Donald calls it the “New World”.
For me, the most striking data point in the entire report was that the word "human" appeared in 64 challenge responses this year for example in comments like: “how to properly utilize AI while not removing the human element”. The word human didn't appear at all in 2022 or 2023.
Donald's read on this: "On the surface, this comment is about design, but it could also be about something more profound: about L&D's very sense of identity coming under threat from AI." (p.21).
I think that's exactly right.
Donald notes that "The biggest riser this year is 'Showing value', up from #7 last year to #5 this year, with its highest-ever share of the vote. Anecdotally, it seems L&D is feeling the pressure to justify its existence."
Yes. We don't have a technology or AI problem; we have an existential problem about who L&D is and what our role is in this New World.
Donald frames L&D's new role as "a shift from content creation to performance consulting, from training delivery to capability ecosystems, and from reactive service to proactive partnership" (p.17)
I agree. But I don't think this shift will happen through better technology or more AI. Instead, it will happen through bringing even more humanity into our work.
I think the shift is contingent on L&D practitioners who know their craft deeply enough to make it human, visible, and connected to outcomes that matter to the business.
The survey's conclusion lands on a note of cautious optimism: "while we have no map, we do have a direction." (p.22)
Yes, we may have a New World and perhaps the directions to get there may look somewhat intriguing. But after 25+ years in this field working at the intersection of workforce development, competency assessment, and learning design across industry sectors, I can say that the destination for L&D has always been the same.
Does the worker know more, perform better, and contribute more fully as a result of what L&D did? Everything else is just the method we chose to get there.
The GSS 2026 report is available at https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/global-sentiment-survey-2026/
Well worth your time.
#LearningAndDevelopment #WorkplaceLearning #TalentDevelopment #GSS2026 #HumanFirst #PerformanceConsulting #FutureOfWork
Donald's read on this: "On the surface, this comment is about design, but it could also be about something more profound: about L&D's very sense of identity coming under threat from AI." (p.21).
I think that's exactly right.
Donald notes that "The biggest riser this year is 'Showing value', up from #7 last year to #5 this year, with its highest-ever share of the vote. Anecdotally, it seems L&D is feeling the pressure to justify its existence."
Yes. We don't have a technology or AI problem; we have an existential problem about who L&D is and what our role is in this New World.
Donald frames L&D's new role as "a shift from content creation to performance consulting, from training delivery to capability ecosystems, and from reactive service to proactive partnership" (p.17)
I agree. But I don't think this shift will happen through better technology or more AI. Instead, it will happen through bringing even more humanity into our work.
I think the shift is contingent on L&D practitioners who know their craft deeply enough to make it human, visible, and connected to outcomes that matter to the business.
The survey's conclusion lands on a note of cautious optimism: "while we have no map, we do have a direction." (p.22)
Yes, we may have a New World and perhaps the directions to get there may look somewhat intriguing. But after 25+ years in this field working at the intersection of workforce development, competency assessment, and learning design across industry sectors, I can say that the destination for L&D has always been the same.
Does the worker know more, perform better, and contribute more fully as a result of what L&D did? Everything else is just the method we chose to get there.
The GSS 2026 report is available at https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/global-sentiment-survey-2026/
Well worth your time.
#LearningAndDevelopment #WorkplaceLearning #TalentDevelopment #GSS2026 #HumanFirst #PerformanceConsulting #FutureOfWork
