“How can L&D leaders stay strategic in the age of AI?”

Previously, we were shifting our perspective from technology to leadership. For this episode, we’re shifting the focus to leadership and strategy. 

I chat with Dr. Ashwin Mehta, founder and CEO of Mehtadology, an AI researcher, and someone who runs a company with more agents than people. He brings sharp technical and practical insight to a question many L&D teams still face: How does AI reshape our work?

We discuss the three key forces shaping the future of corporate AI: agents, data, and middleware. We also explore what it means when L&D isn’t just owning content anymore but designing entire learning ecosystems. Ash doesn’t sugarcoat it: building courses manually is becoming obsolete, and governance, risk appetite, and mindset are now the real bottlenecks.

Some curious takeaways:

• The future of L&D lies in autonomy, not control
• AI amplifies human judgment but doesn’t replace it
• Self-awareness in L&D leaders is key to navigating AI

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner

(02:08) The three pillars shaping AI’s direction: agents, data, and middleware

(04:46) Why L&D struggles with value chains 

(07:15) What successful L&D + IT collaboration really looks like today

(10:14) Why most organizations aren’t using agentic AI yet (and the real blocker)

(12:34) Can AI coaching paired with human oversight raise the bar?

(14:32) What L&D should stop doing now

(16:00) A simpler way to rethink your operating model

(17:54) Why data quality defines whether AI succeeds or stalls in L&D

(22:33)  How to shift from content creation to reproducible systems

(29:01) Voice agents, natural interaction, and how work will change 

(33:02) The instruction vs learning gap L&D can’t ignore

(35:12) Why pull-based learning is the real revolution

Connect with the guests:

Dr. Ashwin Mehta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ashwin-mehta/ 

Explore Mehtadology: https://mehtadology.com/

Follow me on the following sites:

Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/ 

Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/