This highlight video is from December 11, 2025 session ✨ AI Practical Lab: AI-Powered Workflows

This AI practical lab provided a crucial blueprint for Talent and L&D leaders looking to move past simple AI experimentation and toward disciplined, enterprise-grade workflows. The core theme was this: Generative AI is not a strategy replacement, but a force multiplier that radically redefines team capacity. The lab demonstrated a focused, three-step model—Clarify, Create, Customize—which ensures human expertise remains in the critical stages of problem definition and cultural refinement. The implication is profound: AI promises to unlock unprecedented productivity, allowing HR to finally operate at the speed of the business, provided leaders enforce a "human-in-the-loop" quality standard.

👂ELE’s POV: Ed gets into the core tension: Is the accelerated adoption of GenAI in L&D a necessary breakthrough for speed—or a reckless path that risks bypassing trust?

Key Takeaways for Senior HR Leaders

• The 10x Capacity Shift is Real: The most striking finding was the demonstrable power of an AI-augmented team. As Ed DesRosiers revealed during the lab’s case study:

  "With AI, our team of two created 10 times the deliverables of an 8-person team working the traditional way." This forces a re-evaluation of current capacity plans and resource allocation.

• AI Demands Higher-Level Thinking: AI elevates your team from producers to strategic partners. As Marty Murrillo stated:

  "AI amplifies you, it doesn't replace you. You are the thought leader; AI is simply your thought partner." The focus shifts entirely to defining strategy and ensuring quality.

• Strategy Must Precede Speed: The "Clarify" step of the 3C model is non-negotiable. You must define the audience, challenge, and success metrics before generating content to avoid creating high-volume noise.

Practical Actions to Take Immediately

• Mandate the "Customize" Quality Gate: Stop content from going to the client or employee without a human refining the tone, ensuring cultural fit, and applying nuance.

• Challenge "Solutioneering": Before a team asks an AI tool to "Create" a solution, demand proof that they completed the strategic diagnosis. If they can’t articulate the business need, halt production.

  "AI gives us amazing options, but I need to see the big picture. How is this actually moving the needle for the business?" -- Keri Kersten

• Invest in an AI Stack, Not Just a Single Tool: Audit your tool ecosystem (e.g., NotebookLM for research, Copilot for drafting, Canva for design) to ensure it supports the entire Clarify-Create-Customize workflow seamlessly.

The era of the AI-powered workflow demands a new kind of leadership—one that is disciplined, strategic, and focused on impact. By implementing the "Clarify, Create, Customize" structure, you can harness the staggering productivity gains of generative AI while ensuring your Talent and L&D functions remain grounded in human-centered design and strategic business alignment. This isn't about working harder; it’s about leading smarter.

The urgency of this evolution is echoed by other experts; as Mike Vaughan recently argued on LinkedIn, AI Won't Help L&D Unless We Let Go of What Got Us Here.

Let's continue this conversation on the ELE Idea Exchange and share the non-negotiable quality controls you're putting in place for AI-generated content!