Artificial intelligence has officially made its mark on the learning and development world. According to a new report from the Association for Talent Development (ATD), nearly two-thirds of instructional designers began using AI tools within the past year, with a clear preference for generative AI over traditional AI solutions.
The report—“AI in Instructional Design: Transforming Workflows and Content Creation”, sponsored by Clarity Consultants—paints a picture of rapid experimentation paired with cautious optimism. Out of the 232 talent development professionals surveyed, 96% of those using AI are leveraging generative tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Grammarly, while just 17% use traditional rule-based AI.
And while many are enthusiastic about the productivity boost, they’re also navigating new risks that come with the territory.
What Instructional Designers Are Using AI For
Generative AI is proving particularly valuable for routine but time-intensive instructional design tasks. Most commonly, designers are tapping AI to:
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Outline courses and structure content
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Write learning objectives and assessments
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Storyboard modules and training sequences
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Generate written training materials
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Produce narration and voice-overs
Essentially, if it involves words—or even audio—AI is becoming the co-pilot.
“Most instructional designers have experienced improvement in their ability to design courses when using AI tools,” the report notes. 37% of respondents say AI has greatly reduced the time it takes to design a course, and 70% say it has improved the quality of their designs overall.
That’s a significant endorsement for a technology that, just a year ago, many hadn’t touched.
Why Some Still Say “No Thanks”
Despite these gains, 20% of instructional designers surveyed still don’t use AI at all. Their reasons? Lack of trust in the content, first and foremost. Others cite concerns about copyright violations, intellectual property issues, and inconsistent accuracy.
That skepticism isn’t unfounded. As generative AI tools pull from vast, sometimes unreliable datasets, instructional designers are rightly cautious about unintentionally embedding inaccuracies—or worse, plagiarized material—into their courses.
There’s also the matter of data privacy and IP ownership. When AI-generated content is co-authored by a machine trained on who-knows-what, who owns the final product? These legal gray areas are still being worked out, and for enterprise-level L&D teams, the stakes are high.
The Bottom Line: AI Is Here, But the Rules Aren’t
Instructional designers are clearly embracing generative AI at scale—but they’re not doing it blindly. Many are treating tools like ChatGPT as ideation partners rather than final content creators. AI handles the first draft, the outline, the brainstorm—but humans still steer the final product.
For organizations looking to scale learning and development, that’s an encouraging sign. Tools that once took days or weeks to build can now be launched in hours—if teams can navigate the legal and quality-control challenges.
The next wave? Expect more AI training and governance frameworks from L&D departments. As AI becomes a standard part of the instructional design toolkit, knowing how to use it responsibly will be just as important as knowing that you can.
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