Gen AI Learning Should Drive Performance, Not Just Productivity

Here’s a scary thought: Your people may be learning how to use Gen AI in all the wrong ways. Building surface level skills and figuring out fast hacks that get things done works great in the moment, but will ultimately undermine long-term value. 

When learning is unguided or oversimplified, employees build habits that are hard to reverse. Gen AI skills can’t be mastered by content alone. People don’t just need to know it, they need to practice it, question it, and develop critical thinking through doing.    

The data proves it. New research from Degreed and Harvard Business publishing found that employees who learn Gen AI on the job are 12x more likely to feel confident using it. And that confidence is a prerequisite for applying Gen AI effectively, responsibly, and creatively in real business contexts.

If you want your workforce to use Gen AI well, it needs to be woven into the work, supported by systems and grounded in your strategic vision. It has to be part of the real work they do and it has to be guided. As a leader, you have to think beyond just letting people loose with the tools. And training alone won’t cut it. You must transform how your people grow, solve problems, and make decisions.  

Training Ends. Transformation Doesn’t.

Traditional training is tidy. It has a beginning, middle, and end. But transformation doesn’t follow that script. It’s fluid, ongoing, and shaped by changing business needs.

Trying to “train” our way through the AI era doesn’t work. Most organizations are moving too fast and the technology is moving even faster. But, we can’t mistake speed for depth. We also can’t assume dropping AI into your workflows will build confident judgment, adaptability or creativity. Those essential skills still require some intentional design.

AI Confidence Comes from Context.

Let’s go back to the research. Employees who feel “very confident” using Gen AI are 77 times more likely to continue engaging with it, and four times more likely to apply it to real business problems. That kind of impact doesn’t come from passive content or surface-level exposure. It comes from the context of learning that’s anchored to the individual, their role, and the work they’re actually doing.

The same study found that employees with access to advanced AI infrastructure were 18 times more likely to become confident users. And organizations where CIOs, CHROs, and CLOs are aligned on AI upskilling strategy? They’re three times more likely to build a Gen AI-ready workforce.

In other words, confidence can’t be trained, but it is architected. You can set up the circumstances that nurture it. That’s why learning and HR leaders need to align on building a system that supports AI readiness at every level.

Not Every AI Tool Teaches You Something

It’s important to recognize that not all workplace AI is “learning.” Sometimes it’s just support. That can be powerful, timely, and helpful, but still shallow. Not transformative. Completing a task with AI is very different from understanding why it was done that way, or developing the ability to do it better next time.

The deeper layers of learning (critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership) don’t happen automatically. They require structured experiences, practice, and feedback. Often, work is high-stakes, the path is unclear, and decision-making can’t be automated with AI.

The Right AI isn’t Generic

A lot of early excitement around Gen AI came from general-purpose tools—broad, flexible, and good at just enough to get by. But as responsibilities shift and expectations rise, employees need something more targeted. They need AI designed to help them grow, not just complete a basic task.

This distinction matters. While productivity tools can support your teams in the moment of need, capability-building tools prepare them to take on anything independently. Even if tomorrow looks nothing like today.

Start with Experiments. End with Impact.

Every big shift starts with small tests. Once you’ve put the right infrastructure and guardrails in place, the best thing you can do is let people explore. Let them try AI tools. Let them figure out what actually improves their process, their team, their outcomes.

At Degreed, we’ve been prioritizing experimentation for exactly this reason. With AI, it’s easiest to find value by pressure testing it to find out whether it’s helpful in real business use cases or if it’s just fun and flashy.

The best AI learning solutions and strategies don’t just speed people up, they build people up. They help organizations grow stronger, not just faster.

Real learning—the kind that builds agility, resilience, and performance—demands structure, intentionality. It requires systems that don’t just inform or ‘train,’ but transform.

Don’t stop at AI embedded into tasks. Build something deeper. Build capability. Because in a world where change is constant, your people don’t just need to get through their work faster. They need to grow through it.