Why invest in e-learning when information is available within seconds via ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, or the equivalent? This line of thought is problematic, in that it equates information with learning, and learning with performance. It forgets about the person who keyed in that first question and subsequent ones, to get to the core of the knowledge needed. In other words, it negates the more critical intelligence, the human one, that has the ability to analyse and synthesize the information presented to a more meaningful form.

It is like saying having a gym membership is the same as being professionally coached through a structured training programme, and the same as getting fit. It also makes a mockery of institutions of higher learning and post-graduate programmes and the existence of faculty members with decades of research and industry experience.

What then, is the value of e-learning in the AI era?

1. Thoughtful curation and organisational alignment

AI gives generalised information that may not apply to an organization’s policies, internal frameworks, approved processes, leadership expectations, even cultural undertones. For e-learning to take place, mindful extraction of the information and alignment must be done to the AI-generated information to help learners make sense of it.

2. Learning design

AI answers questions, but does NOT perform the following:

1. systematically build up the new knowledge;
2. reinforces the new knowledge with reinforcement activities;
3. simulates consequences for erred selections; and
4. assess the reader’s mastery of any prerequisite knowledge (e.g.common terms and acronyms used in an industry).

These elements, built in by humans in an e-learning solution, matters, in order to achieve intended learning outcomes.

3. Accountability and compliance

Organisations need completion records for audit trails and regulatory compliance proof, and assessment scores for certification and to promote staff who have demonstrated competence along with the certification.

Seeking information from AI alone does not track who has learned what, nor provide the organisation with compliance certification after having trained staff as part of corporate governance and to meet audit requirements. For regulated industries, this alone keeps e-learning essential.

4. Equity and standardization

To expect everyone with a training need to “just ask ChatGPT it” would be disastrous especially in cases of safety training, ethical guidelines and regulatory procedures, such as crisis response.

Let’s face it, different people have varying levels of keyword/prompting skills. Standardised learning reduces the risk of inconsistency in knowledge that was acquired because of this variation.

5. Capability building versus Just-In-Time support

To put it simply, AI-generated information → performance support; E-learning → capability development.

If someone has solid fundamental knowledge on a subject matter, ChatGPT and the like can help to refine that knowledge. However, if he is totally new, AI information may confuse, overwhelm or mislead.

E-learning helps novices build new knowledge, piece by piece. AI augments the knowledge that practitioners already possess.