AI + Learning & Development: a perfect match
A summary of my experience presenting at the ATD ROCTalent Summit
AI in L&D: The Good, The Complex, and The Game-Changing
Hey there, innovators!
Last week I took the stage at the ROCTalent Summit, to talk about “The AI Potential: An L&D Transformation“ and that was quite an experience!
The event was flawlessly organized by some of the most hard-working HR+L&D people in Rochester, NY. Leanne Reed and her team of volunteers put together an awesome event with a keynote by the wonderful Kassy LaBorie and two talk tracks where 9 speakers (including yours truly and my good friends Jona Wright, Lori Sussle Bonanni, and Sean Bengry) presented on various topics relevant to L&D practitioners. There were lots of great ideas shared and an active audience participation in all the sessions.
My presentation
I had the experience presenting at an event organized by Leanne (DisruptHR 2023) so I know I had to plan a rich, interactive presentation that left people satisfied that they had learned something, and at the same time thirsty for more learning!
One of the challenges was to deliver a talk about an innovative topic to an audience at different stages of their AI journey, without boring those who were advanced, or overwhelming those who were just starting. I spent about a week thinking, a couple of weeks planning and researching (including interviews with some HR Tech vendors and founders), and a week crafting the presentation, to make sure both the live presentation and the slide deck delivered lasting value.
And I saved a surprise for the afterparty: the day after the event I used ChatGPT to analyze the audience polls, to give them a taste of AI in action. The sentiment analysis and the quantitative analysis of the audience (about 30 people) can be seen below.
Before the Curtain Rose: The Mood Meter
So, we kicked things off with a mood check—nothing like a quick Mentimeter poll to get the real pulse of the room, right? Picture this: a spread of folks from AI rookies to advanced practitioners, so I first asked a question to understand the level of experience with AI, and then I popped the question, "How does AI make you feel?" Three words. Go!
The beginner bunch—40% of the room—were like, "Um, AI, what?" while the intermediates (a cool 50%) and the pros (the daring 10%) threw in their two cents. "Excited" and "curious" snagged the top spots, hinting at a simmering optimism.
After the Applause: The Sentiment Shift
Fast forward past my talk. We hit replay on the mood meter. Guess what? "Excited" got its encore, but "curious" dipped, with "interested" jumping up the charts. Now, here's the kicker: "Empowered" made its debut. We're talking a shift from wide-eyed wonder to "Bring it on!"
But let's get real for a sec. "Overwhelmed" and "scattered" crashed the party too. Message received: I packed a punch with the info, maybe a bit too much.
Reflect and Reshape: Next-Level Nuggets
So, what's the takeaway for me as a speaker?
🤔The Learning Experience: Maybe the info buffet was too rich for some appetites. Mental note: tailor content to taste buds. Perhaps create a couple of differentiated tracks for the different levels of expertise.
🖐️The High-Fives: We waved bye to the "afraids" and the "creepies." Instead, we're embracing the "empowereds" and "educateds." And most importantly, the "interested" joined the party.
Looking Ahead: The AI Assist
Two of the most important questions to ask after any experience are:
What did you learn about it?
What would you do differently next time?
Some thoughts on what I would do differently:
💡Maybe next time I can plan the delivery so that I can do the sentiment analysis and data visualization live at the end of the session, giving the audience a quick demo of some of the tools.
💡Maybe I can highlight some of the awesome companies that I got to talk to during the preparation of the session, such as:
Sana Labs (AI-powered LMS)
Colossyan (AI-powered video avatar generation)
Deel/Deel Engage, formerly Zavvy.io (AI-powered LMS)
Skillfully Said (AI-powered simulation-based training)
Ox.ai (AI-powered onboarding and knowledge transfer)
SeriousFactory (AI-powered learning video generation)
(If you’re interested in exploring any of these products, let me know and I will be glad to make an intro; full disclosure: I am part of the affiliate program of some of these companies.)
💡What about something a bit more futuristic (but perfectly doable today)? Picture this: AI that tweaks your slides on the fly, based on real-time vibes. Or how about live sentiment analysis that plays wingman during your Q&A?
This is just a sample of all that AI can do Until next time, keep innovating!
By the way, you can download the slide deck here: