Can AI Replace Instructional Designers—Or Just Assist Them?

🚀 AI IS TRANSFORMING L&D 💡 BECOME A PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZER 🤖 MASTER PROMPT ENGINEERING 📈 BUILD SYSTEMS, NOT COURSES ⚡ AUTOMATE YOUR WORKFLOWS 🔮 FUTURE-PROOF YOUR CAREER

The AI Revolution in L&D

From Instructional Designer to Human-Machine Performance Analyst

Content isn't authored it is created

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Google's VEO3 Just Crossed the Uncanny Valley – You Won't Believe These AI Videos!

🏚️ The Old L&D Model

Static courses in Storyline, rigid ADDIE processes, content-focused thinking. This model is dead.

⚡ The AI Awakening

AI isn't just a tool anymore—it's a collaborator. The transformation has begun.

🚀 The Future State

Human-Machine Performance Analyst: architect of intelligent learning systems that adapt and optimize in real-time.

1️⃣ Redefine Your Value

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Stop thinking like a content creator. Start thinking like a performance optimizer.

The fundamental shift is from creating static learning content to designing dynamic performance improvement systems.

Key Question: "How can I use AI to close performance gaps in real time?"

• Focus on behavioral outcomes, not content completion
• Design for continuous improvement, not one-time training
• Measure impact on actual work performance
• Build feedback loops that inform system optimization

2️⃣ Learn Prompt Engineering (Deeply)

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Don't just "play" with ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Claude.

Master the art and science of AI collaboration through advanced prompt engineering techniques.

• Structure prompts: Learn role-based, context-aware prompt frameworks
• Chain prompts: Build complex workflows that connect multiple AI interactions
• Design AI workflows: Create repeatable processes for content generation and analysis
• Generate data-driven assets: Use AI to create personalized learning experiences in seconds

This isn't about using AI tools—it's about conducting AI orchestras.

3️⃣ Prototype in Public

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Share what you're building. Turn your process into proof of skill.

Visibility is the new credibility. Document your AI-powered learning innovations publicly.

• Post your AI-powered learning experiences on LinkedIn
• Share your prompt engineering techniques and workflows
• Document your failures and learnings—transparency builds trust
• Create case studies of performance improvements achieved through AI
• Build a portfolio of AI-enhanced learning solutions

Your public work becomes your resume. Your process becomes your differentiator.

4️⃣ Replace "Courses" with "Systems"

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Employees don't need more content. They need performance systems.

Design intelligent systems that support performance in the flow of work.

• AI copilots: Embedded assistants that provide contextual guidance
• Embedded nudges: Smart prompts that appear at the moment of need
• Just-in-time guidance: Dynamic content that adapts to immediate challenges
• Performance analytics: Real-time insights into skill gaps and improvement opportunities

You design the systems. AI delivers the scale.

5️⃣ Audit Every Workflow for AI Assist

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Go task-by-task through your ID process.

Systematically identify automation opportunities in your current workflow.

The Question: "Can a model do this faster, better, or continuously?"

• Needs analysis: AI can process performance data and identify patterns
• Content creation: Generate scenarios, assessments, and interactive elements
• Personalization: Adapt content to individual learner profiles automatically
• Assessment: Create dynamic evaluations that adjust to learner responses
• Analytics: Continuous performance monitoring and improvement recommendations

If yes—build the automation. Transform from manual creator to system architect.

Make the Leap

You're not just an Instructional Designer anymore.
You're the architect of Human-Machine Performance.

The future belongs to those who embrace the collaboration between human creativity and AI capability.

My Journey Through VEO3: Interactive Learning Experience

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My Journey Through VEO3

Ed Reif

"Content isn't authored, it is created"

1. The Catalyst

2. Economic Reality

3. Technical Landscape

4. Evaluation Framework

5. Practical Application

6. Reality Check

7. The Bigger Picture

8. My Verdict

1

The Catalyst

A Comedy Night That Wasn't Quite Human

📺 See the Video

I'm an instructional designer. My job is to turn a 300-page manual no one reads into a 10-minute video everyone skips.

The Experiment

I decided to experiment with VEO3 by creating something completely unexpected: an Instructional Designer Comedy Night using ChatGPT and VEO3.

The Result

The resulting videos were so convincingly human-like, it genuinely caught me off guard. The realism was startling.

The Question

If we can create content this convincing, how do we evaluate whether it's worth integrating into our workflows?

The Comedy Experiment Details ▼

Using ChatGPT to help craft both jokes and video prompts, I generated content featuring an AI-generated performer delivering lines specifically crafted for instructional designers. The lip-sync was nearly perfect, the delivery felt natural, and for moments, I forgot I was watching artificially generated content.

Technical Quality Assessment ▼

The realism was startling. The lip-sync was nearly perfect, the delivery felt natural, and for moments, I forgot I was watching artificially generated content. This experience forced me to confront fundamental questions about the future of content creation.

Strategic Implications ▼

This isn't just about a new tool—it's about fundamentally reimagining how we approach content creation in our field. The question becomes: how do we evaluate whether technology this advanced is worth integrating into our professional workflows?

2

Economic Reality

The Price of Innovation

Free Tier

$0

• Virtually no video generation access
• Extremely limited functionality
• Not viable for professional use

Pro Plan

$20/mo

• Limited renders that reset weekly
• Exhausted in single day of testing
• Basic video generation access

Ultra Plan

$125/3mo

• Sufficient for professional testing
• Extended video generation limits
• Jumps to $250/month after trial
• $3,000 annually

Key Economic Question:

Can this tool generate enough productivity gains and quality improvements to justify a $3,000 annual investment?

3

Technical Landscape

Three Environments, Distinct Capabilities

Google Gemini

Most straightforward approach—simple prompting that generates 8-second video clips with audio. Clean interface, but brief duration requires stitching multiple clips.

Flow

More sophisticated video creation capabilities. Allows extension beyond single clips with text-to-video, frames-to-video, and ingredients-to-video options.

Whisk

Recipe-like approach to video creation. Upload reference images for subjects, define scenes, and specify styles. Creates compelling animated content but lacks audio integration.

4

Evaluation Framework

When AI Helps Evaluate AI

Rather than relying solely on my instincts, I decided to leverage ChatGPT's O3 reasoning model with deep research capabilities.

AI Video Learning Model Evaluation Framework ▼

Core Principles:

• Performance Alignment: Define clear performance outcomes
• Technical Viability: Assess clip length, resolution, voice control limitations
• Quality Standards: Maintain commitment to effective learning experiences
• Scalability Considerations: Evaluate long-term implementation potential

Framework Application:

After experiencing this content, what will the learner be able to do?

5

Practical Application

The Shellfish Safety Project

Learning Challenge

Creating food safety training for shellfish storage in North Carolina—a specific, practical test case for the evaluation framework.

Workflow Integration

The O3 model suggested specific tools: Notion for KPI storage, GPT-4 for scenes, 11 Labs for voice, VEO3 for video, Python for assembly.

Master Style Tokens

Generated detailed, consistent prompts with descriptive language that could be appended to every prompt for visual consistency.

Complete Workflow Breakdown ▼

1. Notion: KPI storage and project management
2. GPT-4: Scene development and script creation
3. 11 Labs: Professional voice track generation
4. VEO3: Video rendering with consistent styling
5. Python: Assembly and post-processing
6. Storyline: Interactive quiz integration
7. LMS: Final deployment and tracking

6

Reality Check

Where VEO3 Stumbles

Generation Inconsistency

Despite detailed prompting, Gemini sometimes refused to generate videos, offering only static images instead.

Audio Quality Issues

Audio quality proved inconsistent. One clip delivered content clearly, while another garbled the speech entirely.

Character Consistency

Clothing and appearance details varied between clips, undermining professional credibility for training videos.

For educational content, where clarity is paramount, this inconsistency poses serious problems.

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The Bigger Picture

Content Creation vs. Content Authoring

Content isn't authored, it is created. Traditional authoring suggests a linear, planned approach. Creation implies something more dynamic, more responsive to the tools available.

The Fundamental Shift ▼

VEO3 represents a fundamental shift toward creation:

• Enables rapid iteration
• Allows quick visualization of concepts
• Generates multiple variations for testing
• Demands new skills: prompt engineering, quality assessment, workflow management
• Requires strategic thinking about when to use traditional methods

Reflection Point:

How might this shift change your approach to instructional design?

8

My Verdict

Current Readiness Assessment

B

Impressive technology that hints at an exciting future, but not quite ready for mission-critical educational content production.

Where It Excels

• ✓ Rapid prototyping of video concepts
• ✓ Creating engaging B-roll content
• ✓ Generating attention-grabbing introductory segments
• ✓ Exploring creative approaches to familiar content

Where It Struggles

• ✗ Consistent audio quality
• ✗ Character and environmental consistency
• ✗ Content longer than 8-second segments
• ✗ Professional-grade reliability

The future of instructional design isn't about choosing between human creativity and artificial intelligence—it's about orchestrating both in service of transformative learning experiences.

Your Next Steps:

What will you do with this information?

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