Digital Learning Day #2: How we will learn in 2026 and what AI can (not) do
There are talks that don't feel like panel discussions, but like a brief glimpse into the future. The online panel at the Digital Learning Day was just such a panel. Moderated by Julia Senner, editor of the specialist magazines neues lernen and personalmagazin, three perspectives met that rarely come together so clearly: Corporate learning, leadership development and external learning consultancy - represented by Sandra Schmid (Lernraum Design), Fabiane Wolters (Trusted Shops) and André Ströher (WIRmachenDruck). Their shared impression: learning is facing perhaps the most exciting change in years. Not because everything is suddenly new, but rather because it is becoming clear what remains really important.
AI in everyday learning: exciting, but anything but effortless
When people talk about AI at the moment, a lot of it sounds like speed. In the panel, it sounded above all like honesty.
Everyone thinks they will become more productive with AI. In fact, at the moment, its use is actually eating away at productivity." - André Ströher, Head of Academy, WIRmachenDruck
This sentence hung in the (digital) room. Not resigned, but realistic. After all, AI is still a field of experimentation in many companies: exciting, inspiring, sometimes chaotic. And often far from making real work easier. That's why companies are investing in something that sounds unsexy but is urgently needed: structures. AI driver's licenses. Guard rails. Basic skills.
It's less about "mastering" tools and more about providing orientation and minimizing risks. Only then can AI do what it promises: provide relief.
The return of human abilities
As AI makes inroads, the importance of skills is shifting noticeably. The panel made this point particularly clear: The focus is less on technical skills and more on so-called power skills. Empathy, communication skills, conflict management, critical thinking, innovative strength - everything that makes teams stable and supports decisions. Especially in companies that are growing, working in a hybrid environment or developing young managers.
As Fabiane Wolters aptly remarked:
"We want to understand where AI makes us more efficient and where the unique human capabilities actually lie."
In doing so, she touched on the core of the discussion: AI does not change learning because it overtakes us, but rather because it forces us to take a closer look at what really makes people strong. And it is precisely this change of perspective that opens up an opportunity for companies - away from the question of which tool we can master and towards the question of which skills will carry us into the future. AI is therefore not moving to the center of learning, it is moving people back to it.
L&D in a reality test: What are we doing all this for?
One point that generated an astonishing amount of feedback was the question of impact. Many L&D departments are highly committed to their work and at the same time are constantly on fire: building content, organizing training, administering tools. But what is the result? And what sticks in everyday life? A statement by Sandra Schmid put it soberly but aptly in a nutshell:
"Many L&D departments focus mainly on operations. They often lack a bird's eye view: which formats really create value?"
This is because traditional KPIs - learning hours, logins, participation rates - say little about whether people work better afterwards. Instead, impact is created where employees actually change their behavior. And this requires fewer formats, but better ones.
Skill gaps: From role profile to real orientation
One topic that became particularly tangible in the panel was skills management. Not as a dry HR process, but rather as a tool that makes companies fit for the future. The panel showed very clearly how skills are recorded today: structured, transparent and with a genuine focus on development. The focus is not on evaluation, but rather on the question: What helps employees to find their way and take the next step?
André Ströher got to the heart of the matter:
"It's more convenient if I can prove my commitment and newly acquired skills in a simple way, without having to be constantly in debt."
This is precisely where it becomes clear what skill gaps are actually about. They do not mark deficits, but rather show opportunities for development. As soon as it becomes clear which skills are already available and which are still missing, a basis for targeted growth is created and companies can support employees much better. Skills transparency thus becomes a lever for the questions: What do we need? How do we continue to develop? And who fits which role or project?
Of course, the handling of data remains sensitive. The panel emphasized the importance of clear role and authorization models. Insight should only be granted to those who really need it - ideally the manager and the employee themselves. In this way, skills management becomes a tool for development, not for control.
Learning culture: A great idea - until you have to live it
"Learning is working and working is learning."
That sounds simple. In practice, however, it changes a lot: priorities, routines, expectations. Learning can no longer be squeezed in between deadlines, it needs a fixed place in everyday working life. Learning must become visible: in the calendar, in conversations and also in management.
This creates a new role for managers. They not only provide orientation, they open up spaces for development. They accompany and support. And teams need more than just tools. They need time, space to think, permission to try things out and to see mistakes as part of the learning process.
Because without time, every learning culture becomes a nice promise - and nothing more.
Where learning is heading in 2026
If you listen carefully to the panel, a picture of the future emerges that is surprisingly down-to-earth. No big promises, no dramatic leaps. Rather, a year in which things sort themselves out:
AI is becoming more natural.
2026AI will be an integral part of daily work. The panel made it clear that the benefits will only be realized when AI is embedded in clear processes and not as a loose experiment on the side. At the same time, there are still many things that humans are better at: assessing, weighing up, prioritizing. It is precisely this interaction that makes AI valuable, not the technology itself.
Skills become more visible.
Moreand more companies are making transparent which skills are available and which still need to be developed. This helps teams and individuals alike. It makes development less random and gives it a direction that can be tracked. Skill gaps are not a flaw - they are an indication of where things can go.
Learning culture takes on a new form - in line with digital working.
Thepanel at the Digital Learning Day made it clear that learning culture is nothing new and is not suddenly becoming an additional task for management. The difference lies in the how. Learning culture must work in everyday digital life. In 2026, learning will move closer to daily collaboration: short impulses in team calls, clear agreements in remote setups, deliberately planned time slots that don't disappear again immediately. Leadership plays a central role in this. It provides space and exemplifies learning in everyday life. And as part of the collaboration, not as a project.
Missed Digital Learning Day #2?
The panel was recorded. Take a relaxed look here and find out the L&D trends for 2026.
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