Overview
We’ve just wrapped up a research study that’s been a year in the making: in-depth interviews with 20 UK membership organisations, supplemented by live polling across our webinars between January and June, giving us the views of around 100 professionals with responsibility for learning and education.
The picture that emerges is one of a sector under real pressure to modernise, but held back by familiar constraints: legacy systems, thin budgets, and a shortage of digital and AI expertise.
Some of the numbers are stark. 93% of L&D leaders cited content digitisation as their number one improvement priority for the next 12 months. Yet 52% told us they’re not getting the most out of their existing learning systems, and only 13% said their LMS is working really well for them.
On AI specifically, the gap between interest and action is wide. 80% of organisations say AI is now emerging in strategic conversations, and 90% recognise they need a formal AI usage and data policy – but none, at the time of interview, actually had one in place. Only 20% had used AI in any capacity at all.
Talking to leaders directly, the tone was less “resistant” and more “cautiously curious.” One interviewee at a chartered institute put it well: AI could be transformative for learning delivery, but they need to understand it deeply before adopting anything. Another, from a professional guild, admitted AI is on their radar, but they’re still trying to get the basics of digital learning in place first.
That’s the real story here. Sequencing matters. Most organisations are trying to solve AI readiness before they’ve solved digital readiness, and the two get tangled together in ways that stall progress on both fronts.
Our recommendations focus on unpicking that knot: build the business case for investment with a clear ROI story, develop a digital learning roadmap before layering AI on top, invest in specialist content design support rather than stretching internal teams further, and put sector-specific AI governance in place early, even if it starts light-touch.
There’s a clear appetite in the sector to learn, experiment safely, and eventually embed AI where it genuinely serves members. What’s missing is the tailored guidance and trusted partnership to make that happen with confidence rather than guesswork.
