The Human Side of AI: Why Learning Still Needs Us
This week, I built the first draft of a microlearning course in Rise in just fifteen minutes. Fifteen. Minutes.
I’m currently in an AI Innovation and Product Strategy program and just completed Part 1: How to Build an Entrepreneurial AI Strategy. My mind is reeling and, if I’m honest, a little worried. But rather than leaning into fear, I’m choosing curiosity. I’m celebrating that something that once took hours now took minutes and still looked remarkably good.
Of course, that quick result didn’t come from thin air. I came up with the idea, crafted the prompts, and shaped the outline. Those fifteen minutes also included years of experience understanding how people learn and what makes training meaningful. And the course isn’t finished. It still needs work. It still needs a human touch.
That’s the part I keep coming back to. Will organizations want that human touch, or will they take the “good enough” version that AI can produce? Maybe for now, many will settle for good enough. But I know that instructional design is about more than fast content creation.
It’s about empathy, curiosity, and deeply understanding learners before development even begins. That’s more than half the work. The nuance we bring after that first draft, the artistry, the intuition, the ability to read between the lines, are things AI can't replicate.
AI can help us work faster. It can structure, summarize, and even personalize content. But it still struggles with context and connection. The real opportunity is not to replace the human element but to amplify it.
As the founder of Taproot, I see AI as a creative partner, not a competitor. It helps our team design adaptive learning ecosystems and custom learning solutions that are both human and innovative. By blending AI strategy for learning with a people-first mindset, we create microlearning ecosystems that continue to grow and deliver measurable ROI in learning long after launch.
The future of learning will not be built by AI, but it will be built with it. Technology will continue to evolve, but our mission at Taproot remains the same: to create transformative learning experiences that foster curiosity, ignite creativity, and build community.
People First. Growth Always.
Interested in exploring how AI and human-centered design can work together in your organization?
Connect with Taproot to see how we can help you build a learning ecosystem that grows with your people and your business.
Author: Megan Gutierrez
