Learning Fatigue Is Real, and AI is Here to Help

Kathryn Casna

Miércoles, 2 de Abril de 2025

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Your business can close its skill gaps, but only as fast as your people can learn.

And no matter how much learning time your workers have, it’s all too easy for learning fatigue to slow them down or burn them out.

Amid ever-increasing workforce development demands, nearly 60 % of HR professionals worry their companies can no longer rely on workers’ sense of duty—or their  investment in a long-term career path—to complete hours of online learning content. 

A big part of the problem? Information overload. 

More training does not necessarily mean better learning. But with a structured approach, employees can become encouraged and engaged.

The right workforce development technologies—powered by AI and automations—can help keep your people productive.

Outdated Learning Models & Information Overload

Many organizations still rely on outdated workforce development models that fail to engage. For example, employees quickly forget one-time intensive training events like eight-hour workshops. In fact, unengaged workers will forget around 50% of what they’ve learned in just one hour. This means they need time to process and practice new skills, through strategies like interleaving and hands-on application. They need reinforcement to transfer and retain knowledge.

Learning fatigue also occurs when employees waste valuable time and energy simply deciding what to learn instead of actually building skills. It’s like spending a Friday night searching Netflix instead of watching a great show. Without customized learning content suggestions, employees struggle to navigate an overwhelming sea of information. 

Employees more often than not don’t care what learning platform they’re using, noted Peter Sheppard, Head of the Global L&D Ecosystem at Ericsson. “What they are concerned with is, ‘Can I build my career? Can I grow my skills?’ And if you’re concerned about that, then you need the systems to work together in an integrated, open ecosystem.”

Your people don’t have time to sift through a vast content library. Instead, they need relevant, timely development that directly applies to their roles. 

AI & Automation: Making Learning More Efficient & Relevant

The good news is that organizations are recognizing the need for change, with 29% in recent months looking to adopt new learning or training technologies and 57% planning to upgrade existing systems. It’s a great start, but not the entire solution. Strategic delivery and structuring are key to a winning combination. 

More and more, innovative learning leaders are finding that structure in AI-powered solutions drive:

• Personalization. AI surfaces the most relevant and job-critical learning, reducing cognitive overload.
• Automated learning pathways. AI curates custom pathways so employees have the exact information they need
• More efficient skill-building. AI ingests employees’ learning preferences to recommend preferred content types relevant to people’s goals, rather than generic knowledge dumps.

Degreed Maestro, our AI purpose-built for learning, is designed to eliminate the burden of manual content filtering and deliver the right learning at the right time, which is exactly what your people need to overcome learning fatigue and stay productive.

Using Degreed Maestro, you can:

• Pinpoint needs. Deliver skill assessments, leadership coaching, and career coaching that help your people quickly figure out what to learn—and in turn build skills faster.
• Personalize development. Provide tailored content and learning recommendations according to each individual’s goals, proficiencies, and preferences—all designed to provide your people guidance on what to learn next.
• Measure change. Reassess your people’s skills after they complete content and experiences—to keep them on track and always advancing.

Generating Buy-In for AI-Driven Learning

Combatting learning fatigue can become part of your business case for a new workforce development solution. It helps to speak directly to key stakeholders.

• HR & Talent Development: Explain that AI-powered learning supports broader talent initiatives like strategic workforce planning.
• The C-Suite: Highlight ROI;  AI-driven learning accelerates development, unlocks agility, combats turnover, and promotes productivity.
• HRIT & Learning Tech: Note that AI-powered learning personalizes development at scale, reduces administrative burdens, and improves adoption.
• L&D Professionals: Document how AI reduces content overload by delivering structured, bite-size learning that keeps people engaged and informed.
• Employees: Position AI as a tool that respects time by cutting unnecessary content and delivering relevant and actionable learning at the moment of need.

Power People’s Learning with AI

Learning fatigue is real, and it can slow your workforce development efforts to a grueling crawl. 

Give employees targeted, personalized learning, so they’re not overwhelmed and can remember what they learn.

With AI, you can help your people home in on the right content and keep advancing—while you  measure success and align learning with business priorities. 

Learn more.

Schedule a personalized, one-on-one call with a Degreed expert today.