Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
As everyone shakes off their holiday fatigue, it’s time to engage again in the tradition that heralds the new working year: predictions! And learning and development (L&D) professionals would be forgiven if they guessed 2025 could be summed up in one word, AI.
Certainly, that was true last year. But as the new year dawns, L&D is at more of a crossroads. AI looms larger than ever, promising a more productive, efficient, and agentic future. At the same time, the skills and qualities that make us uniquely human have never been more important — including our ability to learn and our need to learn from one another.
To get a clearer idea of where we’re going, we asked five industry leaders to weigh in with their predictions for 2025. Let’s peer into their crystal balls and see what they have to say.
“Mentoring will take center stage in learning and development,” says Ruth Gotian, chief learning officer at Weill Cornell Medicine, “transforming from a nice-to-have initiative to a critical investment for organizations. Forward-thinking companies will no longer rely on passive or outdated mentorship programs. Instead, they will actively invest in structured, impactful programs that empower mentors, mentees, and the organization as a whole.
“Why? Because the benefits of mentorship are undeniable. Research consistently shows that mentoring boosts innovation, productivity, and promotions while reducing burnout. These outcomes directly impact an organization’s bottom line, making mentoring one of the most powerful retention tools available.
“In a competitive talent landscape, leaders are realizing that employees don’t just want professional development — they want personalized, human connection. Mentorship provides this, fostering a sense of belonging and commitment that goes beyond a paycheck or perks.
“In 2025, I predict organizations will embed mentorship deeply into their culture, equipping leaders at all levels to serve as mentors. With the rise of hybrid work and AI, mentoring will also evolve to include virtual tools, data-driven insights, and innovative formats. But at its core, it will remain rooted in the human connection that drives trust, growth, and long-term success.
“Mentoring isn’t just a strategy — it’s the future of L&D.”
“In 2025,” says Dr. Terri Horton, a work futurist and CEO of FuturePath, LLC. “L&D leaders will increasingly lean into exploring and leveraging agentic AI to harness its power to streamline processes, connect workflows, and upscale learning experiences. Leaning into agentic AI will catalyze the L&D ecosystem to new levels of efficiency and scale.
“What’s exciting about agentic AI is that it can act autonomously and collaborate with other AI agents to connect every step in the L&D process, from needs assessment to content creation, delivery, and evaluation, as well as administrative tasks like scheduling, reminders, and leadership updates.
“In 2025, agentic AI can empower L&D leaders to be more agile, serve as learning visionaries, and deeply connect learning initiatives and outcomes with organizational goals."
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