I have a somewhat vested interest in providing quality training. You may think that might make me not a great fan of generative AI. After all, if Googling made do as training for some people, then AI must be a greater threat to trainers. I’m not sure it does, and I’d like to take a moment to say why. First of all, let’s answer the underlying question of why train people.
Why Train?
Any research into the reasons for training will provide a list of reasons that all suggest that staff training is critical to any organisation. I’m going to highlight a few here to help us think about training.
Increased Performance
This could also be increased productivity as the two go hand in hand. As training increases skills and knowledge people are able to work faster and more efficiently. Setting time aside for learning ends up boosting efficiency.
Managers gain more time
Capable and well-trained staff need to query their line managers less. This doesn’t dispense with the manager’s role. Instead, it enhances it. Freeing up time for managerial staff to work on larger questions or to create processes that improve the flow of work.
Better Morale
Training leads to confidence and confidence leads to morale. That helps to create satisfied staff. This helps breed loyalty and improves the workplace atmosphere for all.
What Does AI Bring?
Well it doesn’t replace people it helps them, here are some of the things AI brings to the table
Efficiency
AI’s can help with figuring out quick ways to do things or to help improve the automation of some tasks
Increased Productivity
Generative AI can take on tasks that can be time-consuming. Such as analysing a long email thread for key elements or building a framework for workflow automation. Giving back time to the staff using an AI.
Exploring Ideas
Being told to make something, like a form can be difficult when staring at a blank screen or piece of paper. Asking the question of generative AI fills the screen with ideas. You pick the most relevant or are sparked into thinking about something else. The job gets done.
Time to Introduce AI to Training
AI is good at grabbing the headlines as that thing which will steal work from creatives and white-collar workers alike. We can only know this by looking at the future but we can examine what it’s like to work with an AI. I have an example from using Copilot with Power Automate.
In a recent Power Automate training session my class delegates were figuring out how to amend an introductory Power Automate flow. I suggested that they try Copilot; learning to work with AIs is important. They did and the generated result failed. There was disappointment. So then I asked them to look closely at what it had done. Copilot had introduced a function they didn’t know. We explored that and it turned out to be a good answer. The problem had been that Copilot in trying to interpret their prompt hadn’t got the parameters quite right. Changes were made and everything worked.
In this case, the AI didn’t replace training. It created a learning opportunity. It showed a possibility. Working with that possibility helped the class members learn more about the subject. We had a case of collaboration. Humans bring their skills and knowledge, the AI brings its. It’s harder to work with an AI if you have no skills. Learn some good skills and then collaborate with an AI and you have something very powerful
The Collaboration Model may be King
In the last example Copilot on its own didn’t solve the problem or replace human skills. What it did was provide a platform for skills to be used. If we think about AI as something that we work with to solve our problems then it doesn’t replace us. Instead, it gives us a co-worker. A well-trained person can both better evaluate what comes out of an AI and ask better questions. AI does not replace training. What it can do is enhance someone with training.
That’s why despite having generative AI we still need to train people.