How AI Is Reshaping Performance Support at Work

The real learning in the flow of work has arrived

Author

Ross Stevenson
February 25th, 2025

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 TODAY’S THOUGHTS ☠️

Hey there 👋,

AI has been promising a lot these last few years.

In an edition a few weeks back, we looked at how Google is attempting to evolve the education system with its LearnLM model, specifically trained on learning science principles.

While I’m keen to see how that develops, I know a lot of us are in workplace L&D teams.

In my opinion, it’s less about learning at work and more about performance.

I’m sure there’ll be a few eye rolls at that sentence, but most organisations are looking to L&D to build capability and performance, not help people learn.

So, how can new tech support this?

Josh Bersin coined the phrase “learning in the flow of work” back in 2018, yet we never really had the tech to realise that vision. In 2025, it’s a different story.

Today, we’re exploring how AI is reshaping performance support at work with multimodal tools that can see and speak.

Get your tea or beverage of choice ready, 🍵.

We've got lots to discuss!

 TL;DR 📰

  • What happens when AI can see and hear?

  • The next wave of ‘resources, not courses’ for performance

  • What I Learned after 2 years of Implementing AI at Work

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 THE BIG THOUGHT 👀

How AI Is Reshaping Performance Support at Work

Its Happening The Office GIF by NBC

This is the feeling

Since generative AI tools crashed into our lives, everyone from tech bros to social media gurus has declared that it’s going to reshape education and learning.

We’ve seen AI models built specifically for education, changing how students receive support in a previous edition covering when AI is trained on learning science a few weeks back.

But what about the workplace?

Performance is bigger than learning at work

Workplace learning is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and everyone wants a slice of that pie.

Unlike traditional education, a lot of workplace learning is focused on performance. It's getting people the right support exactly when they need it.

I’m not talking about learning deep concepts or broad skills for life. That’s a different game entirely. Performance support is about immediate problem-solving.

It’s resources, not courses as Mr Shackleton-Jones would say.

The reality is we face a series of small - mid-level performance blockers daily

Stuff like:

  • How do I use VLOOKUP in Excel?

  • How can I convert this PowerPoint into Google Slides?

Yes, basic things, I’m aware.

These micro-challenges fill our workdays, but the answers are often buried deep in Google searches or trapped in some long-forgotten company SharePoint.

Now this might not be what you class as 'learning' but they stop people from performing, and if we agree that workplace learning is actually enhancing performance, then these are big problems.

Multimodal AI Tools are reshaping our experience

For those unfamiliar with the term "Multimodal" it just means multiple inputs and outputs.

So you can have:

  • A text input and output

  • A text input and visual output

  • An audio input and text output

We’re no longer limited to just asking AI how to do X.

It can now see, hear, and respond in real time.

Voice and vision capabilities mean we can talk to AI tools, show them what we’re working on, and get on-demand help. Instead of scrolling through pages of search results, we can (actually) solve problems in the flow of work.

How you can try this at zero cost

I'm not going to assume everyone has a paid license to top of the range AI tools.

Instead, I'll show you how this type of performance support can work with a zero-cost tool courtesy of those folks at Google.

In Google AI Studio, you can test multimodal features for free. You can talk to the AI, show it your screen, and work together to solve problems in real-time.

With this, you can:

  1. Talk with Gemini Live.

  2. Show it what you’re working on.

  3. Share your screen for real-time support.

It’s simple.

Head over to Google AI Studio.

Select your AI model (Gemini 2.0), choose your output format (audio, text, etc.), and start collaborating.

And...of course, here's a step-by-step video on how to do that ↓

Note: AI isn’t perfect. You, the human, still need to apply critical thinking and validate results.

Support Tool, Not a Replacement

This is where on-demand performance support is heading.

We’re not talking about replacing human expertise, but rather evolving traditional job aids, FAQs, and knowledge bases into dynamic, AI-powered conversational support systems.

We can:

  • Help employees understand new concepts.

  • Troubleshoot technical issues in real time.

  • Set up hardware and software.

Not everything needs a full-blown training course.

Sometimes, we just need an answer now.

Plus, solutions like this can only help us focus more on the human stuff that matters. I mean, do you really want to keep buying and running Excel courses for teams in 2025? I’ll leave you to ponder that.

Final Thoughts

This is still in its infancy.

ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and other AI tools are already capable of vision and real-time interaction. More will follow.

The key question is: How will organisations (and you) use this?

Perhaps. it’s time, once again to rethink how we provide support with today’s technology. It’s not a case of either/or. We have an opportunity to shape how this plays out.

This is just the beginning.

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👀 ICYMI (In case you missed it!)

Till next time, you stay classy, learning friend!

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 TECH THOUGHTS 💾

What I Learned After 2 Years Of Implementing AI at Work

Using, deploying and getting ROI from AI tools is so much more than using tools alone.

After implementing AI across different work scenarios for 2 years, these are the key insights I've learned about what actually works (and what doesn't).

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