As artificial intelligence continues to disrupt industries, talent development professionals are asking important questions: How can we use AI to enhance our work? What are the benefits? What are the risks?
In a recent Human Capital Lab Talent Development Community of Practice session, a group of L&D leaders came together to share real-world applications, lessons learned and thoughtful concerns about integrating AI into their workflows. The conversation revealed both the promise and complexity of this fast-evolving technology.
Here are some key takeaways.
AI as a time-saving partner
For many professionals, AI has quickly become a powerful tool for enhancing productivity. Whether it’s summarizing pages of feedback, drafting development plans or creating structured communications, AI has proven its value as a time-saver.
One participant shared how they used a generative AI tool to create a personalized development plan with just a short prompt. The AI not only tailored content based on specific personality and motivation assessment tools, it also produced output that was polished, cohesive and nearly ready to use.
Another practitioner used AI to generate over 250 behavioral interview questions aligned with newly mapped competencies—an effort that traditionally would have taken weeks. With a well-crafted prompt, the entire task was completed in just four hours.
The importance of prompt crafting
A recurring theme in the discussion was the importance of writing effective prompts. The best AI results come when users are intentional, concise and specific about their objectives. While some initially struggled to get what they wanted from AI, they found that small refinements in language made a big difference. Clearer prompts led to more accurate, relevant and usable outputs.
In short: prompting is a skill, and learning to master it is now an essential capability for L&D professionals.
Elevating the work—not replacing the worker
Participants emphasized that while AI has helped improve efficiency, it hasn’t replaced the need for human judgment. The consensus was that AI didn’t uncover radically new insights, but it did organize thoughts more clearly, allowing professionals to focus on higher-level analysis and decision-making.
AI is increasingly seen as a collaborative tool: one that does the heavy lifting so people can spend more time thinking strategically, personalizing programs and focusing on human-centered elements of learning.
Ethical concerns and guardrails
The discussion also surfaced a number of thoughtful concerns:
- Dependence on AI: Will over-reliance erode essential skills like analysis and writing?
- Bias in output: AI can reflect hidden biases in its training data, and users must remain critical evaluators.
- Skill development risk: Early-career professionals might skip important foundational learning if AI does too much of the work.
These concerns underscore the need for organizational governance. Some companies represented in the session already have guardrails in place, including:
- Approved tools only (e.g. Microsoft Copilot or secure GPT environments)
- Restrictions around uploading proprietary content
- Clear internal policies for ethical and secure use
Establishing governance helps teams confidently explore AI’s potential without compromising security, accuracy or professional development.
Expanding the use cases
Participants shared creative ways they’ve started integrating AI into their day-to-day work, including:
- Drafting post-session communications and follow-ups
- Structuring executive communications using frameworks like the Pyramid Principle
- Running simulated coaching conversations with AI bots to practice leadership scenarios
- Synthesizing survey data and identifying tone and mood in employee feedback
These applications aren’t just about automation—they’re about enabling faster, better work that still benefits from a human touch.
Final thoughts: Enhancing, not replacing
One of the most powerful takeaways from the conversation was this: AI should elevate, not replace, human capability.
Yes, AI can help write faster, summarize better and structure more clearly—but it’s up to talent development professionals to steer the tool, apply critical thinking and bring emotional intelligence to every learning experience. As the group discussed, the future of AI in L&D isn’t about losing relevance, it’s about gaining bandwidth to focus on what matters most: developing people.
What’s next
This session barely scratched the surface. A follow-up session on June 5 is already in the works to explore:
- Long-term implications of AI in professional development
- How to upskill L&D teams to work effectively with AI
- The evolving role of the human in AI-driven learning environments