The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: Workplace honesty, small-business appeal, placebo memory gains for adults, LinkedIn collaboration option, Getty’s OpenAI deal and DevLearn’s 2026 programme all point to changing trust, technology and learning choices across work and professional development.
The L&D industry’s AI problem isn’t adoption – it’s knowing how to use it for real impact
The landscape of AI in the workplace has transitioned from an initial focus on safety and compliance to a new stage beyond the “honeymoon phase” of adoption. Rather than simply layering AI onto existing structures, organisations are now embedding technology directly into workflows to improve outcomes. But, as organisations move from adoption to application, a harder question is emerging: is AI being used to drive real performance impact, or simply to produce more content, faster?
The Future of L&D 2026 report from Access Learning, part of The Access Group, brings together perspectives from leading industry voices to explore how the role of L&D is changing in response to these shifts.
Big AI investors increase entry-level hiring, research finds
Companies making the largest investments in artificial intelligence are increasing their intake of entry-level workers, according to research from Revelio Labs and Ramp.
The study found that organisations making the largest AI investments increased the share of entry-level employees in their workforce, while companies making smaller AI investments recorded a decline. High-intensity adopters also expanded overall employment, while lower intensity adopters did not.
Younger workers may be falling behind in critical thinking skills
Generation Z and millennial workers may lack some important soft skills needed to succeed in artificial intelligence-related roles, according to new research from AI candidate screening platform Cangrade.
Across every sector, five soft skills appeared in most AI-related job postings, with 83% requiring at least three, the report said. When assessed, younger workers were 14% above average when it came to communication and just below 1% in strategic thinking.
However, these younger workers were 18% below average in critical thinking, 17% below average when it came to attention to detail and 10% below average when it came to creative problem solving, per the report.
Work experience reduces NEET risk by 80%, study finds
Giving young people opportunities to spend time with employers before they leave school could improve their future employment prospects, research has found. Young people with high levels of employer engagement before age 16 were 80% less likely to become NEET (not in education, employment or training) than those with least exposure, according to charity Education and Employers’ Work Experience: Past, present and future report.
These experiences help young people build confidence, develop workplace skills and make informed career decisions, the study suggested, which was based on surveys of young adults, teachers and employers and analysis of 47 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) longitudinal studies.
One in five UK employees lie to their boss monthly, yet managers lie the most, Careerminds research finds
Over three-quarters (77.3%) of UK employees admit lying at work, and the more senior they are in the organisation, the more frequently it occurs. With almost two-thirds (64.0%) of UK managers feeling exhausted most of the time, according to the CIPD Working Lives Report 2025, the growing wellbeing gap helps explain why a small fib is often the quickest way through the day.
Research from Careerminds UK surveying 600 UK employees about their workplace honesty finds:
- More than 3 in 4 UK employees (77.3%) tell white lies to their manager, with 1 in 5 doing so at least monthly.
- Nearly 3 in 10 managers (29.0%) admit lying to their own boss at least monthly, compared with 9.2% of entry-level employees.
- The top workplace lies are calling in sick when not ill (26.3%), faking agreement with a decision (24.8%) and feigning unread messages (23.8%).
Two in three UK workers are ditching big corporations for small businesses, Careerminds research finds
Global corporations such as Oracle, Amazon, Meta and others have cut over 100,000 jobs globally in the first months of 2026 alone, the highest quarterly figure since early 2023. On the other hand, the UK’s start–up climate continues to show strong growth, with over 2,500 open positions across its thriving ecosystem.
Careerminds UK’s latest survey of 600 UK workers investigates how a wave of corporate redundancies and start-up explosions is affecting worker trust.
Key findings:
- 2 in 3 (67.1%) UK workers would now prefer to work at a small business or start-up over a large corporation
- Nearly half (47.0%) would choose a small business specifically to support their employer, not just for security
- Only 1 in 3 (33.0%) believe global companies still offer the best career opportunities
They knew the pill was fake but their memory still improved
A placebo, or fake supplement, may offer real benefits for older adults, according to new research from psychologists at the Università Cattolica in Milan. After taking placebo pills for three weeks, participants showed improvements in both physical performance and cognitive function.
Surprisingly, the benefits were seen even when participants knew the pills contained no active ingredients.
LinkedIn adds collaborative posts
LinkedIn announced a collaborative posts feature, which will enable creators to invite other LinkedIn members to be co-creators of in-stream posts. LinkedIn’s collab posts will be accessible via a new Add Collaborators option within post settings, accessible via the composer options. Users will then be able to invite other LinkedIn users or company pages to partner on posts.
Getty Images enters into content deal with OpenAI
With advances in AI making it ever easier to digitally recreate the editorial and stock images that are the core of Getty’s business, the company is looking for new revenue streams. Getty has long been one of the world’s foremost image libraries, with an archive of millions of pictures and working partnerships with more than 600,000 content creators.
There has been no mention yet of whether ChatGPT will be able to alter the images supplied. Nor has there been any reference to the possibility of Getty images being used to train OpenAI’s generative models.
DevLearn conference and expo launches the 2026 program
The program for DevLearn Conference & Expo 2026 has been announced, introducing a range of new learning experiences designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s learning professionals.
Returning to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas from November 4–6, 2026, this event brings together learning professionals from around the world for an engaging and forward-looking program focused on innovation, skills and real-world application.
This year’s edition offers expanded opportunities for attendees to engage with content, apply learning in real time, and explore solutions tailored to the challenges they face in their day-to-day roles.
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