Learning Tools Expand with AI to Meet Evolving Needs, ISG Says

Enterprises are increasingly seeking learning management systems that ensure compliance while offering users modern learning experiences, according to new research from global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III).

The ISG Buyers Guides for Learning and Development, produced by ISG Software Research, provide the rankings and ratings of over 30 software providers and their products to support learning and development. The research finds that learning management systems (LMS) are converging with learning experience platforms (LXP). Organizations are demanding one system that can enforce learning policies and prepare the company for audits while also offering features such as recommendations and mobile-first experiences. Enterprises also seek platforms that can reliably integrate with human capital management and other systems.

“Companies want fewer systems to do more work,” said Matthew Brown, director of research, Human Capital Management, ISG Software Research. “They want to deliver engaging learning experiences to multiple audiences while keeping the compliance features at the heart of an LMS.”

Evolving user expectations for learning are reshaping LMS platforms, which are designed to administer, deliver, track and report formal learning in an enterprise, the research finds. Employees want personalized, consumer-grade interfaces and options appropriate to their own skill level, so many LMS platforms now include a baseline of expected user experience features. At the same time, employers expect more comprehensive views of learning across an organization that reveal skill coverage, risk hotspots and the best actions for managers to take next. The overall goals are to activate skills, reduce risk and shorten the time to readiness for critical roles.

Increasingly, companies also want one learning platform for both internal employees and external audiences such as partners, contractors and customers, the research finds. Extended-enterprise capabilities can eliminate the overhead of operating two software stacks while ensuring governance and keeping data coherent.

By 2027, one-third of enterprises will use LMS and LXP platforms with ontologies that define relationships among skills and roles, ISG’s research predicts. These skill and job ontologies inform assignments, guide users and give managers a view of team readiness. They enable companies to optimize learning paths, improving employee engagement and retention.