Hi Reader
In my last post, I reflected on three decades in L&D - from hauling facilitator guides onto planes to experimenting with AI tutors that build learning paths in seconds. The pace of change has been extraordinary, but one thing is clear: technology alone isn’t the answer. As we embrace AI in our learning strategies, we also need to ask a deeper question - what does it mean to stay human in an age of intelligent machines? In this edition, I’ll explore that tension, and how we can build learning experiences that elevate, not erase, human genius.
You can skip straight to the end for the TL;DR summary if you prefer!
As ever, if you want to take a look at my previous newsletters, you can find them HERE
AI for Human Genius
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about how AI is changing learning, content, and systems. But now it’s time to ask a harder, more personal question:
How do we, as humans, adapt in an age of intelligent agents?
This isn’t just about staying relevant. It’s about learning to partner with AI in ways that amplify our creativity, insight, and judgment. It's the question I am asking myself often as we try and build meaningful learning experiences for the future.
As one of our partners recently put it recently, how can we ensure that we utilise AI for Human Genius.
But unlocking that genius doesn’t happen automatically. It requires a new mindset, new skills, and a shift in how we approach learning and work.
AI won’t replace you – but it will replace old habits
The real disruption isn’t about job loss. It’s about habit loss.
AI agents are already automating repetitive tasks, surfacing knowledge faster than we can Google it, and managing systems we used to manually maintain.
What’s left for humans isn’t less important. It’s more important.
It’s the work that demands:
- Judgment
- Curiosity
- Context
- Creativity
Our future isn’t about knowing more.
It’s about asking better questions and using AI to navigate faster toward insight.
How to Be a Great Human in an AI System
To thrive in this new world, we need to shift our skillset.
From knowing to navigating
It’s not about memorising facts, it’s about validating, interpreting, and adapting information surfaced by AI.
From completing tasks to curating outcomes
We’re not just ticking off boxes. We’re using tools to orchestrate value, not just output.
From individual work to human-AI collaboration
Great work will increasingly be the result of smart human prompting and sense-making, paired with the speed and scale of AI agents.
These aren’t soft skills. They’re survival skills in an agentic world.
The Role of Learning in an Agentic World
If AI is changing the nature of work, then it’s also changing the nature of how we learn — not just what we learn.
In a world of intelligent agents, humans don’t need more content.
They need better thinking environments.
Learning needs to support:
- Slower reflection in a faster world
- Seeing connections that AI can’t — especially when the context is complex, emotional, or ambiguous
- The ability to interpret, not just absorb
This isn’t about learning new tech.
It’s about learning how to use support systems without outsourcing your thinking.
AI Tutors aren’t just here to spoon-feed information. They’re here to help us struggle just enough — to prompt questions, challenge assumptions, and mirror back our own clarity or confusion.
And that’s the opportunity:
To build learning systems that don’t just deliver answers, but make space for the very human process of insight.
The Human Advantage
The question isn’t “Will AI take MY job?”
It’s:
“Can I learn how to amplify my thinking, judgment, and creativity, in a world full of intelligent agents?”
Because that’s the real opportunity.
Not to compete with the machine.
But to do what only a human can, with more focus, more clarity, and more impact than ever before.
You don’t need to be faster than AI.
You just need to be more human - and know how to use AI to push that even further.
What You Can Do Right Now
You don’t need to master every new AI platform. But you do need to start noticing how you’re adapting - or not.
Here are a few ways to begin:
Reflect on your habits
Where am I relying on AI too quickly?
Where am I ignoring it out of discomfort or habit?
What does that reveal about how I think?
Revisit a recent decision Ask:
How would an intelligent agent have approached this?
What context would it have missed?
Where did my judgment still matter most?
Explore one new tool Not because it’s trending — but because you’re curious.
Ask: How does this shape how I learn or work?
Start a thinking log Each time you use AI this week, jot down:
What you were trying to achieve
What it gave you
What you had to bring to make it valuable
Let me know how you get on, what tools you try and what your reflections are.
Thats it for today, see you at the same time next week!
TL;DR – The Human Advantage in the Age of AI
- AI isn’t just changing tools, it’s reshaping how we think, learn, and work.
- We’re moving from content-heavy systems to intelligent ones, where agents participate in workflows and decisions.
- The real shift isn’t technical. It’s cognitive.
It’s about learning to frame problems, make sense of ambiguity, and work with AI, not just use it.
- To adapt, we need to become more reflective, context-aware, and human - not faster, but sharper.
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Key actions:
- Reflect on how you’re using (or avoiding) AI
- Try new AI tools
- Track how AI changes your decisions, not just your speed
- You don’t need to outpace AI.
You need to learn how to stay valuable inside systems that are learning, too.
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