Debate Mate to Challenge Traditional L&D at Learning Live 2026
Debate Mate, a communication skills consultancy, will host a live debate at Learning Live 2026 on the motion: "Is traditional L&D still fit for purpose in the AI era?" The argument is that as AI assumes more technical tasks, career advancement will rely more on human skills that traditional L&D methods often fail to develop.
At Learning Live 2026, Debate Mate will invite the learning and development profession to defend its practices. The live debate will feature arguments both supporting and opposing the motion that traditional L&D is no longer fit for purpose in the AI era.
This session is structured as a debate rather than a presentation. Senior learning leaders will hear compelling arguments both for and against current L&D practices and will determine which case prevails. The motion raises three key questions for the profession: what remains effective, what must change, and what learning leaders should no longer defend.
Why is this debate important?
As AI systems assume more analytical and technical tasks, the most valuable employee skills are those that are hardest to automate: effective listening, constructively challenging senior colleagues, maintaining composure under pressure, and influencing others.
Traditional L&D formats are not effective for developing these skills. While e-learning modules can explain concepts like active listening, they do not provide the repeated, practical experience necessary for mastery.
Recent evidence suggests the cost of getting this wrong is climbing. Research from BetterUp Labs and Stanford Social Media Lab, published in September 2025, found that 40% of employees had received AI-generated "workslop" in the previous month, and that 42% trusted the sender less as a result. Around half rated colleagues who sent it as less creative, less capable and less reliable. The researchers put the productivity cost at $186 per employee per month, or more than $9 million a year across a 10,000-person organisation. Earlier research by Grammarly and The Harris Poll estimated the cost of poor workplace communication at $12,506 per employee per year, which amounts to more than $125 million annually for an enterprise of the same size.
Who is affected the most?
The greatest pressure is on early-career professionals. Many began working during the pandemic and missed out on informal learning opportunities, such as observing negotiations or receiving immediate feedback from colleagues. Skills once acquired passively now require intentional development.
Debate Mate maintains that this generation represents an asset, not a deficit. Their technological fluency and openness to new work methods are strengths. What they lack is not ability, but practical experience.
What does this mean beyond the conference?
Learning leaders are now required to provide stronger evidence of impact, even as the most sought-after skills are increasingly difficult to measure. Metrics like completion rates and satisfaction scores offer little insight into real-world performance under pressure. Functions unable to demonstrate results in these critical areas face increased scrutiny, regardless of budget.
"Some of the criticism is right, but we are at the forefront of changing that," said Scarlett McCabe, CEO and Founder of Debate Mate. "Plenty of communication training teaches people about communication theory instead of making them do it, giving them live feedback, and then getting them to do it again until they build the muscle memory around it. Confidence is a muscle. It does not get stronger from a slide deck."
How are we going to have these important discussions?
Instead of merely describing the value of structured disagreement within organisations, the session will provide a live demonstration for those responsible for commissioning such initiatives.
"Most conference sessions are built in a way that means nobody in the room has to disagree with anyone," said Hugo Van Mol, Commercial Director at Debate Mate, who will chair the session. "This one is built the other way round. The audience will hear the best version of an argument many of them will not like, and then decide whether it actually holds."
Debate Mate’s corporate training approach is based on the belief that communication is a skill developed through repeated practice in low-stakes settings before real challenges arise. Debate Mate has worked with over 200,000 professionals across geographies, seniorities, and industries because the ability to speak well and disagree better is the foundation of high performance.
The final note:
The Debate Mate debate is scheduled for 10-11AM on Thursday, September 17th. Debate Mate will also exhibit at a stand throughout the two-days, where its team will discuss communication skills programmes and the rationale behind the motion.
Debate Mate is a global communication skills consultancy and social business that teaches confidence, communication, critical thinking and leadership skills from the classroom to the boardroom. Its corporate training programmes are focused on developing the human skills professionals need in an increasingly AI-driven world. It has worked with organisations including Deloitte, PwC, HSBC, Amazon, Apple, Tesco, the Premier League and the UK Civil Service. Revenue from corporate training funds Debate Mate's work in schools serving disadvantaged communities across the UK, equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed in education and beyond, improving social mobility along the way