U.S. corporations spend $177 billion annually on talent development. But with labor competition intensifying amid the Great Resignation, expectations are growing. Employees are now demanding more diverse opportunities and have become outspoken about what will fuel their motivations and loyalty. Items of high importance include training and progressive diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) solutions. According to PwC, 85% of women and 74% of men seek employers with diversity and inclusion strategies.

The pandemic has taught us many lessons and opened our minds to new ways of doing things, including understanding the potential of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). AI/ML models and algorithms have supplemented the work of healthcare professionals, medical researchers, public health authorities and local administrations in monitoring and predicting trends. Lockdowns have led to a boom in Internet consumption. According to the Department of Telecommunications, Internet consumption in India rose by 13% after the lockdown was announced. Higher consumption has generated goldmines of user data that online businesses can harness.

Whether they be for generating artificial intelligence used in data analysis, simulation, modelling, and the data sciences, advanced AI algorithms are the foundations of the Next Digital Wave. Democratizing access to AI resources and nurturing the next generation of AI talent is crucial to Canada's success in riding that wave. There was a time, not so long ago, when AI was for the elite: those in ivory towers and silicon campuses around the world. The democratization of AI starts with access: access to advanced computing platforms, job training, talent development, incubators, accelerators, and funding opportunities. If Canada's innovators and entrepreneurs are going to move quickly and effectively in the AI space, we need to see widespread uptake of the latest tools and methods.

The importance of big data and analytics, the intersection of design and development, and the evolving compliance and regulatory landscape are just a few factors influencing the growing need for hybrid skills in the modern workforce, according to new research by Burning Glass Technologies. The Hybrid Job Economy: How New Skills Are Rewriting the DNA of the Job Market explores how the rise of automation, artificial intelligence, and digital tools are making jobs more complex and demand a hybrid of hard and soft skills. For instance, LinkedIn's 2018 U.S. Emerging Jobs Report predicts businesses can expect to see a 190 percent global increase in jobs that demand workers skilled in AI. To glean insight into this trend, Burning Glass examined nearly a billion current and historical job postings. The analysis revealed that one in eight job postings is now highly hybridized, encompassing more than 250 occupations across multiple industries.

Garbage In/Garbage Out (GIGO) Many projects fail because project managers forget to check data quality or do not have the right approach to identify and resolve these issues. When we analyze incomplete or "dirty" data sets, our AI ends up making decisions and recommendations based on a poor foundation. Apples and Oranges Comparing unrelated data sets and/or data points will result in inferring relationships or similarities that do not exist. Overly Narrow Focus Some projects are designed to consider one data set without considering other data points that might be crucial for the analysis. For example, a project set up to analyze learner pass/fail rates while ignoring the course completion rate may inflate performance results. Cool but Useless Some AI projects are quick to deliver but fail to make a significant impact on the learner's everyday experience. Ensure that you have the right strategy to deliver the most value to your learners and avoid giving them something cool that doesn't really help them learn. My advice is to just get on with it. Make a point of learning something about AI and machine learning every day, always with an eye to how you might be able to use it in your own organization.

As ATD marks its 75th year, we want to take time to talk to industry luminaries about where the field of talent development has been, where it is going, and what professionals need to succeed. There is no better place to start than a conversation with Elaine Biech, whom many consider an industry treasure. As president of ebb associates inc, a strategic implementation, leadership development, and experiential learning consulting firm, Elaine has helped organizations develop their talent and navigate change. She has presented at dozens of national and international conferences, is the author of more than 80 books, and has been featured in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Management Update, Investors Business Daily, and Fortune. A long-time volunteer for ATD, she has served on its National Board of Directors and been the recipient of numerous awards. More importantly, Elaine has led the charge in the evolution of training and talent development--helping it transform from an order-taking function to a fully realized profession and strategic partner that businesses need to excel. However, I still didn't know there was a profession called "training," and I'd never heard of Malcolm Knowles, Don Kirkpatrick, or of the other thought leaders in our field.