In this episode, we speak with Dr. Guido Minaya, CEO and Chief Learning Officer at Minaya Learning Global Solutions, about the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence (HI) in workplace learning. The discussion highlights AI’s growing role in corporate training, particularly in automating instructional design, enhancing personalized learning experiences, and improving productivity. Dr. Minaya emphasizes how AI, such as large language models like ChatGPT, can assist in content generation and real-time learner support, as well as enhance leadership coaching and soft skills development. He advocates for a project-based approach to skill development, encouraging organizations to use AI tools to solve real-world business challenges while also fostering collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving among employees. For L&D professionals, the key takeaway is the importance of balancing AI’s efficiency with human creativity, focusing on better outcomes rather than just speed or cost savings.
Episode Transcript
Scott Rutherford: Hello and welcome to the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast. I’m Scott Rutherford. In this podcast series, we focus on driving organizational performance through learning. In this episode, we are looking at the interaction of artificial intelligence and human intelligence, how technology and human factors can work together to support business growth, productivity, and innovation. My guest is Dr. Guido Minaya, CEO and Chief Learning Officer at Minaya Learning Global Solutions, with many years of experience solving learning challenges. Guido, it’s great to have you here.
Guido Minaya: Thank you so much for having me, Scott. I look forward to our conversation.
Scott Rutherford: Everyone understands the impact of AI. It’s universally understood that there’s potential to change how we interact with information and how people work. Looking at workforce development and training, what have you seen as the impact of AI today?
Guido Minaya: Great question. I look at it from my lens and the research available. From our perspective, as an L&D services provider, we moved down this path over a year ago. We asked, how could AI reframe key roles in our organization, such as instructional design? What tools were available, and what might be possible? Our instructional designers explored this, and we did the same with our facilitators, considering how AI could help them become more productive. Recently, I began a program at UC Berkeley on AI business strategy and implementation. The question is, how do you identify initiatives where AI could benefit your organization and develop a strategy to implement it?
There are 300 people in my cohort from all over the world, and it’s exciting to see the transformation in different industries. I’d say that ChatGPT propelled us into adopting AI as a transformational technology. As a large language model (LLM), ChatGPT and others assisted us in this shift. Their role in content generation and automating training from an L&D perspective is incredible, but there are even larger opportunities to impact development as these technologies become more familiar to us.
AI-powered learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Coursera are using it to personalize course recommendations based on past learning behaviors. AI chatbots are also providing 24/7 learner support. You’re beginning to see how these solutions help corporate learning and development, higher ed, and K-12.
Scott Rutherford: The AI recommendation engine makes sense. AI’s strength is finding patterns and predicting what comes next based on large data sets. That plays into its strength, doesn’t it?
Guido Minaya: Absolutely. The ability to now personalize, automate, and enhance the learning experience is something we’re just starting to explore. For example, PwC’s virtual coaching with AI provides employees with real-time feedback on communication, leadership, and negotiation skills, improving soft skills in a structured way. Among those who participated in the program, 92% felt it significantly improved their skills. You see very innovative applications that may be cutting-edge for large companies. The exciting part is how that will cascade down to all sizes of companies.
Scott Rutherford: You mentioned coaching, which leads me to the work you’re doing at the intersection of human intelligence and artificial intelligence. Coaching has been an intensely human process for many decades. You need an expert listener and facilitator, someone who can counsel and support the growth of another person. Can AI be as good or better than a human?
Guido Minaya: It depends on the context. A good analogy is from the movie Good Will Hunting, where Matt Damon’s character knows all the facts but hasn’t lived the experience. That’s what AI is. It can summarize a billion books, but it doesn’t have empathy, creativity, or innovation. We are nowhere near replacing a human because AI lacks the context we bring to the table.
Scott Rutherford: Earlier in the podcast series, we did an episode with Dr. David Nguyen and Judy Pennington. Judy’s advice was to use AI as a brainstorming resource or a foil for asking questions. The humanity and creativity come from the person. You can maintain control over the creative process, using the technology as a sounding board for surfacing facts.
Guido Minaya: Absolutely. AI can assist in developing a perspective on a challenge, help refine conclusions, but ultimately, we must select the course of action. As we train AI to respond as a coach, we feed it documentation and recorded conversations. When we ask it a question like, “How should I manage my employees during a salary change?” it uses all that context to predict its response, but it may only be 80% right. We then add our insights as real managers and leaders.
Scott Rutherford: How do you advise L&D leaders to find the right combination of tools and approaches—using AI where it works best and people where they work best?
Guido Minaya: It goes back to our experience reframing the instructional design and facilitator roles. We looked at real business challenges and adopted a project-based learning curriculum. As we define the problem and the information we have or lack, we ask how AI can assist in the solution. Through collaboration, you are not just developing AI skills but reinforcing critical human skills like communication and innovation.