Corporate learning opens up to AI content: learning with avatars

The topic of artificial intelligence is currently leaving hardly any area of a company cold; this also applies to personnel development. More and more tools are being presented to us by both large and small tech companies, forcing us to ask: "What does this mean for my division?" Questions that are also likely to accompany the field of digital training for a long time to come.

AI has been influencing learning opportunities and content within the company for many years. It has been driving HR and functional departments for years, for example with Adaptive Learning, a learning method that uses artificial intelligence to adapt to learners' individual needs and learning progress. While the very large companies have the budget and capacity to already experiment with adaptive learning formats and roll out successful learning campaigns, most midsize and smaller companies do not have the capabilities to gain extensive experience with AI-based digital learning. But a flood of tools is slowly coming to revolutionize content and its creation: The game-changers for corporate learning?

AI video generation tools like Synthesia are just being seen as a solution to many workforce development and digital training challenges. Especially in the area of content development and localization, such tools offer a scalable way to make a lot of content available to as many people as possible.

The setting in the AI-based training format looks familiar: In the style of a newscaster, an avatar that looks like a real person or is based on a real person speaks directly to the users and explains the topic that the company wants to convey to the employees. The trick is that the text the avatar speaks is not actually spoken by the person. Instead, the avatar speaks a text that the company's specialist department, for example, has prepared for the training course - and does so with quite realistic facial expressions and lip movements. With a little effort and your own studio, you can even create your own avatars based on real people from your company.

This saves costs in the area of professional video and sound recording of the speaking person in front of the green screen, which would have to be incurred anew in the production for each topic. In addition, you can have the avatar speak in different languages, allowing internationally operating companies to reach their entire target group in their native language. An effective way that plays into the well-known goal of HR development: to reach as many employees as possible.

The format itself is not a revolution and has been known for decades from the private environment, but the path to ready-to-use production in HR development is significantly changed by AI tools. A reason to look at the secret to success in newscasts. Why does this old recipe still work today?

First of all, let's take a look at what happens during the news: News anchors:inside and present daily news to viewers. It often begins with a brief summary of the day's most important news, followed by more detailed reports on current events, occasionally including interviews with experts or eyewitnesses. Weather and sports news are also an integral part of the format. Towards the end, there are often short reports on unusual events or curious stories. But what is the secret behind the success of this format?

An important aspect is the daily topicality and the intrinsic motivation of consumers to find out about events in the world. Here, there is no obligation to watch the news, quite the opposite of many corporate trainings that are required by law or on the part of the company, depending on the topic.

Moreover, news anchors take up only a fraction of the broadcast and of the entire information process. A larger part is made up of video material that shows places and people, presents statements by those affected and involved in interview formats or, for example, shows public figures who per se arouse greater interest among the audience.

The different image and video material, the variety of formats such as interviews, dialogs and commentaries by reporters give the news more tangibility, variety and emotionality. Both content and visual perspectives are included and the potential of digital media is fully exploited - a key to conveying information and creating awareness in our time.

Apart from the fact that most topics can only be dealt with on the surface in the short time available in news, formats with a didactic claim and the intention of comprehensive sensitization must involve the learners much more. If sales training, compliance training or awareness training on cyber security are to be truly successful, they must respond to the needs of the learners and stage the knowledge in much greater depth than simply having an avatar speak to the learners. This includes bringing in interactive elements and telling exciting stories that usually want to be absorbed not only through the ear but also through the eye.

And the more learning content the company offers employees, the stronger the learners' urge for variety. Otherwise, training courses do not have a motivating and activating effect, but rather an uninspiring and tiring one.

Creativity and the digital craft of content development remain an important part of digital learning formats with wow effect. While new tools like Synthesia can take scalability and production speed to a new level, digital learning developers must continue to keep learners and their needs in mind. What appears to be a game changer at first glance can become a motivational killer for the workforce in unreflective euphoria.

Because the art of producing engaging learning content remains a skill that is impossible without the human capacity for empathy.