How generative AI will change the future of learning

As more and more people turn to AI for answers, troubleshooting, and research, it raises the questions: How is generative AI changing the way people learn tech skills? And how do you make sure it’s a tool, not a replacement, for learning?

Pluralsight Authors share their answers, explain genAI’s current impact, and predict what the future of learning will look like.

Generative AI has already impacted the way leaders develop training content and people learn IT skills.

Whether employees are learning on their own time or as part of an organization-wide initiative, they can quickly become overwhelmed or unsure where to focus. In fact, 30% of technologists don’t know where to dedicate their upskilling efforts.

GenAI tools can help them become more self-sufficient learners who can take charge of their own journeys. 

“Generative AI has already impacted learning, helping learners to be more self-sufficient, assisting with research, helping with troubleshooting approaches, understanding errors, and enabling learners to ask questions for clarification that they may otherwise feel self-conscious about asking a human,” says Faye Ellis, AWS Hero and Pluralsight Fellow.

Learners are using AI to create custom learning experiences for their unique roles, goals, and needs. 

“I spent over ten years teaching and coaching one-on-one in the tech industry,” says Ian Marshall, Senior Software Development Author at Pluralsight. “I can honestly say that no two people learned exactly the same—although there were trends and patterns. GenAI seems to have already comprehended all those trends and patterns, and it is set up to guide any individual effectively through exactly the right courses, in exactly the right order, in exactly the way that individual needs in order to learn.”

AI can also provide context-aware answers to specific questions, ultimately helping learners solve problems faster.

“Before generative AI, a learner that was seeking help on a specific issue would get a generic answer and have to transfer that generic knowledge to their specific solution. By closing that loop, learners have fewer steps to get from problem A to solution Z,” explains Jon Friskics, Principal Software Development Author for Pluralsight.

It’s not just learners that benefit from genAI. Leaders can also use it to develop content and create more engaging learning experiences for their people.

“There have been several real-world use cases incorporating genAI into the learning process such as AI simulations, automated assessments, and content validation, to name a few,” says Peter Barrett, Learning Solutions Architect at Pluralsight. 

“These have typically enhanced the simulation experience, enhanced content development, and created a more personalized learning experience for students. Benefits can often be realized in increased learner engagement, better learner outcomes, and an uptick in the amount and quality of learning materials being created.”

Discover more AI use cases—get the 9 Real-World AI Use Cases guide.

As AI becomes more advanced, learning and upskilling strategies will evolve alongside it.

For one thing, generative AI will streamline learning-related administrative work.

“GenAI will continue to permeate the learning process both with content innovation and administrative tools that will enhance things like scheduling, data collection, prescriptive learning paths, and learner feedback,” says Peter.

What if you could learn any skill from a personal tutor? In the future, you might be able to.

“For sufficiently self-aware and motivated learners, generative AI will serve as a full-spectrum tutor for learning just about anything,” says Tim Warner, Microsoft MVP and Principal Author of IT Ops at Pluralsight.

People may even design their own AI learning assistant or genAI avatars.

“People will be able to create customized and focused tools that help them learn the way they want to learn,” says Wayne Hoggett, Principal Author, Cloud, at Pluralsight.

Adds Faye, “My prediction is that there will be more widespread adoption of genAI avatars helping learners master every skill you can imagine, from learning guitar to changing a tire, probably with varying degrees of success and learner frustration!”

Despite the rise of avatars and AI-generated content, learning and development won’t be replaced by AI, and human instructors will continue to play an important role.

“GenAI certainly will not replace human teachers any time soon. Yes, frontier models are able to access a vast knowledge base, but they aren't able to add to it. Now, and in the future, we still need innovators and scientists, as well as the educators that make new knowledge accessible,” explains Ian.

If you’re responsible for upskilling your team or managing your organization’s learning strategy, there are a few ways you can leverage generative AI for skill development right now.

First, consider when and where it makes sense to use AI in the learning process. AI isn’t the solution to every problem. Understand where it could have an impact instead of throwing it at everything to see what sticks.

“Start with a solid foundation of content using multiple modalities. Then you’ll best understand how genAI could improve or build upon those more ‘traditional’ learning opportunities,” advises Amy Coughlin, Principal Cloud Author at Pluralsight.

And when it comes to creating learning materials, treat genAI as a partner, not the sole author. 

“GenAI can assist with content and the design process by validating methods, design examples, procedures, current standards, and referenceable data sources. Use of genAI is most successful with an efficient audit process by SMEs,” says Peter.

Once you’ve built your upskilling foundation, it’s time to build your team's basic AI knowledge. Encourage learners to get familiar with AI and how to use it in their specific role. 

“One thing leaders can do right now is enable everyone in their organization to obtain a baseline level of AI expertise,” says Faye. “My recommendation is to empower and encourage folks to begin experimenting with a range of approved AI tools when working on daily tasks. Compare AI output to human output to validate quality, track productivity gains, and share successes (and failures) so that everybody can benefit.”

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As your teams start experimenting with genAI, provide prompt engineering tips to make their journey easier and help them create personalized learning with AI.

“Provide examples of collections of prompts that have resulted in good outcomes. Prompt engineering isn't as much of a focus already with the latest frontier models, but if you intentionally design the prompt sequence, you can get answers faster, which in theory would help with learner motivation,” says Jon.

“Just like with all human learning, the goal is to get the AI to communicate information in a way that's transferable to other contexts without reducing human motivation. If you prompt and prompt and prompt, you'll likely get good information, but the cognitive load could be higher, which exhausts human learners and leads to demotivation.”

GenAI is an excellent learning assistant for leaders and practitioners, but overreliance leads to skill decay.

Now that “learning” is easier than ever, the ability to learn is a skill itself. The people who continue to hone this skill and use AI as a learning assistant, not a replacement, are the ones who will build critical skills and deliver quality outcomes faster.

Is your organization ready for the future of learning and development? Close AI skills gaps and deliver AI ROI with Pluralsight AI Academy, our end-to-end skill-building program. Learn more.