Industry events often leave learning and development professionals with a stack of ideas, a list of new tools to check out, and several strategies to consider. Sorting through which insights will actually move the needle for an organization is rarely straightforward. The iSpring Learning Exchange Community recently brought educators and L&D specialists together for a networking session aimed at pinpointing which trends and technologies from DevLearn 2026 could shape learning in 2027, and how to turn those insights into concrete actions.
From Conference Inspiration to Practical Implementation
Major conferences like DevLearn showcase a broad mix of technologies, teaching methods, and predictions about where the industry is headed. Still, not every concept fits every team’s needs or resources. The iSpring Learning Exchange Community, which runs monthly #iSpringNetEvent sessions on LinkedIn, set up this discussion to help participants cut through the noise and zero in on what’s most relevant for their own learning environments.
Recent industry data shows why moving from inspiration to action matters. A 2026 Addison Group report found that 36% of the U.S. workforce—about 64 million people—admitted to overstating their knowledge, skills, or experience because they felt pressure to stay competitive as workplace change speeds up. The same report said 37% of employees found it harder to compete with automation, and 24% worried that artificial intelligence could make some of their skills less valuable. Even with these pressures, 83% of employees took at least one step in the past year to stay competitive, and 43% taught themselves to use an AI tool. Yet, 63% wanted more employer-supported learning and development, including on-the-job reskilling (38%), access to professional development or certification (29%), and AI-use training (28%). Human Resources Director
Key Trends and Technologies Shaping the Future
During the session, participants dug into the most important takeaways from DevLearn 2026. The group looked at new technologies that drew industry attention and discussed which trends could influence learning and development strategies in the next year. Attendees shared their own experiences and talked about how these trends might fit their organizations’ needs.
AI adoption and training in the workplace stood out as a main topic. A 2026 ZipRecruiter survey of over 1,500 U.S. workers showed a clear gap in AI training by seniority: 83.5% of senior leaders had some AI training, but only 46.4% of individual contributors and 45.3% of entry-level employees did. Across all workers, 62.8% had received any AI training, but just 28.9% thought it was enough, and 37.2% were learning AI tools on their own. Among entry-level staff, 54.7% said they were self-taught. OneRange These gaps point to the need for targeted, role-specific learning strategies instead of blanket technology rollouts.
Research from Cognizant and Pearson, based on a survey of 750 HR professionals at director level and above in the U.S., U.K., and India in early 2026, found that 64% of HR leaders struggled to find the right talent as AI quickly changed hiring needs. Another 60% said their learning and development programs couldn’t keep up with AI-driven job changes, and 46% of organizations didn’t offer AI upskilling until employees flagged gaps or roles shifted. Demand for AI training is rising, with 91% of HR leaders reporting more employee requests for AI training over the past year. The survey also found that 97% of organizations planned to redefine job roles in response to AI, making manager enablement and role-specific learning a priority for future strategies. (Cognizant)
Facilitating Peer-Driven Learning
Maria Starling, Lead Program Manager at iSpring, led the session. She focuses on building educational initiatives that give L&D professionals hands-on training. The event centered on interactive, peer-driven discussion instead of a standard presentation, so participants could swap ideas and learn from each other’s experiences.
Peer-driven learning matters as organizations work through technology adoption challenges. TalentLMS research, which surveyed 1,500 full-time U.S. employees who had received training on new tools or processes in the past year, found that only 28% consistently used AI after training. Another 36% used AI but sometimes went back to older methods, 12% received training but kept working without AI, and 24% hadn’t been trained to use AI for work tasks. Among those not consistently using AI, 32% pointed to a lack of trust for high-stakes tasks, 25% cited the time needed to check or rework outputs, and 15% each mentioned uncertainty about when AI use was acceptable or simply forgetting to use it. Across all new ways of working, only 41% consistently adopted the new approach, while 52% sometimes slipped back into old habits. (TalentLMS, Human Resources Director)
Applying Insights to Your Learning Practice
For DevLearn attendees, the session offered a chance to reflect on their main takeaways and think about how to put them into practice. For others, it was an opportunity to catch up on the most discussed trends and decide which ideas to explore further. The focus stayed on turning conference inspiration into strategies that fit specific learning goals and organizational settings.
Industry research shows a real adoption problem, not just a lack of awareness. O’Reilly’s 2026 survey of 2,000 U.K. employees found that 39% now go to an AI chatbot first for work answers, while 35% had received no AI-related training or guidance in the past year. Only 21% had completed a formal AI training course, and just 16% had received training tailored to their actual role. Among those using AI-generated answers, 39% had acted on an answer later found to be inaccurate, incomplete, or unsuitable, and only 24% always checked AI-generated answers before using them. Human review and better AI training were the most common ways cited to boost confidence in AI-assisted decisions, at 39% and 35%, respectively. (O’Reilly)
Additionally, a separate HR Dive report on the TalentLMS findings said fewer than half of U.S. employees consistently used new ways of working after training. Among workers expected to use AI, more than one-third sometimes went back to older methods, and 73% mixed old and new ways of working. Also, 60% said their organizations focused on getting results over using the new method, which can weaken training transfer when employees are judged on immediate output instead of safe or standardized process adoption. (HR Dive)
To learn more about the iSpring Learning Exchange Community and upcoming #iSpringNetEvent sessions, visit the official event page.
