The content illusion

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
– Steve Jobs

A misconception is gaining ground in talent development—especially as we grow more comfortable with how easy AI makes it to create content: That effective learning content is easy to produce.

It isn’t.

What is easy is creating generic content. It can be well-structured, broadly applicable, and endlessly scalable. But that’s exactly why much of it fails to improve performance.

Real impact requires more than information. It requires precision.

It starts with understanding the role, the decisions people face, and the moments that actually matter. It means designing for application, not just consumption. And it is grounded in behavioral science and research about what actually drives behavior change.

That level of specificity takes real effort.

The organizations seeing real impact are approaching this differently. They are more selective—not just about what they use, but who they trust to help deliver it. They look beyond access to content or platforms and focus on approaches that are proven in practice and tied to real outcomes.

The difference is meaningful. One scales activity. The other changes behavior.

So as you look across your learning portfolio, what is truly designed to drive performance—and what is simply designed to scale?

At a time when AI makes it easier than ever to produce more, the real advantage is shifting toward clarity, focus, and what actually works. If you are exploring ways to make that shift, it’s a conversation worth having.

We have a few ideas. 🙂

One great thing for 04.28.26 – Reimagine learning and development for the AI age – McKinsey & Company