Interactivity reimagined: how AI transforms clicks into competence
At 5:00 a.m., Jason, an aircraft maintenance technician, stood airside beneath the landing gear of a 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft had just arrived from an overnight flight, and Jason's task was critical: inspect the landing gear assembly—an intricate network of struts, hydraulics, and high-strength alloys—to ensure it was ready for the next departure.
Jason had completed all the required online training for this procedure. He'd clicked through eLearning modules filled with simplified diagrams, drag-and-drop activities, knowledge checks, and scenario walkthroughs. He'd even earned a perfect score. But now, standing in front of the real landing gear with subtle signs of wear, he felt a twinge of uncertainty. The eLearning modules had looked polished on screen, but they hadn't prepared him for the complexity and pressure of this moment.
The L&D team had leaned heavily on the canned interactivities that came with their go-to authoring tool, Articulate Rise—tabs, timelines, flashcards, and labeled graphics—confident that packing the modules with these elements would drive engagement. But for Jason, the result was a surface-level experience. The courses met compliance requirements, but they didn't deliver the competence or confidence needed to ensure that a Dreamliner was safe to fly.
Why traditional interactivity falls short
For years, digital learning equated interactivity with clicking. The more drag-and-drops, tabs, or hotspots a course contained, the more "engaging" it was considered to be. But this definition has always been shallow. True engagement comes from grappling with problems, practicing judgment, and applying skills— not clicking through prefab interactivities.
And completions are not the same as capability. As we've argued before, it's time to move beyond "seat time" and measure progress against the two better C's: competence and confidence (From completions to the two better C's).
Static, one-size-fits-all courses also leave veterans disengaged and novices overwhelmed. This is exactly why adaptive learning is essential for enterprise training—tailoring pathways so that learners like Jason aren't either bored by what they already know or crushed under what they can't absorb in one sitting (From frustration to fluency).
AI-powered interactivity: adaptive, authentic, alive
AI redefines interactivity. Instead of superficial clicks, it enables training that is responsive, realistic, and individualized:
- Adaptive pathways that adjust to what a learner knows, forgets, and demonstrates.
- Generated scenarios that mirror the complexity of actual tasks, not tired stock photos.
- Open-ended practice with feedback, so learners explain, role-play, or perform—not just guess—and get targeted coaching in return.
- Fading support that starts with step-by-step guidance and then gradually steps back as proficiency grows.
- Metacognitive reflection, where learners explain back concepts in their own words and AI nudges them toward clarity and mastery. This is interactivity that strengthens skills and judgment, not just course completions.
Interactivity in the flow of work
AI also places interactivity right where it matters most—on the job.
A technician scans a QR code on the landing gear and rehearses a hazard-recognition drill. A supervisor role-plays a safety briefing the night before leading a crew meeting. A frontline worker receives a just-in-time refresher on a task resurfacing after weeks of disuse.
This is learning in the flow of work: training that doesn't interrupt the job but powers it.
From passive clicks to active capability
The old model equated "interactivity" with how many widgets you could pack into a module. The new model measures learning by whether employees can adapt, apply, and act with confidence under real conditions.
When interactivity shifts from decoration to deliberate practice, learners stop clicking through content and start building capability.
The future of interactivity is AI-first
Organizations that keep equating interactivity with window dressing will continue producing courses that look slick but fail to deliver performance. The future belongs to those who embrace AI-powered interactivity: adaptive practice, authentic scenarios, and continuous reinforcement that build confidence and competence at scale.
What Jason deserved was training that went beyond polished slides and canned activities—AI-powered practice that adapted to his role, mirrored the complexity of the landing gear in front of him, and built his confidence step by step. Instead of relying on memory from static modules, he should have been able to rehearse realistic scenarios, receive targeted feedback, and build the judgment needed to notice the subtle signs of wear that matter most. That is the promise of AI-powered interactivity: not clicks, but competence.
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