{"id":136471,"date":"2025-09-18T11:00:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T15:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/?post_type=magazine&p=136471"},"modified":"2025-09-18T11:23:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T15:23:01","slug":"rethinking-lds-relationship-with-technology","status":"publish","type":"magazine","link":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/magazine\/fall-2025\/rethinking-lds-relationship-with-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking L&D\u2019s Relationship With Technology"},"author":52,"featured_media":123065,"template":"","tags":[33487,3749,3903],"class_list":["post-136471","magazine","type-magazine","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ai-in-learning","tag-ld-strategy","tag-workplace-learning","global_topic_tax-learning-technologies","magazine_issue_tax-fall-2025","magazine_article_type_tax-thought-leader","magazine_article_type_tax-whats-next-in-tech"],"acf":{"sponsored":false,"gated":false,"gated_content_type":"","file_attachment":null,"gated_content":"","form_instruction_header":"To access the full article, please fill out the form below:","pardot_html_embed":"","author_override":true,"author_name":"JD Dillon ","author_image":"","author_bio":"JD Dillon is a veteran talent development leader, former Disney cast member and author of The Modern Learning Ecosystem<\/em><\/a>. With more than 25 years of experience in operations and enablement with organizations like Disney, Kaplan and AMC, JD helps people do their best work every day as chief learning architect at Axonify and founder of LearnGeek.","excerpt":"L&D must rethink its relationship with learning tech: AI, integration and performance-driven ecosystems matter more than a standalone LMS.","main_content":"Which learning management system (LMS) is the one for me?\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s not the right question, but I get why people ask. With so many lookalike platforms in a crowded marketplace, it\u2019s easy to get smitten with features.\r\n\r\nThe learning and development (L&D) field\u2019s history with technology is complicated. We agonize over requests for proposals (RFPs) and endure hours of demos in search of the perfect platform. Then we pick the one that fits the budget and checks the most boxes \u2014 and try to make it work, for better or worse.\r\n\r\nNow artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how work gets done. L&D might not be making the decisions, but we\u2019re feeling the impact. Ready or not, workplace learning is changing fast.\r\n\r\nLearning tech, we need to talk about our relationship.\r\n

This Isn\u2019t Working<\/h2>\r\nLots of tools have come and gone over the years. But our approach remains the same: L&D builds content, loads it into a system and hopes people engage. It\u2019s familiar and scalable, but it rarely moves the needle.\r\n\r\nMy most impactful learning platform wasn\u2019t a \u201clearning platform.\u201d It was a wiki. It wasn\u2019t flashy, but everyone used it. It was part of the workflow, and that made it more powerful than any learning tech.\r\n\r\nFor years, I tried to make my LMS more engaging. But the truth was it just wasn\u2019t a tool people needed to do their jobs. I always had to convince employees to come to me. I spent more time promoting programs than solving problems.\r\n\r\nEventually, I stopped trying to \u201cmake fetch happen.\u201d I shifted to familiar tools like the wiki to bring L&D to employees. This changed everything. Finally, learning was part of the job, and L&D was part of the operation.\r\n\r\nThe breakthrough wasn\u2019t the technology itself. It was moving past our legacy mindset on tech in L&D.\r\n

I Met Someone New<\/h2>\r\nAI is shifting how organizations think about skills, roles and responsibilities. The work is changing, and so are the people expected to do it.\r\n\r\nTasks once exclusive to L&D can now be handled by others. Stakeholders can turn source materials into courses. They can use avatars to produce explainer videos. They can generate job aids in multiple languages. The barriers to content creation \u2014 a legacy L&D value proposition \u2014 have fallen. The output may not be top-tier (yet), but many decision-makers will trade quality for speed and cost savings.\r\n\r\nWe can view this as a threat or an opportunity.\r\n\r\nWhen L&D is no longer anchored to content, we\u2019re also freed from the constraints of traditional learning platforms. We can rethink how technology enables performance. Just as the wiki opened my eyes to a bigger ecosystem, AI is giving L&D an opportunity to break out of our silo and reshape our value.\r\n

We Can Still Be Friends<\/h2>\r\nIt\u2019s time to assess the entire tech stack. Companies are moving fast to extract AI value. They\u2019re applying new tools to solve familiar problems. L&D must follow suit by shifting our focus from creation to connection \u2014 bringing together those who know with those who need.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019ll continue to build programs and facilitate experiences. These tasks remain essential, especially in compliance-heavy environments. At the same time, we must find new ways to elevate performance through technology.\r\n\r\nWhile we may not abandon every legacy tool, learning tech cannot be the core of our strategy. Instead, our tools must serve a clear purpose within a broader, integrated ecosystem. They must enhance the digital work experience rather than distract from it.\r\n\r\nThis isn\u2019t a typical breakup. It\u2019s a breakthrough in how we use technology to support people, solve problems and drive performance.","full_width":false,"content_band":[{"acf_fc_layout":"social_callout","blockquote":"AI is giving L&D an opportunity to break out of our silo and reshape our value.\r\n\r\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content_area","wysiwyg":"[hubspot type=\"form\" portal=\"47185625\" id=\"6a2c3c6c-507d-45ef-bedf-a7ffd7053773\" version=\"v4\"]"}],"tice_sponsors":"","custom_dfp_keywords":"","featured_article":false,"feature_type":"","theme":"","remove_gradient":false,"title_in_image":false,"featured_text_image":null,"magazine_link":"https:\/\/www.nxtbook.com\/nxtbooks\/trainingindustry\/tiq_fall2025\/index.php#\/p\/62"},"yoast_head":"\nRethinking L&D\u2019s Relationship With Technology - Training Industry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"AI is reshaping learning technology. 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