The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: LN Connect conference looks ahead to L&D’s future, while research explores meditation, human performance, AI slop, digital burnout, brain-based decision-making, the LEET campaign and when AI models can genuinely explain learning in practice.
TJ conference 2026 coming soon!
L&D means business – that’s the focus of the Training Journal conference 2026.
It’s coming up in September and we’ll have ticket sales and more details on our conference page.
Instructor-led training has never been benchmarked. Until now. Take part in the 2026 State of ILT Survey.
The ILT market has no dedicated benchmarking data. Pricing, delivery formats, technology adoption, commercial confidence. Training providers have been making decisions without a clear picture of what the rest of the industry is doing. The State of Instructor-Led Training report is here to change that.
Produced by Arlo and The Training Marketplace, with expert analysis from an advisory panel and buyer behaviour data drawn directly from The Training Marketplace platform, this will be the most comprehensive look at the ILT industry ever published.
AI trust and governance emerge as the real competitive edge in business transformation, KPMG study finds
Despite widespread AI adoption, very few organizations are able to translate rapidly scaling AI activity into sustained enterprise-level impact, according to new global research from KPMG International.
The study, Transforming the Enterprise, which is based on a survey of more than 1,750 senior leaders across 20 countries, reveals a growing disconnect between AI adoption and enterprise performance.
- 58% of leaders say enterprise-wide capabilities are critical, but only 12% deliver them effectively
- 75% expect gains from human and AI working together, but only 19% have a workforce ready
- Only 28% of organizations track operational or revenue outcomes linked to trusted AI
Tokenmaxxing and worker isolation – the unintended AI impacts plaguing employers
Lonely workers suffering low morale and cash being burned on wasted tokens are among the unwanted consequences of rapid artificial intelligence adoption, recent reports from leading big tech executives have revealed.
Business leaders are citing challenges with managing the behaviour of their human workforce, as escalating costs and stretched budgets mount scrutiny over the billions of dollars being pumped into AI tools.
UK skills plans to train local people for local jobs
New plans will make sure local training equips people with skills needed by local employers. A total of 39 Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) have been unveiled across England, covering the next three years.
They provide detailed insight and analysis into what priority economic sectors and jobs are for each given area.
LN Connect 2026: Building the Future
Connect is The Learning Network’s annual conference, and tickets are on sale at the Early Bird rate for a limited time only! Join them at the new venue, Eastside Rooms in Birmingham, on 27th November for a day of networking and knowledge sharing.
This year, they are taking a look ahead: what does the future look like for L&D, and how can we prepare ourselves?
Donald Taylor will open the day with a look at the decisions we must make now that we’re beyond the initial shock of generative AI. Susi Miller will close the day by bringing us back to the heart of it all: the people.
Scientists say just 7 days of meditation can rewire your brain
An intensive seven-day meditation retreat triggered striking changes across the brain and body, including shifts tied to neuroplasticity, immunity, metabolism, and natural pain relief. Participants also showed brain connectivity patterns resembling those associated with psychedelic experiences, suggesting that powerful altered states may be achievable without drugs.
Mediazoo Group launches free Human Performance campaign to tackle the growing performance gap in organisations
The free campaign brings together the Group’s three specialist businesses, Uncertainty Experts, Mediazoo and Finer Vision, around a shared proposition: organisations perform best when they equip leaders, enable teams and scale capability together.
The campaign is inspired by findings from the Uncertainty Experts Decisiveness Crisis Report, which found that 65% of leaders prioritise certainty over clarity under pressure, contributing to slower decisions, reduced confidence and a gap between leadership intent and organisational performance.
LinkedIn offers the option to report AI slop
LinkedIn is the latest social media platform to give users a means to flag artificial intelligence-generated content. The platform is testing a new option that will let members report likely “AI slop” in-stream.
It’s another way for LinkedIn to combat the rise in automated comments, which threatens to undermine trust in platform engagement. At the same time, this also runs counter to LinkedIn’s own push to integrate more generative AI elements, such as those that assist with job ads, job applications, posts and articles.
The great digital fatigue: How digital burnout is changing social media use
People are quietly withdrawing from active participation in social media. Incogni’s researchers surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 adults to investigate people’s attitudes surrounding social media and online engagement more broadly, the extent to which they’re limiting or eliminating social media usage, their reasons for this, and what they experienced after doing so.
- People are becoming quieter and more guarded online: 55% report posting less now than they did five years ago
- 53% have become stricter about who can see their posts
- Nearly half (47%) of respondents have deleted a social media or messaging app because of stress or anxiety
Scientists discovered the brain doesn’t make decisions the way we thought
A new study suggests the brain begins making decisions much earlier than scientists previously thought. Researchers found that even primary sensory regions are influenced by higher brain areas through rapid feedback loops, rather than simply passing information forward. This more dynamic view of brain function could help engineers design future AI systems that think more like biological brains while using far less power.
Gi Group UK backs call to change NEET to LEET
Staffing firm Gi Group UK became the latest group to back an open letter to change the long-standing UK employment classification NEET, which many now say is outdated and reductive of the efforts of young job seekers.
The initiative, launched by Be Free Campaign, seeks to change NEET — which stands for not in education, employment or training — to LEET, which refers to looking for education, employment and training.
When can AI models explain learning?
A review synthesises an emerging paradigm that treats artificial intelligence (AI) systems not merely as predictive tools or instructional technologies, but as cognitive models of learners, explicit, runnable instantiations of theoretical assumptions about cognition and learning.
The central question is not whether AI systems can serve as cognitive models, but when they should be allowed to count as such.
Training Industry, Inc. Acquires Chief Learning Officer and Chief Talent Officer Brands
Training Industry, Inc., a trusted partner in the corporate training market, today announced it has acquired substantially all the assets of BetterWork Media Group, which includes the Chief Learning Officer and Chief Talent Officer brands. The acquisition brings together three respected brands with decades of experience serving learning and talent professionals.
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