Our Clients’ Top 5 Priorities for AI in Learning and Development

June 17, 2024July 12, 2024 by Carolina Montero

Generative AI is rapidly advancing in capabilities and features. And just as quickly, L&D leaders are moving from research and initial experiments with AI to proof-of-concept projects and larger initiatives.

Exciting times—and a lot to keep up with!

We’re fortunate to work with clients across multiple industries, from hospitality to consumer goods, which gives us a great vantage point to see the top focus areas for AI in learning and development.

Read on to find out how your peers are prioritizing and investing in AI, including real-world examples:

Rolling it out right—training on AI tools for your company and teams
Creating high-impact learning experiences
Streamlining learning content creation
Ensuring quality and optimizing the combination of HI (human intelligence) and AI
Securing talent with AI consulting and production expertise

#1: Rolling Out AI Tools to Your Company and Teams

L&D leaders know that right on the heels of approving new technology, the next question from business leaders will be: When can we get the training?

Training isn’t limited to across-the-board basics—every team will have specialized training needs depending on how they use AI tools. Every department and business unit will have unique opportunities and risks, which means a LOT of custom training needs.

Here are two projects we’ve recently wrapped for clients to help them address specific, urgent needs for AI training.

Large online retail organization: Inclusive and responsible gen AI

As our client prepares for extensive discussions and promotions surrounding the expanded use of AI within the organization and in its products, it recognizes AI’s potential risks, especially to marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Our client is committed to advocating for the implementation of safeguards and ethical considerations within AI technologies in addition to promoting its product. The training we are creating with this client is a key step toward achieving that goal.

Through this training, we’re equipping sales and marketing teams with a comprehensive understanding of responsible AI practices. The training’s focus is to upskill the audience on how to look for potential issues regarding fairness, privacy, inclusivity, equity, and diversity when using generative AI with the goal of helping customers use AI responsibly.

Consumer lending company: Embracing the benefits of AI

The AI revolution is pushing everyone in every field to reconsider how they’ve been working and to embrace the possibilities that AI holds. In finance, AI can shift decisions that in the past were based on personal judgment to a place of greater fairness and equity.

Moving beyond the tried-and-true old ways of doing things is not easy, and our client is supporting finance professionals in making this shift. The training we are helping to produce includes certification training on AI basics, its applications in credit assessment, and detailed learning on how to navigate ethical considerations, with high-quality video from experts in the field.

Rollouts of AI tools are moving quickly—if you need support in creating training for global or specialized needs, reach out and we’ll connect you with an expert Solution Architect.

#2: Creating High-Impact Learning Experiences

What gets our clients really excited about the use of AI for learning? The ability to create completely tailored learning experiences that adapt to text and voice input from learners.

No more awkward role plays. No more ineffective multiple-choice questions. Learners can interact with training in unprecedented ways—and AI is making the dream of adaptive learning a cost-effective reality.

We’re working with multiple clients to create AI-powered training, including:

Problem resolution and service recovery for a major hospitality client
Customer service for text-based response via a concierge chatbot
Coaching skills for leaders of a top consumer goods brand

These simulations harness advanced technology in dynamic training scenarios, and they offer secure settings to practice essential skills.

And, fitting skills practice into a busy schedule is now possible with AI-powered training.

Some of the key features include:

Speech-to-text technology: Learners engage with realistic avatars by using their own voices to drive the conversation.
Dynamic conversations: We’ve evolved our AI technology from a single interaction point to the ability to have a dynamic back-and-forth conversation between the learner and the avatar.
AI feedback tool: This tool provides personalized feedback to all learners individually based on how they responded and how well they applied their skills.
Sentiment analysis: This technology allows us to assess the delivery of how each learner responds. We can give learners real-time feedback on how friendly, confident, or aggressive their responses sound.
Playback functionality: Learners can play back an audio recording of their responses, giving them an opportunity for self-reflection.
Immersive WebXR technology: This technology creates a fully immersive, highly engaging experience that can be accessed via desktop or VR headset, enabling scaling to our clients entire enterprise

Check out this video of our work with Hilton creating high-impact, AI-powered coaching simulations.

#3: Streamlining Learning Content Creation with AI

Among the most sought-after expected benefits of AI in learning and development are the abilities to create content faster, improve efficiency, and reduce costs¹. No doubt you’re looking to do the same!

We’re working on multiple clients on projects that include using gen AI to help:

Analyze content
Create learning objectives
Develop scenarios
Formulate assessment questions

In addition to text-based content development, we’re using artificial intelligence to create multimedia. In a recent project, we were able to create a rich, immersive environment by creating background graphics using AI tools. And for our online training client, we significantly reduced production costs while keeping engagement high.

Online training company: Generating video avatars using AI

Video content is particularly expensive and time-consuming, and it runs the risk of additional costs (reshoots!) if the course needs to be updated.

Our client, a top provider of online training, wanted to streamline video development (no more onsite filming!), reduce total production costs, and capitalize on learning curiosity around AI.

Utilizing AI, our subject matter expert quickly crafted their avatar, fine-tuning it for lifelike realism. Once created, the course scripts were seamlessly integrated, generating talking-head-style videos within minutes.

These videos were then ready for post-production treatment with the SweetRush team and dramatically reduced our timeline—a game-changer! Not only did we deliver our top-notch SweetRush content, but we also delivered substantial savings in production costs, passed on to our client. To top it off, learners remained captivated as they witnessed AI in action.

Interested in proven strategies for using AI to improve speed to market and reduce costs? Get in touch!

¹ https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/focus02-talk-to-action/

#4: Quality Matters! Optimizing the Combo of HI (Human Intelligence) and AI

The race is on to find the best use cases for AI in learning and development, and yet we can’t brush real challenges under the rug in our eagerness to reap the benefits. Accuracy is still a real concern as the debate continues—can “hallucinations” be engineered away?²

Another concern that we and our clients are grappling with is the quality of content produced by Large Language Models (LLMs) versus that crafted by humans.

SweetRush is pioneering explorations in this area by conducting modern iterations of the Turing Test³; we are analyzing whether LLM-generated content stands on par with human-generated material.

Through these studies, we harness the deep industry knowledge of Subject Matter Experts and Learning Experience Designers to pinpoint the respective traits of human and AI outputs. Is a “soul,” worldview, or authentic human perspective absent in AI-generated text, and if so, how might this impact the overall quality and reception of the content (i.e. if it were integrated into a training program, for instance)?

Our approach ensures a balanced evaluation, creating scenarios that channel the strengths of both AI and human input, from deep factual knowledge to rich personal insights.

₂ https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/15/24154808/ai-chatgpt-google-gemini-microsoft-copilot-hallucination-wrong

³ https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/turing-test/

#5: Securing Talent with AI Expertise

The war for talent has reached the AI shores. Research conducted by Randstad found a 2,000% increase in roles requiring artificial intelligence skills in 2023⁴. In some US states, there are more than 10 job ads for every AI professional.⁵

Yet our clients need talent—and in the early stages of adoption, they need specialized talent with the expertise to consult on AI policies, governance, roadmaps, and application. You are likely in a similar place, navigating a lot of new territory and needing help to cut through the confusion and keep your company and teams on track.

Experienced consultants can help you answer mission-critical questions, such as:

How can your people use AI? (And what’s off limits?)
What tools are you allowing your team to use?
How are you mitigating risks of copyright infringement and issues of confidentiality?
What about accuracy, ethics, and bias?
How are you discovering how to bring efficiencies and innovation by using AI?

To get your arms around these issues and others, you need the expertise and support of an AI consultant, and we’ve built a bench of experts ready to support our clients.

⁴ https://www.unleash.ai/artificial-intelligence/randstad-chro-demand-for-gen-ai-skills-up-2000-in-2023/

⁵ https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-10-09-expert-comment-ai-demand-booming-right-skills-and-technology-glue-guys

Navigating Exciting and Disruptive Times

Did these priorities resonate with you? There’s no doubt they will continue to evolve at pace with the rapid advancements in AI technology.

We’re helping so many clients address their unique challenges with targeted AI solutions and expertise, and we’d be honored to help you as well. Please reach out and let’s discuss your needs!

Generative AI + Immersive Training: SweetRush’s Power Duo for Effective, Engaging Guest Service Training at Hilton

May 31, 2024September 6, 2024 by Tiffany Vojnovski

An insider’s look at leading-edge learning innovation at Hilton

We’re entering our second year of generative AI buzz, but organizations are just beginning to scratch the surface, with most using the technology to create first drafts, identify data patterns, and summarize lengthy texts. Meanwhile, they’re leaving nuanced human pursuits like critical thinking, creativity, relationship building, ethics, and navigating complex and ambiguous situations to…well, their humans.

Training is another pursuit that’s been left to humans: None of the 1,600+ respondents to a global survey on the state of generative AI called out training as a use case.

This vast, virtually untapped opportunity is what makes generative AI so exciting for L&D innovators—like our friends at Hilton. Read on to discover how the Hilton-SweetRush team set out on an exploratory mission into the heart of generative AI… and emerged with a leading-edge immersive learning experience.

Generative AI: Hilton’s L&D Use Case

With a robust portfolio of effective, engaging WebXR and native VR learning solutions, the Hilton-SweetRush team were already veteran immersive learning creators. Amazing experiences such as Hotel Immersion and Exceed with Empathy (see below) place learners in someone else’s shoes—and drop them into interactive, day-in-the-life scenarios that help them gain insight and empathy.

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Learner Audience: Newly hired team members

Purpose: Help learners gain empathy for hotel operations team members.

The Experience: The Hilton-SweetRush team wanted newly hired team members to experience a day in the life of the hotel operations team members who drive results via brand standards. In this energetic simulation, learners land in a Hilton hotel—and work against the clock to assemble room-service trays, clean a guest room, and check guests in at the front desk. Learners access this experience via a headset, which gives them the freedom to move around and interact with objects in these 3D spaces.

Learner Audience: Hotel operations team members

Purpose: Help learners develop empathy for guests.

The Experience: Learners step into the shoes of a guest waiting in a long line to check in, after hours of travel; a guest who’s served the wrong order at the restaurant; and another who finds that the conference room they’ve booked is improperly set up. After each experience, they reflect on their mood, gain greater insight into the guest experience, and discover how to exceed guest expectations.

In spring 2023, the team began to wonder how they might leverage generative AI to take Hilton’s immersive learning game up a notch. The timing was right, and so was the learning need: Create an engaging, effective, and scalable immersive experience to help hotel operations staff practice their guest service skills.

Read on for background about the business and learning needs—and how the team met them with creativity, ingenuity, and industry-first technology.

Hilton’s Business Need: Deliver a Reliable and Friendly Stay

Guest feedback shared the wish for a reliable, consistent, and friendly stay, where team members treat every guest like a friend. Thus the powerful impetus for Hilton’s leading-edge guest service skills training was born.

This impactful learning journey, called Make It Right, features a variety of bite-sized eLearning modules, pre-shift team meetings, videos and more.

One part of Make It Right focuses on service recovery with HEART, Hilton’s five-step problem-resolution model (see below).

At this stage in the learning journey, Hilton team members are equipped with a good understanding of HEART. But knowing the five steps and their purpose and putting them into practice—especially under pressure—are two different things.

Like so many interpersonal skills, service recovery requires plenty of trial, error, and feedback before learners achieve competency. While role-plays are one way to achieve this, Hilton chose a virtual environment to build confidence with their teams during their training process.

Would this catch-22 derail the opportunity for hands-on practice of the HEART model? Not for the Hilton-SweetRush team!

WebXR and Generative AI: Scalable Immersive Learning for Hilton’s Global Audience

The Hilton-SweetRush team rose to the challenge by creating a capstone experience that brought hands-on HEART practice to team members across all its hotels.

How? By leveraging WebXR, a super-scalable virtual reality learning technology.

Because WebXR content lives on a web browser and can be accessed by learners with or without a headset, it’s an ideal modality to bring the benefits of virtual learning to a distributed global audience like Hilton’s.

Helping Hilton team members speak from the heart was the perfect learning use case for WebXR. To practice these vital service recovery skills, they created the Delivering on Our Customer Promise experience. This WebXR- and AI-powered simulation drops learners into three different scenarios with concerned guests, each of whom explains their problem and waits expectantly for a response.

These scenarios make learners sweat a little, just as real service recovery situations do. Yet rather than risk real relationships with Hilton guests, they find their feet—and voices—within a safe, authentic virtual practice space.

Generative AI: Hilton’s High-Tech Human Skills Coach

Hilton’s Delivering on Our Customer Promise WebXR adventure was already a leading-edge learning experience—but the team’s addition of generative AI lands it among L&D industry firsts.

Here’s how generative AI helps learners make it right: After listening to the guest explain their problem, learners speak their response into their device’s microphone, using the HEART steps they’ve learned.

The simulation records their response, converts it into text, and feeds the text of the response into a Large Language Model (LLM). On the back end, the LLM, which has been carefully “trained” by SweetRush SMEs, creates a response to the learner’s attempt. (Discover how SweetRush’s exacting SMEs systematically trained the LLM to evaluate learner input and deliver relevant, actionable feedback.)

Artificial Inteligence Training by SweetRush — Learners receive feedback and a grade of pass or fail on each step of Hilton’s HEART model. Though most learners can tackle the HART, most find the E, or Empathize, to be a challenge.

After completing each scenario, learners can then reattempt it as many times as they like, receiving targeted feedback each time.

Learner Experience (LX): Designed by Experts, Hosted by VIC

To create the greatest impact, the team focused the WebXR experience on three different scenarios, all based on top guest problems:

Room climate controls
Food and beverage options
Special room requests not met

Using their best storytelling and dialogue-writing practices, the team built branching scenarios featuring a guest interaction in different areas of the hotel. These in-room, front-desk, and breakfast-area conversations could end with positive, negative, or neutral results based upon the learner’s input.

The instructional designer worked closely with Hilton SMEs to craft realistic guest scenarios—and responses that matched Hilton’s high standards and signature service recovery methods.

Making It Look, Sound, and Feel Right: Designing in 3D

Appearance matters for a 360° immersive experience, and a realistic setting is an important part of creating an authentic immersive scenario. The team custom-created these lifelike settings by taking photographs at real Hilton properties—and the SweetRush extended reality (XR) team built depth and detail into each scene.

The guests’ avatars needed to be as diverse and expressive as Hilton’s guests are in real life, with the tone of voice, gestures, facial expressions, and posture that reflects their mood and level of satisfaction.

Why this painstaking care? To truly immerse learners, they need to feel that they’re face to face with a real guest in a real Hilton hotel.

Because of the complexity of the scenarios and their different potential outcomes, the creative director, instructional designer, and XR team worked closely together to ensure that the content, audio, and visual treatment informed one another.

Like any great guest experience, the HEART model training experience needed a great host who would encourage learners and serve as their guide throughout all three scenarios. VIC, Hilton’s friendly robot emcee (and breakout star of previous VR experiences), was up to the task, hovering in the scene with helpful instructions, a HEART walkthrough, and learner feedback. (Join us for a demo of this leading-edge immersive AI coaching experience at Training Industry’s Leader Talk: Using AI to Transform Content Development.)

Leading-Edge Learning at Your Organization: Leverage Generative AI Coaching and Immersive Training for Your Unique Needs

Feeling inspired by Hilton’s generative AI-powered, immersive learning VICtory? We’re with you!

We’ve loved sharing the story of how one innovative client-partner leveraged the leading-edge powers of WebXR and generative AI to meet Hilton’s deeply human business need: a warm welcome and friendly stay for every guest.

If you’re curious about how to apply WebXR and generative AI to your organization’s unique needs and learners, we’ve got you covered!

SweetRush Ranked #1 Top Content Provider With AI Tools Expertise

April 9, 2024October 30, 2024 by Carolina Montero

As one of the Top Content Providers With AI Tools Expertise, SweetRush employs a multifaceted and holistic framework approach, leveraging AI’s capabilities – such as for AI coaching – and consulting with clients on how to successfully scale AI-driven projects to their enterprise.

San Francisco, Calif., April 8, 2024 – SweetRush is honored to top the eLearning Industry’s Top Content Providers With AI Tools Expertise list in 2024.

Best known for its learner-centric custom learning solutions that blend instructional design best practices with agency-level creative design, SweetRush has been disrupting the L&D industry since 2001 and has been judged by many as the world’s most innovative learning provider.

Says Adrian Soto, SweetRush Director of Immersive Technologies, “These days I spend a good deal of my time helping clients make sense of all the technology-fueled changes that are happening in our field, and AI certainly tops the list. I would add that everyone is excited but also afraid of falling behind, and so for me this moment has allowed us to go deeper with clients and go beyond the more traditional capabilities demo.”

The real power of SweetRush’s approach to utilizing AI — for AI-driven coaching, for example — is to view development in a holistic manner, recognizing that AI implementation takes a recipe to work and all the ingredients have to be present and in balance. While AI prompt engineering is important and gets a lot of attention, all “ingredients” are essential. Beyond training the AI, for an AI project to be successful, teams must consider visual design, learning-experience design, project management, development architecture and integration, user testing, and prototyping. And IT and security concerns have risen to the surface and need serious attention and due consideration.

“What I have observed is that clients are eager to jump in and engage AI, but more than ever they are choosing to work with us because of trust,” says Dani Silver, SweetRush’s Solution Architect. “The array of capabilities have to be present, but when you are marching off together into an ever-changing landscape, the trust element has become paramount.”

Empowering Learning: SweetRush’s AI Solutions and Immersive Experiences

SweetRush recently rolled out an AI-driven coaching experience for Hilton based upon three customer problems that require a response from the learner and then real-time feedback from an AI coach. Based on the success of the program, 19 more scenarios are now in development. For another client, SweetRush is incorporating advanced voice sentiment analysis and is looking at eye tracking on its technology roadmap.

To effectively scale and roll out an AI program to an enterprise, SweetRush has led the industry in WebXR implementation, which enables immersive experiences to be taken with a VR headset or on a desktop computer. SweetRush has tools to deliver these experiences and connect to its client’s LMS, all the while tracking essential data. This versatility enables scaling and validates the upfront development costs while enabling SweetRush’s clients to leverage the power of AI.

Says eLearning Industry Founder Christopher Pappas, “In today’s digital landscape, businesses are constantly vying for attention amidst a sea of training content and vendor options. Standing out requires more than just creativity; it demands strategy fueled by cutting-edge technology. And using AI tools like a pro is a must. This is where teaming up with one of the top content providers boasting AI expertise becomes not just advantageous but imperative.”

As a life-centered company, SweetRush is honored to work with client-partners who share a passion for building a better world and for creating learning experiences that touch lives, empower people, and create connections. Through SweetRush’s La Maestra initiative, every learning project also leaves a lasting legacy in the form of trees planted in Costa Rica’s Limón province.

About SweetRush

SweetRush is trusted by many of the world’s most successful companies to help them improve the performance of their employees and extended enterprise. SweetRush is known for exceptionally creative and effective solutions that combine the best of learning experience design with highly engaging delivery.

SweetRush services include custom L&D solution design and development, high-performing staff-augmentation talent staffing, certification development, cultural alignment, and innovative learning technologies such as VR, AR, and AI. SweetRush’s work has earned a long list of awards and accolades in collaboration with its world-class clients. Discover more at www.sweetrush.com.