29 October 2025

Learning to make an impact...now with AI

Almost ten years ago, we shared a framework we’ve used to design award-winning corporate learning interventions that make a measurable difference. At the time, the corporate learning research was showing that surveyed CEOs wanted to use learning technology to improve business responsiveness and efficiency, but organisations weren’t seeing the results.

That pursuit of a clear link between inputs and outputs is still present. Learning and development still has something to prove.  

From retail to aerospace, CEOs are turning L&D into strategy, using capability-building to drive service, safety, and growth. Walmart’s Academy trained approximately 300,000 U.S. associates in FY2024, Hilton created more than 860,000 learning and career growth opportunities in 2023, and Boeing added 20 to 50 extra training hours per manufacturing/quality employee and rolled out safety and quality training to 160,000 employees in 2024.

However, despite flagship programmes, most firms still long to demonstrate a clearer link between learning and business results.

Our core message on how to address this still stands: aim for specific actions linked to key business measures, re-invent (or re-evaluate) the ineffective intervention you’re using, and don’t rely too heavily on a one-off, silver bullet intervention, but instead campaign for change.

So, what’s changed since then? The tools at our disposal. Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic add-on. It’s here, and AI is becoming increasingly embedded in our organisations and workflows. For learning professionals, AI offers new ways to clarify aims, personalise interventions, and sustain change campaigns.

Here’s how the original framework translates into today’s world of AI-powered learning…

1. Aim for Action (now with some help from AI)

Aiming for action still means pushing beyond the request for “a course” or “an update” and identifying the tangible change that matters to the organisation. It continues to answer the critical question, “Why is this needed?”

Taking a step back, ideally, we want to be designing an intervention that is serving business strategy and desired business outcomes. The organisation might be looking for competitive advantage in decreased costs, or through improved customer service, quality, innovation, or adaptability. Linking these competitive advantage levers with HR and learning and development is key: strategy isn’t just about what you want to do, but who and how you enable it.

For example, a business competing on brand and reputation will look to L&D to help it build credibility through consistent service, conduct and integrity. A company competing on cost might train staff to identify waste and continuously improve processes, or focus on multi-skilling to reduce labour costs.

And now you have access to a range of powerful AI tools can help you sharpen the aim and link learning to business impact:

AI-powered needs analysis can scan organisational data – from sales performance to compliance reports – to highlight where gaps exist. Instead of guessing, you can see the correlations between behaviours and business outcomes. Use AI tools to quickly analyse quarterly reports, news releases and company websites to identify positioning and company priorities.
AI summarisation tools can turn lengthy subject matter expert interviews or stakeholder conversations into concise objectives, highlighting pain points that help you home in on the true business need while saving you time.
Predictive analytics can now model which KPIs are most likely to move if a particular intervention is introduced, giving you an evidence-based way to define the target action. This won’t be available to everyone, but larger organisations with larger data sets can gain advantage. Those without large internal data sets can use AI to suggest potential links between interventions and metrics.

When you begin planning your learning intervention, start with the business change that is needed and link it to specific personal actions. Note, however, that sometimes the metric you want to see move is counter intuitive. For example, the business might need “more people to report potential conflicts of interest” as Channel 4 did on their Code of Conduct training. If the programme raises awareness of the right procedures and instils an attitude to “do the right thing,” you might indeed expect to see more reporting.

As you hone your aim, keep asking:

“What will ‘good’ actions or attitudes look like?”
“Who specifically needs to change their behaviour?”
“What measures should move up or down if we get the training right?”

Before you design your learning programme, make sure you know what you’re trying to achieve, and consider how the latest AI tools might help you define it.

Aim for action, and take advantage of the latest AI tools to sharpen your aim. Breeio LMS comes with AI Assistants that can support you in identifying the clear link between your learning intervention and the business priorities it is serving.

2. Re-invent the Intervention with the new tools

I’m convinced that when organisations commit to their aim – when they really commit to seeing the change happen in a measurable way – business as usual will not always cut it.

“Re-inventing the intervention” means focusing on your defined aim and your audiences, and then taking a fresh look at all the communication and training tools you have at your disposal. Today, that toolkit is bigger than ever. AI gives you new ways to design, deliver and personalise learning, without necessarily requiring bigger budgets or longer timelines. What it does require is the courage to challenge business as usual in the light of your important aim.

In the “Aim for Action” step you established a reason for your learning programme. You now know why it matters to the organisation in a clear and tangible way. The next question is: Will doing what you’ve always done get the results you’re after? Will a one-off e-learning course or classroom session be enough? Will that raise awareness, instil attitudes and change actions? Quite possibly not.

Think like a marketeer — with AI’s reach

One way to fuel creativity is to ask, “How would an advertising executive tackle this problem of awareness, attitude or action?” Advertising agencies live or die on their ability to drive behaviour change, and increasingly, they use AI to test messages, predict engagement, and tailor campaigns to different segments. L&D can borrow from this playbook.

Review your methods (now with more data)

Think about each of the communication and training channels you have available, and let AI help you analyse which have worked in the past. AI text analytics can scan survey responses, intranet engagement, or even e-mail click-through data to tell you what has landed, what hasn’t, and why.

Ask yourself:

What have we tried in the past that didn’t work – and what does the data suggest was the barrier?
What worked well, and does the evidence show it worked across all audiences or only some?

Breeio LMS offers Engagement Analytics to help you review your methods and channels for each audience.

Check your tools – and expand them

Entirely new options for instructional design and performance support are now possible with AI, allowing organisations to create interventions that scale, stimulate and stick. For example, Breeio’s AI-enabled LMS allows:

L&D teams to generate interactive simulations and scenarios targeted to different audiences, helping you make learning stick  
Learners to practice conversation role plays in selling situations or challenging line manager conversations  
Colleagues to work with a subject-specific tutor to expand understanding  
Access to a performance support coach to support learning beyond the course and in the flow of work

Design the audience mix at scale

Now that you have a list of possible channels, think about your different audiences. For each group, consider how you want to change awareness, attitude, or action – and let AI help you scale the tailoring. AI can dynamically adapt examples, stories, or practice scenarios so that each audience feels the content is personalised and speaks directly to them.

The power of “re-inventing the intervention” lies in not settling for default formats. With AI, you have a creative partner that can help you experiment, personalise, and scale in a way that wasn’t possible 18-24 months ago.

The goal hasn’t changed: a learning intervention that makes a measurable difference. But the tools to get there are stronger than ever.

3. Campaign for Change

When delivering positive, lasting change, there are no “silver bullets.” Real change rarely occurs from a one-off training or communication intervention. If your organisation wants to meet the aim, you’ll need to campaign for change.

A campaign is a set of interlocking, coordinated activities using different media and different channels to achieve a shared objective. With today’s tools, that campaign can also include ongoing AI-powered support, available on demand, tailored to each audience, and sustained well beyond launch.

If your aim is important, it’s time to take the fresh interventions you listed and put together a time-phased, audience-specific campaign that doesn’t just deliver information once, but keeps learning alive.

More than just adoption

Sometimes people see the communication plan as only about driving adoption of the “main event” – an online course, a workshop, or a policy launch. The approach we’re advocating is different: the campaign is not an accessory; it’s the engine for change.

Think like a marketeer. When advertisers want to shift buying behaviour, they campaign: using multiple channels over time to build awareness, shape attitudes, and prompt action.  

AI gives us new tools to sustain this momentum:  

Conversational AI Assistants are embed within Breeio to answer questions, coach on-the-job decisions, or provide instant refreshers on policies.  
AI-powered scenario role-plays allow employees to practice handling ethical dilemmas, customer objections, or leadership conversations repeatedly, with personalised feedback.  
Performance nudges can be delivered through AI chatbots in Teams, or email assistants, reminding people at the right time to apply what they learned.

Just as posters, videos, and CEO messages also reinforce a campaign, AI assistants now provide an ‘living’ layer of reinforcement that extends beyond awareness into practice and performance.

Planning with AI in the blend

As you plan your campaign, start with the aim and design from there. Traditional questions still apply:  

What change do we want to see in the organisation?
What metrics should move if we get this right?
How do different audiences need to shift in awareness, attitude, and action?
What channels are available, and when should they be used?

But now, add:  

Where could an AI assistant provide real-time support?
Which moments of practice could benefit from an AI role-play coach?
How might AI help us personalise communications for different groups automatically?

This doesn’t replace the posters, videos, Intranet pages, or leadership messages you’ve used before, it complements them, ensuring learning doesn’t fade after the initial push.

Bringing it all together

If you started with a clear aim, re-invented your intervention with creativity, and then planned a coordinated, sustained campaign – supported by AI tools that extend learning into daily performance – you’re far more likely to see lasting change.

Keep an eye on the metrics. AI dashboards can make that easier, showing whether reporting, safety, customer satisfaction, or other behaviours are moving in the right direction. Re-run elements of the campaign if needed. Tweak, adapt, or add new AI-driven nudges into the mix.

And finally, communicate the results. Show your leadership team that L&D can not only deliver change, but also sustain it. Show them that with AI in your campaign, learning doesn’t stop at the course – it lives on in the workflow and delivers lasting change.