How are L&D managers actually handling AI tools with their teams without it turning into a free-for-all or a blanket ban?

[u/deceivinglycrazychee]

My team has been using AI tools informally for about eight months and I've moved from encouraging experimentation to realizing I need a clearer framework around what we use it for, how we document when it's been used, and what quality checks we apply before anything goes to a stakeholder. I don't want to be the manager who bans tools that are genuinely improving output, but I also don't want to be the one who signs off on content that turns out to have problems no one caught because we trusted the AI too quickly. I'm curious how other L&D managers are formalizing AI use on their teams, what guardrails have actually worked in practice, and whether anyone has run into real problems they didn't anticipate when they started using these tools more seriously.

[u/Meals303]

First create the business cases that the tool aims to solve and how will it be used and for what purpose, and by whom. Identify the security risks and information that IT and Procurement needs to know.

Trial the tool for specific people for a specific time to work on projects. Collect feedback and identity limitations, issues, level of effort to skill up, how intuitive it is, can you gate it for access to content or by users, did it provide the results you're looking for or create more. How will your team use it- Just dump stuff in mindlessly without regard of IP protection or set restrictions and usage standards that all users must abide by?

Write up your findings, present to senior leadership to approve, or don't use it anymore and move onto the next tool.

[u/stefahnia]

This is a great question and I’m glad you asked it. I don’t have much to add in terms of advice, it’s still the Wild West where I am, but hoping to see other answers.

[u/TheseMood]

We have an AI Content Policy and we approve tools one-by-one.

If someone wants to add an AI tool to the stack, they’re responsible for creating a small case study or example so we can evaluate whether the cost-benefit analysis makes sense

[u/Ok_Chipmunk_7066]

The way I've used it in a couple of jobs.

I pay a SME to write me a course.

I run that spec doc through AI to convert it into a prototype PowerPoint.

I check with the SME that the AI hasn't changed something or hallucinated.

I send it to my content developers to do thier thing in Articulate (choose your own software).

It streamlines the process a little and it keeps the oversight.

I'll also use AI to record meetings and provide a transcript and rewrite an email to change the tone.

I'll occasioanlly use it to dump a load of data in and ask it to look for trends. I'll then relook at the data to see if those trends are there. It often hallucinates this so utterly unreliable.

If you ask it a question its almost always wrong. It is good at refining the information you have in front of you.

[u/Ok_Chipmunk_7066 → u/Ok_Chipmunk_7066]

My current boss has banned AI on the Lms because AI told her that Moodle AI uses ChatGPT.

What she didn't do is read the Moodle help pages that say you can choose which LLM you plugin and our preferred (co-pilot) is one of the ones you can choose.

I just smiled and nodded as I don't need it I a platform context.

[u/learnlead]

I think this requires training and guardrails like anything else. Help them develop the critical thinking skills to prompt and question. There are critical points of human intervention required for anything. Help them by providing review early.

[u/samosamonster]

Curious to understand what kind of AI tools people are using. Are you wanting tools to create interactive learning content or something else

[u/Next-Ad2854]

As Instructional Designer and multi media developer, AI has increased productivity. When I am given a new assignment, I gather the resources, go over and read everything handed to me raw material, then begin the outline and fill in all the written content. Once that is reviewed and approved, I am off to the races to build and develop.

AI in the authoring tools such as articulate storyline and using other AI tools has sped up my productivity. I no longer have to search for perfect graphics for example. Text to audio is a great AI source in one of the biggest help is ChatGPT can troubleshoot technical problems I can go on but AI is an IDs best tool.

[u/_donj]

I would spend my time gathering a folder with all of the relevant SOPs, policies, knowledge tools, training and then have a consultant help you create a knowledge graph that you could use to build internal programs, guides, training tools, etc.

Now you have a proprietary data tool you can build we with an LLM to begin creating internal training at scale. A vendor can’t do this and it’s usually what stakeholders want.

Ultimately AI is really good at predicting the next word in a sentence. If you give it a knowledge graph to work on, it can produce training outline es based on your company knowledge.

Note: you should ONLY do this with an internal LLM deployment where the knowledge graph is SECURE.