes.
Individualized Learning Plans Building on analytics, AI can tailor learning paths at the individual level. By analyzing a learner’s background, role, assessments, and performance data, AI creates a personalized development plan. Though still nascent, some Fortune 500 companies are already implementing this approach to align training with career aspirations and job performance.
Implementation Considerations and Final Thoughts
Walter advises L&D professionals to take a measured approach to AI adoption. High-stakes training environments should be particularly cautious, especially when AI generates outputs without human review. Use cases like content creation and assessment generation allow for human oversight and control, while real-time applications like chatbots and role playing demand robust knowledge management and ethical safeguards.
He emphasizes the importance of starting small, experimenting, and learning how to best integrate AI tools into existing systems. By doing so, organizations can benefit from increased productivity and effectiveness without risking quality or learner trust.
Conclusion
AI is more than a trend—it's a foundational shift in how learning is designed and delivered. With thoughtful application, AI has the potential to significantly enhance training impact across industries. Whether it’s through chat support, simulations, or personalized learning plans, Jeff Walter envisions a future where L&D professionals harness AI to drive efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement. The key, he stresses, is to walk before you run—adopt AI carefully, control its inputs, and always ensure a human touch in high-impact learning environments.
 
Chapters00:00 The AI Revolution in Learning and Development03:03 Chatbot Support: Enhancing Learning Experiences05:54 Content Creation: Boosting Productivity with AI08:51 Assessment Creation: Improving Knowledge Evaluation11:46 Role Playing: Developing Soft Skills with AI17:03 Simulation: Cost-Effective Skill Development20:02 Analytics: Proving Training Impact22:53 Individualized Learning Plans: Tailoring Education with AI

2. Transform Your Training Program into a Strategic Asset

In the premiere episode of the Training Impact podcast, Jeff Walter, CEO of LatitudeLearning, breaks down how learning and development professionals can elevate their training programs into true strategic investments. At the heart of the episode is a challenge that many face: despite knowing the value of knowledge, L&D teams often struggle to secure executive buy-in and budgets. The key to reversing this trend? Understanding how executives think.
Executives categorize resources into two buckets: costs of doing business and strategic investments. Costs—such as accounting or legal departments—are essential but not growth drivers. Strategic investments, like sales or product development, are expected to yield returns. If training is viewed as a mere cost, budgets will stay lean. But if it’s repositioned as a revenue driver, it earns a seat at the executive table.
To achieve this, training leaders must start with the end in mind: What business outcome do you want to influence? Whether it's improving customer service rep retention or boosting first-call resolution rates, identifying the measurable impact is step one. From there, L&D teams can map out who needs to be trained, what they need to know and do, and the obstacles to delivering that training—be it technology limitations, global distribution, or learner access.
Walter outlines five levels of training programs that align with increasing ROI:
Self-directed learning – Learners choose their path; impact is modest.
Knowledge acquisition – Ensures learners know the right material.
Skill development – Focuses on applying knowledge through coaching and practice.
Individual performance – Training is tied to personal KPIs.
Organizational performance – Programs align with company-wide goals and metrics.
Most companies operate in stages one or two, but the highest ROI comes as you move up. Don’t leap to stage five overnight. Instead, evolve gradually—first by validating knowledge acquisition, then layering in skills, performance data, and organizational alignment.
Execution hinges on ten essential training workstreams, ranging from configuring learners and content to managing assignments, progress tracking, and rewards. Particularly important is how success is measured. Going beyond course completions and satisfaction surveys, training should be evaluated based on impact. Ask: Are trained reps closing more calls? Are trained stores outperforming untrained ones?
One powerful approach is comparing performance between trained and untrained employees. This simple yet compelling narrative—demonstrating that trained staff drive better results—has a viral effect throughout an organization and strongly positions training as a growth enabler.
Walter closes with a real-world example: a franchise network undergoing bankruptcy used training levels as a deciding factor in which stores to retain. That’s the true mark of a strategic asset.
To move training from an afterthought to a driver of business success, L&D leaders must speak the language of impact. When training aligns with business goals and proves measurable ROI, it stops being a cost—and starts fueling growth.
 
Chapters00:00 Transforming Training Programs into Strategic Assets13:01 Planning and Implementing Effective Training Programs22:58 Measuring Impact and Continuous Improvement
Keywordstraining, strategic asset, executive mindset, resource allocation, training programs, business impact, performance measurement, continuous improvement, learning and development, ROI
 

1. Welcome to the Training Impact Podcast

The Training Impact Podcast is focused on partner training programs and how to maximize their impact on organizations. As an industry, we've done a lot of great work at the course level, figuring out how to use technologies to help students learn and how to develop skills. But there hasn't been a lot of focus on the program level, how to have a highly impactful program. 
And so that's the purpose of this podcast is we want to focus on the program level, how to develop a highly effective training programs. We've developed some frameworks I'll share with you over the different episodes. And I'll be interviewing a number of program directors that manage different training programs, learning about what they're trying to accomplish and some of the challenges they've faced developing those programs. And so it should be a fun ride. Thank you for joining me and thank you for listening.