The crossroads moment: Insights from 8 experts on what L&D and HR must become in 2026

As AI commoditizes content creation and automates administrative tasks, HR and L&D functions face an uncomfortable question: What exactly is our value when machines can do what we've traditionally done?

In Lepaya's State of Skills 2026 report, we spoke with eight experts to understand where these functions are headed. Their answers reveal that L&D and HR aren't becoming obsolete; they're becoming essential more than ever. But only if learning professionals fundamentally transform what they do.

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Two possible futures for L&D

The learning function faces an existential question: what happens when AI can generate training content instantly, create learning paths automatically, and answer employee questions 24/7?

Caner Akova, Senior Global Learning Specialist at Evotec, sees two diverging paths:

Path 1: Strategic problem-solver - L&D embeds itself deeply in business strategy, helping leaders identify and address capability challenges with targeted, high-impact solutions.

Path 2: Content validator - L&D gets reduced to fact-checking AI-generated materials without playing a meaningful role in shaping business outcomes.

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What L&D teams should do differently

Organizations that get L&D right won't just survive the AI transition but they'll accelerate because of it. Here's what L&D professionals should do differently:

1. Create continous learning environments

Instead of focusing on course catalogs and completion rates, L&D teams should design ecosystems where learning happens continuously:

• Embedding learning resources directly into workflow
• Building communities of practice that share knowledge organically
• Creating safe spaces for experimentation and honest feedback

Sandra Loughlin, Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems, captures this shift:

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2. Adopt a multidisciplinary approach

The best L&D functions borrow from other disciplines that have mastered engagement and value creation:

• Marketing mindset: Understand audience needs, craft compelling narratives, measure campaign effectiveness
• Product thinking: Build user-centric experiences, iterate based on feedback, design for adoption
• Business partnership: Align initiatives with strategic priorities, demonstrate tangible ROI

Ashley Hinchcliffe, Founder of MAAS Marketing, challenges L&D to embrace this evolution:

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3. Focus on adaptation, not just content delivery

As AI commoditizes content creation, L&D's value shifts to helping people navigate constant change:

• Building capabilities for effective human-AI collaboration
• Fostering distinctly human skills that create competitive advantage
• Creating pathways for continuous career reinvention

Egle Vinauskaite, Director and Strategic Advisor - AI in L&D at Nodes, makes the stakes clear:

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The evolving role of HR

While L&D reinvents its role around capability-building, HR faces an equally important shift. As AI automates administration tasks, the function must move from transactional support to strategic leadership that shapes how organizations work.

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Four strategic shifts defining HR's future

1. Become organizational architects

HR must actively shape how work gets done in an AI-augmented world:

• Determining which roles require human judgment versus AI augmentation
• Creating governance frameworks for human-AI collaboration
• Building systems that scale without losing human connections

Jennifer McClure, Founder of DisruptHR, frames this as a question of readiness:

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2. Champion the irreplaceable human elements

New technologies will change workflows, but HR must protect what makes us fundamentally human:

• Driving culture around empathy, understanding, and genuine connection
• Building inclusive workplaces where diverse talent can thrive
• Ensuring employee well-being remains central, not an afterthought

Dorothy Dalton, Founder of 3Plus International, emphasizes keeping humanity at the center:

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3. Orchestrate capabilities, not just plan headcount

As new technologies evolve, so should HR’s workforce planning strategies:

• Mapping the capabilities organizations need, not just positions to fill
• Developing leaders who enable autonomy rather than maintain control
• Designing career development pathways that evolve with changing skill demands

Dieter Veldsman, Chief HR Scientist at Academy to Innovate HR, describes the expanded mandate:

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4. Design proactively, not reactively

The most strategic HR functions don't just respond to challenges; they anticipate and shape them:

• Using data science to predict capability gaps before they emerge
• Taking a product-oriented approach to employee experience
• Building flexible, adaptive environments that evolve with business needs

Perry Timms, Chief Energy Officer and Founder of People & Transformational HR Ltd, offers this vision:

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The path forward

The organizations that thrive in 2026 and beyond won't be those with the most sophisticated AI tools. They'll be those that systematically build human capabilities on top of that AI foundation: leadership that inspires, ownership that drives autonomy, empathy that builds trust, and critical thinking that navigates complexity.

And the L&D and HR functions that thrive will be those that architect these capabilities at scale, proving that in the age of AI, the most strategic investment a company can make is still in its people.

The choice is yours. Which future will you build?