New Podcast: Is the AI Hype in Learning Tech Justified?

Tom Schultz

Miércoles, 11 de Junio de 2025

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The discourse on artificial intelligence in the world of corporate learning has hit a fever pitch. But does the AI hype match the workplace reality?

Recent research suggests adoption might not be as deep as the marketing suggests.

“We ended up doing a bit of digging to find out why that was the case,” says Fiona Leteney, Senior Analyst at Fosway Group.

This perspective comes as Leteney reunites with Degreed Co-CEO Max Wessel in a podcast conversation on The AI Dilemma in Learning Systems, exploring the 2025 Fosway 9-Grid for Learning Systems research.

In this second episode of our three-part series—catch up on episode No. 1 here—Leteney and Wessel explore the gap between bold AI hype promises and current delivery, what’s holding companies back from more significant AI adoption, and what forward-thinking learning and business leaders can keep in mind as they shop vendors.

AI Hype vs. AI Help

Leteney spent more than 18 months interviewing vendors and corporate buyers for the Fosway research. While vendors touted AI on roadmaps and in demos, buyers were skeptical. Corporate users in the Fosway network consistently reported underwhelming functionality and lagging adoption.

Why? The hesitation comes from:

• Internal politics
• Security concerns
• Governance barriers
• The unknowns of ROI

In some cases, IT teams are pushing back. In others, people are simply waiting to see who makes the first move.

Where AI is Working

Some promising uses of AI? The ones you almost don’t notice. Like intelligent assistants in authoring tools or agentic features that automate complex reports with a simple prompt.

That “quiet AI” has massive potential—especially in areas learning systems have historically struggled with, like personalization and reporting. If the system can simply do the thing without users realizing it’s AI, adoption will follow.

Leteney calls out analytics use cases as particularly impactful: If AI can answer, for example, “How compliant is this region?” and generate a report—without an admin needing to run significant queries—that’s potentially indispensable.

AI Hype Advice for Learning Leaders

For those wondering how to navigate the AI maze, Leteney offers this: “Go looking…  Learn as much as you can, because this is coming almost as a tsunami, and making the best of this is going to improve your role in your company. And if you don’t, then that’s going to be holding you back. So I think, absolutely, embrace this massively.”

And remember, AI doesn’t have to be flashy to be powerful.

What matters most now is value—not novelty.

Degreed is built for this moment. We believe AI should be embedded in workflows, not layered on top. That’s why we’re building features that deliver real impact, quietly and powerfully—from AI-assisted content curation and skills analysis to personalized learning journeys and automated nudges.

Find out more.

Cut through the AI hype. Let Degreed help you scale what works, with real impact.