There is trepidation in the learning and development community right now.

With AI shifting the landscape daily, many are asking: What will the role of an L&D professional be in the future? What will the role of the function be??

I sat down with Josh Cardoz, Chief Creative & Learning Officer at Sponge Learning, to get a pulse on 2026. Josh is mostly excited - tempered with a warning for those wishing to go back to the old ways of doing things.

Key Takeaways from our Conversation:

- AI is a double-edged sword: Yes, AI will finally make hyper-personalization a reality. No more single course to solve a problem for 10,000 people.

- A loss of community: Josh warns of a "related loss of community." If everyone is on a perfectly curated, solo AI path, we risk losing the shared standards and human connection that make a culture strong.

- A shift in L&D language: L&D pros need to stop talking about "training" and "learning" and...

- A business mindset: we need to talk about business problems and keep the L&D to ourselves

Josh also shared some consulting tips that are gold for engaging with clients.

*Connect with Josh and Sponge*

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcardoz/Sponge Learning: https://www.spongelearning.com/

*Connect with Andrea*

Website: https://thehrhub.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/