Photo by: 480 Studio & Agency via Canva
Depending on who you ask in L&D right now, AI is either a daily time-saver or something people are still approaching with a healthy dose of skepticism.
For many instructional designers, the value shows up quickly. AI can help generate ideas, build scenarios, and speed up parts of the design process. But that’s also where some challenges start to surface.
If you’ve experimented with AI, you’ve probably seen the same pattern. You generate a training script or case study in seconds, and it feels like a win—until you read it. The dialogue feels forced, the scenarios feel unrealistic, and complex workplace issues somehow get resolved in two neat sentences.
That’s usually when it clicks: we’re asking AI to do something it was never meant to do. The challenge begins when we expect AI to think for us.
A lot of time gets spent trying to craft the “perfect prompt” that will magically produce a ready-to-go module. But AI doesn’t understand your organization. It doesn’t know the tension between teams, the shortcuts people take, or how your learners speak when they’re not in a formal setting. That part still belongs to you.
The designers who are getting real value from AI aren’t treating it like a copywriter. They’re treating it like a rough first draft. They’re stepping into the role of editor-in-chief to make decisions about what feels real, what adds value, and what supports performance.
If you’re using AI, or even just considering it, it helps to run the output through a quick reality check. Start with realism. This is where AI falls apart fastest. Look at the scenarios it creates. Do people talk like that in your workplace? If a situation resolves too easily, it probably needs more tension, context, or consequences.
Next, pay attention to tone. AI has a recognizable voice, and it tends to lean on the same phrases and patterns. Strip those out and replace them with language your learners would use.
Finally, look beyond the content and focus on the application. AI is good at laying things out clearly, but that doesn’t always lead to strong performance. Ask yourself: where do learners have to make decisions, take action, or deal with consequences?
AI can absolutely speed up parts of the process. What matters is whether the result works on the job. The value of an instructional designer has always come from making sure content holds up in the real world.
If you’re exploring how AI fits into your role, our Enhancing Instructional Design with AI workshop offers a closer look at where these tools add value and where your expertise matters most.