If you feel like everyone’s talking about AI these days, you’re not alone. It’s everywhere—at work, in the news, and in our household, in our conversations at the dinner table. In the Learning and Development community, you’d be hard-pressed to find a conversation that doesn’t somehow circle back to AI. And when this all started, it felt like I was drowning in a sea of predictions and opinions. A trending topic was whether AI would replace jobs. I was skeptical but curious.
My initial experiences with ChatGPT felt a lot like discovering a new toy—fun and a bit magical. My family and I had a blast playing with it, and it didn’t take long before I was integrating it into my work. AI became less of a novelty and more like a trusted colleague, always ready to lend a hand. This revelation was absolutely fantastic for creating efficiencies in my daily life but, that underlying worry about AI taking my job didn’t just go away. If you’ve seen what ChatGPT and other AI tools can do, it’s easy to get a bit anxious about what might come next.
However, I decided I had to flip that worry on its head and lean into it. I started thinking about how to move past the fear and discover the possibilities. And that’s when it hit me: the real challenge isn’t about technology; it’s about rediscovering what makes me uniquely human in my role. I started listing out my strengths—the things AI can’t touch—and you know what? It gave me a renewed sense of purpose.
Here are the skills I identified as my ID superpowers in this AI driven era:
- Emotional Intelligence and Relationship Building: Building relationships with stakeholders and understanding the needs of learners requires a level of empathy and communication that AI can’t match. Human connections are the heart of our work.
- Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving: My role goes beyond applying learning strategies; it’s about aligning strategies with organizational goals, considering the broader impact. AI can crunch numbers and provide strategic insights, but it’s my personal and professional experience that connects the dots.
- Creative Design and Innovation: Crafting engaging learning experiences requires creativity that extends beyond algorithms—it’s about storytelling, visual design, and nuances that make content resonate on a personal level.
- Ethical Decision-Making and Judgment: As AI is integrated into our workflows, ethical considerations around use become paramount. My role involves implementing AI responsibly, considering the privacy impacts on both learners and our clients.
- Change Management and Adaptability: With technology evolving so fast, guiding teams through change is more important than ever. My adaptability and leadership in change management can help ease transitions and support the human side of technology shifts.
Taking this moment to do this work helped me realize I’m not just here to do tasks; I’m here to do what machines can’t. So, instead of seeing AI as a threat, I started seeing it as a way to strengthen what I already do best.
Here are the ways I leverage AI to complement my superpowers:
- Automating Routine Tasks: AI is fantastic at handling repetitive stuff—things like generating quizzes or collecting and analyzing data. This frees me up to focus on the big-picture, creative side of things.
- Advanced Data Analysis: AI digs through mountains of data and spits out insights. My job is to take those insights and turn them into action.
- Content Curation and Personalization: AI can recommend content, but it’s my judgment that picks what’s truly relevant and helpful for learners.
- Enhancing Engagement through Adaptive Learning: AI can tailor learning experiences in real-time, but I’m there to guide the design, making sure it lines up with our goals.
So, if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by AI, you aren’t alone. Step into the pool slowly to try things out and figure out how to make the most of these incredible tools while staying true to what makes us uniquely human. Embracing AI doesn’t take away from what we do best—it makes us even better!
Are you ready to embrace AI in your organization?
If you’re curious about integrating AI into your Learning and Development projects or need some guidance, the team at Smartfirm is here to help. Let’s have a chat and see how we can take your training to the next level together!
