Shifting Trends in L&D: AI, Skills, and the Evolving Role of Learning
We invited Nataliya Kuba, Global L&D Operations and Excellence Director at SoftServe, to reflect on her recent experiences in L&D - the shifts she’s seeing, the challenges she’s facing, and what she gained from her experience at the Learning & Development Collective. Here’s what she had to say:
What are the biggest trends shaping L&D at the moment?
Learning and Development today is being shaped by several converging forces that redefine how organizations approach capability building and performance: AI integration at scale, the shift to skills-based ecosystems, the primacy of thinking skills, and navigating persistent uncertainty.
AI has moved from experimental to essential. According to LinkedIn's 2025 Workplace Learning Report, 71% of L&D professionals are exploring, experimenting, or integrating AI into their work. The most advanced organizations distinguish themselves not through replacement but augmentation – using AI to personalize learning at scale, surface real-time insights, and automate routine work. This frees teams to focus on what matters: strategy, insight, and the human dimensions of development. The challenge is creating environments where technology amplifies human curiosity, experimentation, and critical thinking – the capabilities that let us integrate innovation rather than react to it.
Learning has evolved from event-based to continuous and multi-level. We're witnessing a decisive shift from role-based to skills-based ecosystems – and beyond that, to systems treating learning as a continuous journey across individual, team, organizational, and societal levels. Strategic ambitions and business complexity now determine the rhythm and architecture of learning itself. This is how we design capability development today.
Thinking skills have become the competitive differentiator. Critical and reflective thinking now matter more than traditional soft skills alone. In environments of overwhelming information and constant change, the ability to make sense of complexity, connect meaningfully, and build resilient collaboration systems distinguishes high-performing organizations. This requires emotional intelligence, intellectual rigor, systemic awareness, and the courage to challenge assumptions.
Uncertainty demands a different L&D role. When business leaders are forced to think opportunistically, they prioritize immediate action over learning – precisely when learning matters most. The temporal paradox is fundamental: we invest today, capability emerges gradually, and impact compounds later. Our role is to remain credibly connected to the business agenda while helping leaders understand that building capability today enables resilient responses tomorrow. Learning isn't a delayed luxury – it's the foundation of organizational resilience.
Discover the trends and insights we gathered from the Learning & Development Collective events over the year here.
What do you see as the biggest shift in the L&D landscape over the past year?
The most profound shift is not just operational – it’s conceptual. L&D is increasingly expected to act as a strategic partner, not a service provider. Yet this expectation meets organizations at very different levels of maturity. In many places, L&D is still perceived as a product to be delivered, rather than as a shared capability that co-creates business value. Building that shared understanding of partnership is fundamental – it’s what allows us to maximize impact and align development with enterprise strategy.
Technology and AI have accelerated this transition by allowing us to automate the routine and focus on what truly matters – insight, integration, and influence. But this also means that our effectiveness depends on the quality of our data, our ability to collaborate across functions, and the maturity of our decision-making culture. Having “a seat at the table” now means contributing analytical depth, systemic awareness, and evidence-based recommendations that link learning directly to business capability and growth.
Another defining transformation is the imperative of integration. Learning can no longer be fragmented into separate programs or platforms. Our people don’t experience development as a series of disconnected events; they experience it as an evolving journey toward mastery and purpose. For individuals, this means short, personalized feedback loops. For teams – amplifying collective capability. For leaders – visibility into how development connects to performance and strategic outcomes.
The rise of AI skills development is also reshaping the system. But it’s not just about learning to use new tools – it’s about reimagining how we work, lead, and make decisions. AI reveals underlying organizational dynamics: leadership maturity, openness to change, collaboration culture, and the very human qualities that determine whether technology drives progress or deepens fragmentation.
Ultimately, this transformation is redefining the L&D profession itself. Our relevance now depends on business acumen, technological fluency, and the ability to see interdependence across systems. To create lasting value, we must know not only how people learn – but how organizations evolve, how culture enables transformation, and how learning becomes a catalyst for that evolution. This represents a significant elevation in the strategic demands of the role.
What emerging approaches are you most excited about in the learning space?
I’m most inspired by the growing potential of learning in the flow of work – and by how technology now allows us to make that vision real without losing the human connection that gives learning its meaning. These architectures are finally becoming operationally viable at scale.
As our internal research at SoftServe consistently shows, the most powerful learning experiences are those that combine three elements:
the autonomy to learn individually using digital platforms,
the connection and guidance of a mentor,
the immediacy of learning through experiment and practice.
When these elements come together, learning becomes a living process – personal, relational, and actionable. With AI-powered personalization, we can now strengthen each layer: tailoring content to individual needs, identifying skill gaps in real time, and creating faster, more relevant feedback loops. We're now seeing technologies that connect development opportunities – mentorship, curated content, stretch assignments, peer support – directly into the systems people use daily. This is fundamentally different from traditional LMS approaches. These emerging approaches acknowledge that modern work is complex, fluid, and requires continuous adaptation.
Another exciting development is the rise of skills intelligence and talent taxonomy systems – such as NVIDIA’s approach to talent intelligence. These systems are transforming how organizations understand and manage capability. By connecting data, processes, and expert insight, they make decisions about talent and learning more integrated, evidence-based, and strategic.
Powered by AI, machine learning, and big-data analytics, these approaches allow us to forecast skill needs, plan with precision, and continuously evolve learning ecosystems. The tools being developed now analyse performance patterns, identify development needs, and adapt in real time. This turns learning into an adaptive, value-generating process.
What excites me is that these technologies help us balance flexibility and stability – meeting individual learning needs while amplifying collective impact. This is the future of learning: shift from generic to contextual, from separate to integrated, from push to pull, to systems that are both intelligent and deeply human, helping people and organizations grow together.
How would you describe your experience at the L&D Collective Roundtables compared to other events you've attended?
For me, the L&D Collective Roundtables stood out as an exceptional balance of two things – the depth of preparation and the quality of execution.
First, the design itself was brilliant. The level of analysis, attention to context, and thought put into understanding each participant’s business case and priorities were outstanding. The composition of the group reflected the right mix of expertise, perspectives, and current challenges – which made every discussion both strategic and relevant.
Second, the execution truly matched the vision. It’s one thing to design a great concept, but another to deliver it flawlessly. Here, both elements were on an equally high level. The organization, facilitation, and pacing of interaction created an environment where people from diverse backgrounds could connect meaningfully, exchange ideas, and challenge each other constructively.
The peer intelligence that emerged was especially powerful. The discussions encouraged genuine reflection, sharing, and learning from one another – creating a space where everyone could contribute and grow. It’s rare to be surrounded by people who share similar values and high professional standards yet come up with distinct experiences that expand your perspective.
I also appreciated the culture and tone of the event – open, dynamic, and intellectually generous. It felt like being part of a global community of practitioners who not only understand the strategic importance of learning but are truly passionate about shaping its future.
In short, this experience exceeded expectations – it combined design excellence, flawless execution, and a spirit of collaboration that made it both inspiring and energizing.
Did you take away any ideas or strategies that you’ve applied in your work?
Absolutely. I had the opportunity to participate in three roundtables – on nonlinear career paths, global scaling of L&D, and AI in learning – and each of them left me with valuable insights that I’ve already started to apply in practice.
From the discussion on nonlinear careers, one key takeaway was the importance of collaboration with business leaders as a defining factor of how learning truly adds value. The alignment with leaders – those who set priorities and lead teams – is fundamental. We in L&D need to act as true thinking partners, deeply understanding their business cases and challenges, and co-creating development strategies that serve real business goals, not just learning goals. It’s about being bold and reframing learning as a driver of performance and transformation.
The global scaling conversation reinforced how crucial it is to balance global strategy with local empowerment. Sustainable scaling isn’t possible without strong local agents – people who carry the local context, culture, and ownership. Centralization alone doesn’t create impact; what works is giving local teams the autonomy to interpret global priorities within their realities. The interplay between global consistency and local relevance must be intentionally designed and constantly recalibrated. When done well, it becomes a source of strength – turning different perspectives into a shared engine of innovation and belonging.
Finally, the AI roundtable encouraged me to approach innovation with both strategic perspective and tactical courage. AI isn’t the future – it’s already here. The challenge is to experiment, learn quickly, and integrate new insights responsibly into how we work. Using AI isn’t about replacing people; it’s about enhancing our capacity to think, connect, and make better decisions together.
I’m truly grateful to all the organizers and peers who made these discussions so thoughtful and practical. The ideas shared there have already influenced how I approach collaboration, experimentation, and strategic design in learning today.
What was your impression of the vendor connections – were the conversations relevant/useful for your current goals?
I found the vendor connections extremely relevant and thoughtfully curated. It was clear that a great deal of preparation went into understanding participants’ current priorities and matching them with partners whose expertise and solutions could bring genuine value. This wasn’t about the quantity of interactions – it was about the quality and depth of dialogue.
Even in cases where I hadn’t previously been familiar with a vendor, the background information and the professional framing provided made it easy to see the alignment and potential synergy. The level of professionalism and clarity from the vendor side was impressive – each conversation reflected not only a deep understanding of current trends in L&D but also a shared awareness of the broader transformation agenda across the industry.
What stood out most was the balance between strategic insight and human connection. These were not transactional conversations; they were authentic exchanges about impact, scalability, and innovation. The vendors demonstrated both flexibility and a strong grasp of emerging needs – particularly around AI integration, learning ecosystems, and skills intelligence.
We’ve continued several of those conversations beyond the initial meetings, and I see strong potential for long-term partnerships. I met not just capable organizations but truly passionate people who care deeply about what they create – and that makes all the difference. I’m genuinely grateful to the L&D Collective for enabling such meaningful connections.
How would you describe their value to a fellow L&D leader?
The value of the L&D Collective lies in its depth, intentionality, and genuine relevance to the challenges we face as L&D leaders today. It’s a space that combines strategic clarity with real connection – bringing together people who think deeply about impact, growth, and transformation.
The experience offered a multidimensional value. It supported reflection on strategic priorities and allowed me to test how well our current direction aligns with the broader evolution of L&D. The conversations on AI adoption, building complex and long-term learning experiences, and solving the challenge of global scalability without losing connection to collective practice, organizational identity, and shared business priorities were particularly impactful.
The curated network is another powerful element. Even though this was an online event, it created a genuine sense of community. We didn’t exchange business cards – we exchanged ideas. The follow-up interactions in the online community have real potential for continued collaboration and shared growth. People attract people, and value is created through cooperation.
I also deeply appreciated the facilitated thinking on critical topics – the dynamic, reflective dialogue that emerged through roundtables and peer exchange. There was a vibrant process of collective sense-making and mutual learning.
Overall, the experience created a complex and reinforcing effect: engaging with vendors, reflecting on our strategic agenda, discovering new solutions, and connecting with peers all contributed to a richer understanding of where the field is heading. It reminded me that learning and development is not just a business function – it’s what connects people across organizations, cultures, and purposes. It’s a way to influence the quality of our shared future, and I’m deeply grateful to be part of a community that embodies that belief.
If you could wave a magic wand and fix one challenge in the L&D space, what would it be?
If I could change one thing, I would close the gap between learning and application – not only in practice but in mindset. Research consistently demonstrates that the majority of employees fail to apply what they learn to their actual work. Too often, learning is still treated as an isolated activity, separate from the flow of work, rather than as a way of thinking, creating, and contributing.
I would reimagine learning as an integrated system where people develop to create value for themselves, their teams, and their communities. This means designing experiences that don’t just build skills, but nurture awareness, responsibility, and purpose – the qualities that enable growth to become sustainable. The real solution would be fundamentally restructuring how organizations think about the relationship between learning and work.
It also requires that we rethink our priorities and metrics. Instead of measuring completion, we need to measure contribution: how learning enhances collective capability, accelerates collaboration, and strengthens our shared culture of curiosity and care.
Technology can and should help us here – to shorten feedback loops, to personalize insights, and to make learning more inclusive and meaningful. But the real magic lies in building systems where learning fuels belonging and progress at once, where people learn in connection – supported by their managers and peers and guided by a shared sense of direction.
Ultimately, if I could fix one challenge, it would be helping organizations value learning as a strategic and human investment that builds thriving communities and a culture of lifelong learning that sustains business success and growth for everyone. This requires reimagining several things simultaneously: manager capability development, technology architecture, organizational culture, and performance management systems. It's a systemic shift. But that one change would transform the organizational performance and ROI of every learning initiative.
