Colossyan Launch 'The Business AI Playbook', A Podcast Focused On AI Initiatives in L&D
Colossyan has launched The Business AI Playbook, a new podcast exploring how AI is reshaping learning and development. In the debut episode, Donald H. Taylor warns that companies risk losing critical knowledge as employees leave - and argues AI can help capture it.
In today’s workplace, one of the greatest threats to business performance isn’t external competition - it’s what walks out the door when employees leave.
That’s the warning from Donald H. Taylor, Chair of the Learning Technologies Conference, who says companies are dangerously underprepared for a world where knowledge lives in people's heads - and people don’t stay.
“People aren’t machines. They leave. And when they do, you risk losing the secret sauce,” Taylor told The Business AI Playbook podcast.
It’s an age-old issue, but now it’s being magnified - and, paradoxically, potentially solved - by artificial intelligence.
The Real Assets Are Walking Out the Door
Back in the 1970s, most company value was tied to tangible assets - buildings, machines, and inventory. Today, intangible assets account for roughly 85% of business value. And according to Taylor, much of that value is stored in one unpredictable place: human minds.
“Now, 85% of a company’s value is intangible - and most of it lives in people’s heads,” he said.
But modern workforce dynamics aren’t what they used to be. Employees stay for shorter periods. Career loyalty is increasingly transactional. And when someone resigns, they often take more than a résumé’s worth of knowledge with them.
What’s lost isn’t always written down - and often can’t be.
“It’s not the documentation. It’s not the LMS. It’s the context, judgment, and real-world experience,” Taylor explained.
AI Is Exposing the Problem - and Offering a Way Forward
At the same time, AI is accelerating workforce mobility. Skills are easier to market, and jobs easier to change.
But new technologies also offer a chance to finally capture and share knowledge at scale - something organizations have long struggled to do effectively.
Examples of emerging solutions include:
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Enterprise AI platforms that connect workplace tools (like Slack or CRM systems) to surface hidden insights.
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Organizational network analysis, revealing how knowledge actually flows across departments.
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AI-powered meeting tools that record, summarize, and organize team conversations.
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Expert avatars, or digital replicas of high performers, that can coach colleagues even after the original expert has left.
But these solutions are only effective within the right environment.
“The biggest blockers? People. Always the people,” Taylor said.
Some employees hoard information. Others may not recognize the value of what they know. Many simply don’t trust where their insights will end up.
Why Culture - Not Just Technology - Still Matters
Even the best AI can’t overcome cultural resistance on its own. Taylor emphasizes that leadership must foster the right incentives, trust, and systems to encourage knowledge sharing.
And in some cases, there may simply be no substitute for hands-on experience.
He shared one anecdote from the 1970s: a team attempting to replicate a laser using perfect documentation failed - because only those who had actually seen it built could get it right.
“Sometimes knowledge can’t be written down. You have to be there.”
What Leaders Can Do Now
For companies preparing for this shift, Taylor offered several practical starting points:
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Focus on frontline pain points. Sales, support, and operations teams often feel knowledge gaps first.
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Measure impact, not output. Track who enables learning - not who writes the most documents.
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Create urgency. Frame knowledge loss as a threat to performance and retention - not just a training issue.
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Make sharing easy. Build systems of trust, access, and structure. Don’t rely on goodwill alone.
“If your best people leave and you haven’t captured what they know, you’re not just short-staffed - you’re behind,” Taylor warned.
The Bottom Line: This Is a Leadership Issue
This is more than a learning and development challenge - it’s a business continuity issue.
Organizations that fail to retain institutional knowledge risk falling behind, not for lack of content, but because they never captured the real value of their people.
“If we don’t solve this, someone else will - and we’ll fall behind.”
And for leaders in HR, AI, or transformation roles, Taylor has one final challenge:
“Ask yourself: am I just creating courses, or am I shaping the strategic outlook of this organization?”
The companies that get this right won’t just hold onto what they know - they’ll be faster, smarter, and more resilient in the face of whatever comes next.
About the Series:
The Business AI Playbook explores how generative AI is transforming work, leadership, and organizational knowledge. Episodes feature real-world insights from executives, researchers, and technology leaders. Watch or listen via YouTube, Spotify, or LinkedIn.