Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the nature of work, prompting organizations to rethink how they prepare employees to adapt to shifting roles and business needs. However, AI adoption isn’t as easy as implementing a new tool and expecting employees to use it effectively. Training Industry, Inc., research found that high-performing organizations take an intentional approach to AI adoption, exploring different use cases while testing and refining how it can best support learning. They also report more positive attitudes toward AI, highlighting the importance of strategy and culture in driving impact. 

For learning leaders, preparing employees for an AI-driven future means building AI fluency alongside essential human skills and capabilities. 

OpenSesame is responding to these needs through new partnerships with MIT Sloan Management Review, Second City Works and Vector Solutions. The partnerships expand its learning offerings in AI strategy, leadership, human skills, workplace safety and compliance, while supporting the company’s broader evolution from a learning content marketplace to an AI-powered learning platform. 

Why These Partnerships?  

Through these partnerships, OpenSesame wasn’t just looking to “add content for the sake of adding content,” says Don Spear, CEO of OpenSesame. “The gap we were seeing is employers are trying to prepare people for AI-driven change. But they’re also wanting to continue to strengthen their leadership, communications, safety and compliance. Having all that together in one place is important.”  

The partnership with MIT Sloan Management Review adds more than 65 courses on topics like AI strategy and digital transformation, leadership, business strategy and workplace culture. MIT Sloan Management Review’s combination of “technical understanding and cultural communication through leadership” stood out in the market, Spear says.   

The partnership with Second City Works adds 150 short-form courses focused on human skills such as communication and collaboration. The professional development arm of Second City uses humor and storytelling to make content more engaging and consumable for learners. “People nowadays like to have courses that really feel and look more like their Instagram Reels or TikTok,” Spear says.  

Lastly, the partnership with Vector Solutions expands OpenSesame’s safety and compliance training offerings through OSHA 10 Construction training. Spear notes growing construction activity, including data center development, as one area where the training can help employers quickly prepare workers to enter construction zones while reducing safety risks.  

The Evolution From Learning Content Marketplace to AI-Powered Learning Platform  

The partnerships indicate a shift from providing access to a large content library to helping organizations identify and deliver the right learning for the right learner at the right time.  

With over 68,000 courses in its catalog — including over 2,000 AI-related courses added in the past year — Spear says the challenge isn’t simply providing enough content. “Customers, they continue to need a marketplace, but not one that simply gives them more content. They need help identifying what matters, tailoring content to the employee and connecting it to the work and role.”  

This approach combines human and AI curation with customizable content and AI-driven coaching. OpenSesame considers factors such as the learner’s job role, required skills, current proficiency level and the business outcomes an organization is trying to achieve when determining which learning is most relevant.  

The company’s integration with Workday is another example of this evolution. OpenSesame recently became Workday’s only embedded learning content partner, allowing Workday customers to discover and access OpenSesame courses and tools directly through the platform. Spear says this can help “reduce the friction between identifying a skills gap and then giving an employee a way to close it simply and conveniently.”    

Looking Ahead: Personalization, Relevance and Trust  

As OpenSesame continues to leverage AI for personalized learning, Spear says trusted human expertise will remain essential. AI can help narrow down the vast number of available courses, but L&D teams and managers still need to evaluate and align the content with employees’ individual roles, skill level and business context. The goal, Spear says, is to help organizations build skills, reduce risk and connect learning to measurable workforce outcomes.