AI drives every major learning priority as work changes
Artificial intelligence has become the catalyst behind the priorities for workplace learning teams, according to David Perring, Chief Insights Officer at Fosway Group.
Speaking to Learning News about the first findings from the 2026 Digital Learning Realities research, Perring said learning teams must transform their own operations with AI while simultaneously helping the wider workforce develop the skills needed for business change.
The research shows AI upskilling and reskilling, business transformation, career development and business improvement have risen to the top of learning leaders' agendas. Perring said these priorities are closely connected because organisations are rethinking how work is organised, how technology is adopted and how employees develop new capabilities.
'It's almost like a double whammy,' he said. 'AI is acting as a catalyst for improvement within L&D, but it's also a catalyst across the whole organisation.'
That shift has altered the balance of learning priorities. Compliance, traditionally one of the highest-ranked areas of investment, now sits behind strategic capability initiatives. Longer-term trends also show reduced emphasis on onboarding, sustainability and personal development as organisations concentrate resources on transformation and workforce capability.
The research also points to a growing disconnect between strategic ambition and investment. Confidence in spending across learning platforms, content, internal teams and external suppliers has fallen steadily since Fosway began this research programme in 2017. AI is the only area where investment expectations continue to increase.
Perring said AI capability has rapidly become a basic expectation for learning technology suppliers.
'If you haven't got AI within your platform or AI-enabled authoring tools, then you're probably nowhere as a supplier,' he said.
The research highlights the continuing challenge of workforce skills. Around three quarters of organisations report significant skills gaps, a proportion that has remained largely unchanged over recent years despite skills and capability becoming central to business strategy.
The biggest challenge is execution. Just 14% of organisations describe themselves as highly effective at upskilling and reskilling their workforce.
Perring said many organisations struggle because skills data is fragmented across HR, talent acquisition, performance management and business systems, making it difficult to build a coherent picture of workforce capability or respond quickly to changing business needs.
This interview is the first in a three-part Learning News series exploring the findings from Fosway's Digital Learning Realities 2026 research. Part two, next week, examines where organisations are finding value from AI in learning and the practical implications for learning leaders, and part three looks at the technology supporting digital learning.
Programme links
Digital Learning Realities 2026 infographics
The Digital Learning Realities research is produced in association with Learning Technologies.