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TODAY’S THOUGHTS ☠️
Hey there 👋,
With it being Christmas eve eve, I’ll assume you either won’t see this till you land back at your desk (if so, hang in there friend) or you’re doom-scrolling through your emails from boredom.
Either way, I’m glad you’re here.
Since we’re reaching the end of another year, it felt right to do a bit of a reflection and recap (I can’t say ‘rewind’ as a certain streaming service has that IP) some of the biggest thoughts we covered in 2025.
I’ve written 156,000 words across 52 editions to 5,000 people in 2025.
These thoughts might not be the most popular according to my stats, but they’re the ones I believe are the most meaningful and that I enjoyed writing.
Today I’m sharing the 7 best thoughts from the newsletter in 2025.
And guess what? I want to hear your favourite too. Hit ‘reply’ to share yours.
Get your tea or beverage of choice ready 🍵.
We've got lots to discuss!
P.S. Your app might clip this edition due to size. If so, read the full edition in all its glory in your browser.
P.P.S LAST CHANCE: I’m running a short survey on what AI tools you actually use and why.
IN THIS DROP 📔
The premium value of being human
The odd guide to navigating the tyranny of misinformation online
Why L&D can add real value in 2026 and beyond
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THE BIG THOUGHT 👀
My 7 Best Thoughts in 2025
Me, right now
Ready?
Here we go…
1/ The Anatomy of A Modern L&D Team
Now, I update this article every year.
I call it an article but its more like a playbook for the modern L&D leader. I’ve been publishing a new edition of this every year to help leaders craft a team, skills and tech stack to navigate today’s world.
In 2025, it had its biggest update.
And yes, AI had a lot to do with that, yet it goes beyond technology.
In the almost unstoppable AI takeover this year one thing became clear to me, the human element is more crucial than ever.
2/ Everything L&D Teams Need To Know About AI Agents
2025 was supposed to be the year of AI agents - but was it?
I’m not so sure.
This time last year, every tech and AI CEO preached that 2025 would be the year AI agents hit the big time. While I’m not convinced the hype delivered, I do believe these will become important parts of the work ecosystem in the years ahead.
Yet, something that grinds my gears is when a lot of social media gurus try to confuse and deceive the every day human on what exactly AI agents are.
So, that led to me creating this mini-guide for L&D to understand AI agents with out the BS, and explore how they can impact and amplify work as we know it.
3/ The Dangers Of Accepting What You See Online
This isn’t exclusively an L&D thing, yet I really wanted to say something about the state of what I see (and I’m sure you do) online.
The tipping point for me came when I saw one too many so called ‘L&D influencers’ continually spread misinformation through clickbaity headlines about research they didn’t actually read.
There’s a reason you should read beyond the headline.
And with the 2025 word of the year being claimed by “Rage bait”, I believe we need to look deeper into what we see, hear and read in online spaces.
If you want to discover why being a Skeptical hippo could improve your mind, ability to learn and your emotions, then this one is for you, dear reader.
4/ How AI Is Redefining the Way We Assess Learning
Ok, I’m big on the future of learning not focusing on recall with stupid end of course tests and quizzes, but shifting to human reasoning.
The catalyst for this? Yes, you guessed it…AI.
In this one, I propose that now is the time to ditch the memory games in place of true activities that nurture human intelligence through the use of modern tech solutions.
If you fancy shaking things up in 2026, the come join me in this one.
5/ Why Skill Erosion is a Real Problem That No one Can Ignore
I kinda think of this post as a sequel to my analysis on “The Hidden Impact of AI on Your Skills”.
Somehow, it’s been a year since I hit publish on that one.
The message of that piece was to think deeply about the over-reliance we will easily slip into with AI, and how easy it will be to convince ourselves we’re learning how to do something, when in reality, AI is doing it for us.
A year later, I only see more activity, which has amplified both.
That’s not to say there are not those who are rejecting total delegation to AI and those finding the balance between artificial and human intelligence.
As society obsesses over what it gains from AI, perhaps we should be asking what we lose, too.
6/ How To Stop AI From Hijacking Your Thinking
Let’s be honest, we’re all using AI in our day to day in someway, and that’s a good thing.
It’s an incredible piece of technology in the right hands, of course.
But as more of the online world becomes AI-ified, you must ask: Are you thinking with AI, or is AI shaping your thinking?
In this kinda mind-bending article, we explore what happens to human thinking when so many outsource it to an artificial construct.
7/ Where L&D Adds Real Value In The AI Noise
Let’s end it on a positive one, shall we?
I love learning, and I’ve loved my L&D career. We add so much value in many situations and that’s what keeps me writing more words every week.
While AI is changing the world, I don’t see it replacing human learning and those who work in organisations working to amplify that. It will look different but it won’t die (fyi, human learning will never die).
There’s been a ton of talk about AI adoption the last two years
It’s odd because the validation of “adoption” has many definitions dependent on the context and environment. The common pitfall is to measure adoption as ‘use of AI tools’ alone.
As we know with previous technology, usage alone doesn’t mean meaningful adoption.
Setting what adoption looks like in your organisation is not a task for the L&D team.
Yet, we have an opportunity to contribute to long term and meaningful adoption of AI across workforces as part of a wide collaboration in a community.
Lets talk about that.
Final thoughts
We have one more edition left in 2025, so I’ll save my final reflections until then.
For now, thank you for joining me as always, and enjoy your holiday and end of year celebrations.
Much love to you and yours ❤️
P.S. Don’t forget to share your favourite thoughts from 2025 with me too.
→ If you’ve found this helpful, please consider sharing it wherever you hang out online, tag me in and share your thoughts.
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VIDEO THOUGHTS 💾
The Video Series I’m Most Proud Of In 2025
One of my most used tools of 2025 was NotebookLM.
If you follow me on LinkedIn (and if you don’t, do feel free to stalk me there) you may have seen my ‘how-to’ videos showcasing how I use the platform and its newest feature releases.
After filming a bunch of these, I decided to make it easy for you to find all of them in one curated video series on my YouTube channel.
You’ll find 11 videos sharing my research techniques, crafting audio overviews, best practices in leveraging your notebook insights, and more.
Enjoy 😊.
Till next time, you stay classy, learning friend!
PS… If you’re enjoying the newsletter, will you take 4 seconds to forward this edition to a friend? It goes a long way in helping me grow the newsletter (and cut through our industry BS with actionable insights).
And one more thing, I’d love your input on how to make the newsletter even more useful for you!
So please leave a comment with:
Ideas you’d like covered in future editions
Your biggest takeaway from this edition
I read & reply to every single one of them!
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