Harald’s Curious Corner

AI is becoming L&D’s newest employee. Who’s onboarding it?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Christie Vanorsdale of Vanorsdale Learning Lab, Kelly Morin of SPARK Performance Strategies, and Ibrahim Faizan of DXC Technology for a practitioner-led conversation about what it takes for L&D to have real impact in the AI era.

One idea kept surfacing throughout our conversation. AI cannot compensate for weak foundations. If teams are unclear about the behaviour they want to change or the business problem they are trying to solve, producing more content at greater speed will not get them any closer to meaningful results.

That raises a bigger question about the role L&D should play. Instead of being the team that takes an order and builds a course, we need to get much closer to the problem. As Dr. Christie puts it, if you diagnose the wrong problem, you end up spending time and money on the wrong solution. AI makes that shift more urgent. It also gives L&D an opportunity to rethink where we can genuinely add value.

Some curious takeaways:
  • Start with diagnosis before deciding that training is the answer
  • Treat AI like a new employee that needs context and clear expectations
  • Measure L&D by the improvements it creates, not the content it produces

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(01:23) Why skills-based learning starts with behaviour change
(05:59) Are organisations actually closing their skills gaps?
(09:13) Why better learning starts with clearer goals
(12:46) Where AI adds real value in L&D
(15:45) Why AI should be your second brain
(19:11) What if AI were your newest employee?
(25:17) Why managers can make or break learning transfer
(29:20) Creating psychological safety for AI experimentation
(33:23) Giving managers a bigger role in behaviour change
(37:54) What separates real L&D impact from the illusion?
(41:36) Why diagnosis should come before training

Connect with the guest:
Kelly Morin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-mo/
Explore SPARK Performance Strategies: https://www.sparkperformancestrategies.com/ 
Dr. Christie Vanorsdale, Ed.D, Ms.Ed. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christievanorsdale-learning/
Explore Vanorsdale Learning Lab: https://www.vanorsdalelearninglab.com/ 
Ibrahim Faizan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ibrahim-lowna/
Explore DXC Technology: https://dxc.com/ 

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/ 
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/


What is Harald’s Curious Corner?

Harald’s Curious Corner is where curiosity meets connection.

Harald chases that question with a guest, gathers perspectives from voices across the industry, and then steps back to reflect on what it all means. The show unfolds like a story arc, part exploration, part roundtable, part reflection, blending imagination with analysis.

The result: trusted insights, meaningful conversations, and forward-looking takeaways that shine a light on where learning is headed next.