This is a special episode of Harald’s Curious Corner, recorded right as the L&D Global Sentiment Survey 2026 is released and the conversation across our field starts to shift. Instead of a typical interview arc, this one is more of a pulse check from the survey’s results: what’s rising, what’s fading, and what it tells us about where L&D is heading next.

To make sense of it, I sat down with Donald Taylor, L&D veteran researcher, strategist, and "pulse-taker" of the industry. Donald has chaired the Learning Technologies Conference for 25 years, and his annual survey has become one of the clearest signals we have on what L&D is thinking, worrying about, and moving towards.

We talk about why AI has finally “topped out”, why learning analytics is slipping, and why “showing value” is climbing fast. But the real thread is identity. If content can be generated at ultra-low cost, the job can’t be “make more content”. It has to be getting closer to the business, mapping unknown territory, and proving impact in a way leaders actually understand.

Some curious takeaways:

• Treat AI like electricity: it powers everything, but it is not the strategy
• Stop falling in love with the tool and start falling in love with the problem
• If you want to survive the pressure, build your network inside the business, not just your content library

Episode highlights:

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

(01:56) The biggest surprises in the L&D Global Sentiment Survey

(07:37) Why experimentation and testing fast matters

(10:16) What the survey’s challenge themes are really saying

(14:10) How to apply the report’s insights to your strategy

(17:13) What “AI topping out” actually means for L&D

(20:16) Understanding the shift from personalisation to adaptive learning

(27:17) The shift from learning analytics to “showing value”

(29:53) How L&D can seize the opportunity amidst rising pressure

(35:35) Three things Donald wants to add and remove in the survey

Connect with the guest:

Donald Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldhtaylor/

Download the Global Sentiment Survey 2026: https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/global-sentiment-survey-2026/  

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/