L&D in 2026: What Survives, What Breaks, and What Finally Works

Summary: What will corporate learning look like in 2026? From how the AI landscape will change to the need for more impactful programs to experiential learning, here are dominKnow’s top 10 predictions for L&D this year.

For many years, L&D has been quietly evolving. L&D professionals have been experimenting with new tools, adopting new methodologies, and trying to convey the value of this vital function in increasingly complex organisations.

In 2026, the evolution of L&D is impossible to ignore. The L&D space we’re in today is worlds apart from that of 2016, or even 2020.

The next phase of learning and development won’t be defined by more content, shinier platforms, or faster course production. It will be defined by impact, intention, and intelligent design, with AI acting as an enabler rather than the headline act.

To kick off the new year, here are 10 predictions that will shape L&D in 2026 and beyond.

‍

1. Learning will be judged by business impact, not completion rates

Completion rates (alongside other “vanity metrics” like LMS logins) have had a long run as the primary measure of learning success. In 2026, we will finally start to see substantive change. 

Organizations have been increasingly asking harder questions to get to what really matters:

• Did this learning change behavior?
• Did it improve performance?
• Did it support revenue, productivity, safety, or customer outcomes?

Whereas xAPI began with providing L&D teams a way to collect more detailed data, the advent of AI is helping them to analyze and connect that data in ways they never could before – at least not very easily. Expectations of L&D teams will continue to grow, with the need to connect learning to real business metrics becoming an imperative. Factors that teams will need to connect training success to include reduced time to competence, improved customer satisfaction, and better on-the-job decision making. Learning that can’t demonstrate impact will struggle to justify its existence – and finally, a 90% completion rate won’t be seen as the gold standard for learning metrics.

‍

2. Responsible AI adoption becomes an L&D mandate

AI will no longer be optional – but how it’s used will matter just as much as whether it’s used at all. 

If 2025 was about experimenting with AI, 2026 will see L&D on the front line of responsible AI adoption. That means:

• Clear governance and ethical guidelines
• Human oversight and accountability
• Protecting critical skills from being fully automated away

The most mature organizations won’t chase AI for speed or efficiency alone – and if they do, they’re almost certainly missing out on the huge potential of AI tools for learning. The smartest L&D teams will use AI deliberately and thoughtfully – to augment human capability, preserve institutional knowledge, and ensure learning remains trustworthy, fair, and transparent.

The best use of AI will no longer be about who can do things the fastest or create the most eLearning courses – instead, it will be weaved into the very human processes that make our teams experts in learning, development, and performance improvement.

‍

3. AI reshapes learning design – not just content creation

The early phase of AI in L&D focused heavily on content generation. The market was flooded with new AI tools, including dozens of AI forward authoring tools, and L&D professionals were experimenting with AI-generated eLearning scripts, images, and video. By 2026, that will feel like scratching the surface.

AI will increasingly influence how learning is designed and delivered. For instance:

• Adaptive learning pathways that respond to role, skill level, and performance
• Smarter reuse of learning assets across programmes and audiences
• Dynamic content delivery that evolves as learners progress
• Analysis of analytics connecting content success with business success

This shift moves AI from being a productivity tool to a design partner, enabling learning experiences that are more responsive, efficient, and meaningful. Instead of just using AI to create the initial learning content, we will also be turning to AI to inspire the way we use, reuse, and refresh our content, get it in front of the right learners at the right time, and to help us zero in on what aspects of our learning programs are having the most impact.

‍

4. Learning moves deeper into the flow of work

In 2026, learning will continue to shift from living “next to” work to inside it. The L&D industry has been talking about learning in the flow of work for many years, but with the latest wave of learning technology, our ability to meet this need is becoming a reality.

The focus will continue to move towards:

• Just-in-time knowledge, surfaced from intuitive knowledge bases
• Embedded guidance right where it’s needed
• Personalized performance support at the moment of need
• On-demand answers based on trained AI sourced from governed content

Increasingly, instead of asking learners to leave their workflow to complete a course, L&D will design learning that shows up when and where it’s needed – inside systems, tools, and real tasks. The closer learning gets to work, the more valuable it becomes. 

For many organizations, that will require a total rethink of the way content is designed and delivered. Instead of lengthy, traditional eLearning courses, we’ll be looking at modularized content, short resources, and intelligent algorithms that surface what a learner needs, when they need it, where they need it. With this continued change in approach, the criticality of embracing concepts such as content reuse and single-source design will grow.

‍

5. Skills-based learning architectures mature

Skills have been a hot topic for the last decade, but interest has really ramped up in the last few years as workplace skills have become more complex and interwoven. In 2026, organizations will move beyond skills lists and towards skills systems for better results.

Mature skills-based learning architectures will:

• Map skills to learning content
• Connect skills to real work experiences
• Tie skill development to performance outcomes
• Tap AI to help match people, skills, and content

This creates a clear line of sight from learning investment to organizational capability, and allows L&D to support workforce planning, mobility, and reskilling in a far more strategic way. 

This also helps take skills from being abstract concepts into something real. If learners can see how their skills relate to their day-to-day roles, they’re more likely to take their skills development seriously. If it can help them understand which skills they need to progress in their careers, even better.

‍

6. Less content, more impact: intentional learning replaces volume

The race to produce more content, faster will decline in 2026. Sometimes, less is more – and producing less often enables teams to produce higher-quality content.

The goal will be to reduce cognitive overload and learning fatigue, while increasing relevance and application. Once again, we’ll be doing more with less, but this time the focus is on the learning content itself.

This means:

• Fewer, better-designed learning experiences
• A clear purpose for every asset
• Ruthless prioritization of what truly matters
• A reduction of samey, less engaging content 

Learning that respects people’s time and clearly links to the learner’s experience and needs will earn their attention. That’s why we’ll see more content audits, more optimization of high-performing existing content, and more discernment around the creation of new content. That means no more new content for the sake of content – instead, L&D teams will dig deeper into why new content is needed, and whether there might be a more suitable format than a full eLearning course.

‍

7. Interactive and experiential learning becomes the differentiator

As AI makes content creation easier, differentiation will come from first-hand experience, not just consuming information.

In 2026, the most effective, memorable learning will focus on:

• Scenarios and simulations
• Gamified practice and decision-making
• Safe environments to apply skills

Passive content consumption won’t disappear, but it won’t be enough. Organizations that invest in experiential and personalized learning will see stronger behavior change and greater confidence on the job.

For instance, instead of completing an eLearning module about a new tool, a higher-impact option will be to create a software simulation. This allows learners to get hands-on with the tool, learn in a safe environment, and hit the ground running when they start using the real software on the job.

‍

8. L&D teams design for sustainability, not heroics

For too long, L&D success has relied on heroic effort – tight deadlines, manual workarounds, and over-stretched teams. We’ve effectively become the short-order cooks of the organization, churning out asset after asset with little time to breathe and reflect.

In 2026, sustainability will become a design principle.

That means:

• Creating reusable learning assets
• Building scalable frameworks
• Putting in place clear governance and standards
• Leveraging single-source design and leaving behind multiple copies 

Smarter design allows L&D teams to do more without burning out – shifting from constant firefighting to long-term value creation. 

‍

9. Personalization becomes contextual, not cosmetic

Personalization won’t be about changing a name on a screen, recommending random content, or switching a logo.

Instead, it will be:

• Role-based
• Skill-based
• Moment-based

Learning will adapt to what someone needs right now, in their specific context, whether they’re new to a role, facing a complex task, or developing towards a future capability. This kind of personalization is subtle, powerful, and far more effective than surface-level customization.

But this could come at an administrative cost if it’s not handled correctly. A learning content management system (LCMS) like dominKnow | ONE ensures the L&D team can spin up endless instances of a course or resource from a single source, tailored to different groups of learners. These will all live neatly under the same master project, making it easy for the L&D team to update the master asset, and have that update reflected across all personalized versions for significantly easier learning content management.

‍

10. Inclusive learning design is no longer optional

2026 will continue to see the march forward toward inclusive learning design from the start, right through to post-development adjustments.

Accessibility, localization, flexible delivery, and global readiness are no longer “nice to have” extras. They are core requirements – especially as organizations become more globally distributed and diverse.

AI will help accelerate progress here, making it easier to adapt content, support multiple languages, accessibility, and personalize learning at scale. But inclusion will still require intentional design choices – not just automation.

Choosing an LCMS like dominKnow | ONE ensures that multi-lingual content, personalization and accessibility can be part of your content design from the start of your development, and included in every design decision you make. Many key tenets of accessibility are built right into the platform, meaning you can focus on creating great learning content and less on what you can’t have because it may be inaccessible. This will help you boost learner engagement, improve learning outcomes for all your learners, and can lead to strategic business wins.

‍

FAQs

What will be the biggest L&D trend of 2026?

AI will continue to dominate the L&D space in 2026, but in a different way to 2025. Instead of just experimenting, we expect to see organizations selecting the tools that make the biggest impact and using them consistently.

‍

How will learning in 2026 differ from learning in 2025?

If learning in 2025 was about trying new things, 2026 will be about executing on them for real results. This will require careful tool selection, planning, and rollout to ensure long-term success. Instead of casually playing around with 10+ new AI tools, more organizations will commit to the tools and technologies that really move the needle and are approved by their organization.

‍

What’s a non-negotiable for learning in 2026?

Accessible and inclusive design is veering toward becoming a non-negotiable for learning this year. Instructional design teams can lead the way in their organizations and move this from a nice-to-have use case to a must-have. Learning teams will need to embrace their understanding of accessible practices, making this part of their design from the start, and choosing learning technology that supports this imperative.

‍

What will happen to learning in the flow of work in 2026?

We’ve spent years talking about learning in the flow of work – now it’s time to make it happen. That will require changing the way we design and deliver workflows and learning content, as well as adjusting the metrics we use to measure success.

‍

How can we measure the success of learning in 2026?

Vanity metrics are out, real impact is in. Instead of focusing on “easy” metrics like LMS logins or course completions, learning measurement in 2026 will focus on behavior change and real impact to the business’ bottom line – think combining richer learning data with real world business data around sales, customer retention, or employee turnover.

‍

Key takeaways

The future of L&D in 2026 isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about making better decisions with:

• Clearer intent
• Stronger design
• Smarter use of technology – whether or not that involves the use of AI.

Organizations that focus on impact over activity, experience over volume, and sustainability over speed will be the ones that truly move learning forward.

Want to see how all this is possible with dominKnow | ONE? We’d love to show you around – request your personalized demo to achieve your 2026 learning goals.

‍