AI is top of mind for almost everyone right now, with evergreen questions around people and data still hot topics with hot takes.
Quantum Horizons 2025, the Institute for Performance and Learning (i4PL) conference, had us sharing tables and talks with our learning and development community from across Canada. Our team spent two days with hundreds of training champions, and we returned with fresh perspectives on what our clients are prioritizing this year and beyond.
NOTE: To keep everything tidy, I’ve referenced and listed all the sessions at the end. Sentences may be slightly paraphrased as they were heard.
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Training and Development 2026 Themes
The team landed on three major themes: artificial intelligence, data, and people. These three themes converge in a powerful set of insights, ripe for action. We’re still humans working with other humans. No matter how AI factors into workplace practices and learning interactions, success will continue to defined by measuring impact, supporting key performance indicators (KPIs), and making learning “sticky.”
Conference Takeaways: The Interplay of AI, Data, and People
- One key for an AI adoption plan: Let your people lead instead of building around technology. They should feel comfortable to experiment, share, and fail.1
- Don’t ignore the risks around bias, reliability, and over-trusting AI.2
- AI brings potential for scalable coaching, richer performance data, and stronger ROI for L&D.2
- For sales: If the goal of AI is “legendary” customer service, humans still need to verify any communication before sharing.3
- You can easily reduce learning barriers with AI accommodations: When recording a video, use AI to create transcript and audio file to also share.4
Pictures from I4PL Learning Conference 2025
Training and Development Theme: Artificial Intelligence
How long are you chatting with someone before AI comes up? Between agentic AI (think SIRI) and generative AI (think ChatGPT), there is a solution for most of today’s business challenges, along with key risks and challenges. The experts weighed in on the opportunities in AI translation and adoption.
Conference Takeaways: Artificial Intelligence
- For successful AI adoption: Clarity is your superpower. What exactly are you trying to accomplish?1
- One key challenge: Prompt wording deeply affects results.2
- AI can provide immediate, tailored feedback and keep learners practicing until KPIs are met.2
- Humans create performance rubrics that are often vague. AI needs clear, and measurable criteria.2
- When building relationships, remember – AI has horrendous humour.3
- Artificial Intelligence can only do what it’s trained for – AI’s lack of empathy, emotional intelligence, creativity, and innovation must be accounted for.3
[Blog: Editing AI: How ChatGPT is Impacting the Way People Write]
Training and Development Theme: People
Amidst all the technology, successful training, learning, leadership, and development still requires people. With a more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) business environment – making learning accessible, impactful, adaptive is a priority.
Conference Takeaways: People
- L&D decision makers: Figure out how to link learning to helping keep clients happy. Ensure what we do continues to drive profit/service.6
- 2024 Deloitte research confirms: Inclusion = more productivity, better decision-making, and higher revenues.4
- Today’s workforce includes 27% of people with a disability and 15-20% who identify as neurodiverse.4
- Inclusive learning design: Acronyms and sarcasm may be a learning barrier. Instead, use plain language at an 8th grade reading level. This helps many kinds of learners – language, age, experience, and more.4
- Allow people to ask for support anonymously.4
- Frame questions respectfully: “Do you require any accommodations to support your success in this learning?” This serves a wide range of learners anonymously.4
- Reminder: Soft skills are the reason you’re getting hired.3
[Blog: Six Reasons To Invest In Communication-Skills Training For Your Team]
Training and Development Theme: Data
Our last theme connects strategy with data. Using historical data paints a realistic picture of what has worked (or not). We learned about piloting and validating new ideas using A/B testing and assessment frameworks. If trusting your gut is your main source of business strategy in 2025, you’re in trouble. Data fuels both people and AI.
Conference Takeaways: Data
- Data is key! Track results. Ensure they are measurable.6
- Product discovery data helps eliminate risk. Ask7:
- Value risk: Is it a problem worth solving?
- Usability risk: Is it easy to use?
- Feasibility risk: Are time, skills, and technology available?
- Business viability risk: Does the solution align with business goals/mission?
- Use the RICE Framework to assess and prioritize: (Reach x Impact x Confidence) divided by Effort7
- This framework will give you hard numbers to evaluate which solution is the best.
- Remember: less than 50% is a guess.
- Decision-makers, once you have a RICE score – what tweaks can you make to the project to increase confidence? 7
- Sourcing internal data is easy. Accessing external data points to analyze is difficult but worth the effort .7
- 74% of business stakeholders expect return on investment (ROI) analysis.8
- Only 5% of learning and development organizations excel at using data to align with business priorities.8
- Data needs to focus on their priorities not ours. Measure what matters: Strategic priorities, competencies, norms, new behaviours, and participant experience.8
- Example of Campaign Validation Data: A 21% improvement in internally measured key focus area (Survey Question: “Senior Leaders communicate a vision that motivates me”).8
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As you can see, we learned a LOT from this year’s conference:
- People are still THE core differentiator in our industry. We will not be replaced by AI but by those who use it effectively.
- Data gives AI and your teams superpowers – make sure you’re measuring impact and adjusting strategy accordingly.
- Relationship building is still the core of success in 2026 and beyond. In a tech-powered world, soft skills are a potential multiplier.
[Learn More: It’s Time to Transform How You Think, Write, Speak – and Lead]
References
- Configuring Your AI Adoption: From Vision to Action
Speakers: Sue Wigston and Kate Bowers - Beyond the Chatbot: AI in Performance Evaluation
Speakers: Dr Arman Khaki, Maryam Shirazian, M.Ed - Soft Skills in the Age of AI: Enhancing Human Potential in a Tech-Driven World
Speaker: Dr Andrew Woods, CTDP - Designing for Every Mind: Neurodiversity in Learning and Leadership (Panel)
Speakers: Patricia Regier, MEd; Corrie Melanson, MEd; Sean Rea, CTDP - Opening Plenary Session (Panel) Speakers: Ben Jemirade, CITCO (Canada) Inc.
- Lessons Learned from Leaders in Learning and Workforce Development (Panel)
Speakers: Dr. Caroline Power, Founder and CEO – CDNHR Group of Companies, Karen Ta, Sr. Manager, Partner Experience – PwC, Fola Fadero, Sr. Program Manager (L&D) – Amazon Canada, Daniel Thomas, Director, Leadership Development – CPP Investments - Treating Learning as a Product
Amanda Abraham, Director, Member Experience, CPA Ontario - How Measurable Impact Drives Undeniable Value
Speaker: Melanie Hill