Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2019 - 39

APPLICANT: Well, we plan some
feedback loops together, and Hal creates
assignments that add clarity to my
learning path.
RECRUITER: Assignments? That sounds
like you're going back to school,
doesn't it?
APPLICANT: I feel I never left! My job
is changing so quickly that I need to
continue learning, and extra assignments
allow Hal to track my progress and to
publish authenticated micro-credits via
blockchain once I achieve them.

INDIVIDUALS
ARE BECOMING
MORE SELFACCOUNTABLE
REGARDING
THEIR SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT,
BUT THEY STILL
NEED SUPPORT.
RECRUITER: That's what we thought was
so great about your resume. It's more
than simply having a diploma - we
can actually track what you've achieved.
That's impressive. Obviously, we want
you for the job, and we'd also love to meet
Hal. I think he could be a great addition
to our learning and development team.
APPLICANT: Hmm...you do know that
Hal is an AI-powered assistant, right?
This scenario isn't just something that
would come up in a Black Mirror episode
- it's a representation of the reality in
which we will soon live and work.

CONTINUOUS UPSKILLING IS THE
NEW NORMAL
Gig economy, swarms, squads ...
whatever you call it, a growing part
of organizations will eventually rely
on M-shaped persons (those who

have a wide breadth of knowledge on
various topics but shallower knowledge
where appropriate) and specialists. For
these individuals, continuous upskilling
will be the new normal. Individuals
are becoming more self-accountable
regarding their skills development
(similar to how they are regarding their
health or their online reputation).
Still, self-accountable doesn't mean
alone or without support. However,
as they no longer consider their
employers as the only ones responsible
for developing many of the key skills
needed for the future or for managing
everyone's lifelong learning activities,
there's a gap to be filled.

ENTER THE AI-POWERED
LEARNING COMPANIONS
In the near future, the AI-powered
learning companions may very well
assist learners in four ways:
1.

2.

They may curate and analyze
professional opportunities according
to each individual's current and future
preferences and capabilities. Their
goal will be to find "future gigs" that
will allow the learner to tackle new
professional challenges that will help
them learn new skills.
AI-powered learning companions
may also curate the appropriate
content (sourcing the right learning
objects from available learning
repositories) and find the right
learning buddies to meet those
challenges. They may even have
the ability to push the right content
or promote human interaction at
the right pace and best moment
to learn.

3.

They could practice coaching
and providing feedback through
interactive functions (e.g., natural
language processing, video analysis,
chatbots) to monitor the learner's
progress, stimulate them and keep
them engaged in the program.

4.

They could track evidence of skill
acquisition over time and publish
micro-credentials authenticated via
blockchain.

In other words, these assistants will
manage a continuous workflow of pursuing
the right gig, curating the best content
and buddies, building adaptive learning
experiences, coaching to keep them on
track, and publishing evidence that will
enable the learner to embark on a new
and stimulating gig!

WHEN WILL IT BECOME
A REALITY?
As the ecosystem of the learning companion
is already expanding, many of the conditions
for an AI assistant-powered workforce are
already being met. Consider the following:
*	 Swarms and squads are gaining more and
more interest as they help organizations
become more agile.
*	 Employees who are not looking for a new
job are enrolling on job platforms and
providing data related to their jobs and
skills - which helps AI thrive.
*	 Learning marketplaces are able to provide
curated content in ASALAF (Any Skill/Any
Language/Any Format).
*	 Badges and certificates now recognize
formal and informal learning (Open
Badges, xAPI).

THE FUTURE OF AI ASSISTANTS
In a very near future, personal skills AI
assistants will be like agents for learners.
They will manage a continuous workflow of
chasing the right gig, building an adaptive
learning journey, coaching you to keep
you on track and publishing evidence
that will enable the learner to chase a new
stimulating gig with confidence.

Many challenges will arise as learners will
become more and more dependent on an
agent they've fed with their own host of
personal data, and that has a huge impact on
their paycheck. Corporate learning will need
to focus on specific business objectives to
demonstrate its value, as individual learning
needs will already be fulfilled.

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Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2019

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