“Is this your first ATD? Is this your first ATD?”
Why, yes, it was and what a ride! As one of the lucky Rusticians to attend the ATD International Conference and Expo this year, I felt like Marty McFly stepping out of the DeLorean into a whole new dimension of learning and development. From the energized crowd to the latest tech unveilings, the event felt like a jump forward (and a little sideways) in time. And what stood out most? A collective curiosity about the future of learning, especially when it comes to AI, standards like xAPI and cmi5, and bringing order to content chaos.
Your AI is great, but can it…?
While the AI buzz wasn’t deafening, it definitely had a presence. Most vendors showed off shiny new AI features, particularly around content authorship and curation. But under the hood? Many tools still struggle with context. While many that I talked to do find it generally helpful, it still lacks precision when it comes to understanding your content or your learning topic. Combine that with implementation missteps and surface-level scraping, and it leaves many people wondering whether these tools are Doc Browns or Biffs from the wrong timeline.
It was refreshing to hear some attendees echo what we’ve been emphasizing with Rustici Generator: Without meaningful content context, even the best prompts can’t deliver great results. AI is like a flux capacitor, it’s a tool that needs the right fuel to go anywhere good.
What’s the deal with xAPI and cmi5?
As AI and simulations become more deeply embedded in learning strategies, many attendees found themselves bumping into the same question: “What is xAPI, and how does it fit into this picture?” The industry’s fascination with adaptive and intelligent learning tools has created a renewed interest in tracking learner interactions in a smarter, more dynamic way.
That’s where xAPI shines. It’s no longer a futuristic concept, it’s a current-day solution. Attendees were interested by the idea that xAPI can capture detailed learning data well beyond SCORM’s reach. And when paired with its trusty sidekick Doc Brown – aka cmi5 – it provides a standardized, launchable format for rich tracking in almost any LMS.
In our session, “SCORM’s not dead, but you have options,” we explored how xAPI and cmi5 offer a time-travel-level leap forward in understanding what learners do, plus how they compare to SCORM overall. Afterwards, it was really encouraging to have great questions on xAPI and cmi5 and how they relate to the tools or content they’re already exploring.
Content chaos: It’s still a thing in 2025
It was clear from many conversations—whether at booths, in sessions, or between coffee refills—that content chaos is still very much a reality in 2025. Several attendees shared how their learning ecosystems have become cluttered with duplicate courses, intensive updating processes and content scattered across business units or customers. It’s a challenge compounded by growing content libraries, faster release cycles and mounting pressure to deliver more personalized learning at scale.
Naturally, the discussion turned to centralization. But here’s the nuance many vendors seemed to miss: Their solutions often leaned on the LMS as the central hub. What we heard from attendees, however, reflected a deeper need, one that acknowledges how learning content must live beyond just a single delivery tool. The idea of LMS-agnostic content management came up frequently in conversations, with people recognizing that true agility means being able to switch platforms, serve multiple systems or scale across business units without reworking everything from scratch.
That’s the kind of centralization Rustici has long advocated for, one that simplifies management while expanding flexibility. As more learning leaders begin to rethink the role of their LMS in the bigger ecosystem, it’s clear that LMS-agnostic tools like Content Controller are no longer a “nice to have,” but a strategic necessity. With that said, we were glad to speak on just that topic at ATD with one of our customers Penn Medicine, you can watch the recording and see the slides below.
To the future and beyond
Looking back, ATD felt we were all standing on the edge of a new era. I met innovative thinkers, saw promising tools and had conversations that sparked ideas we’re eager to pursue. The questions learning professionals are asking today, about AI, about eLearning standards, about simplifying their ecosystems, show just how ready they are for what’s next.
We’ll see you in North Carolina for TICE on June 5th, and don’t forget to check out our June 10th webinar on how centralization can eliminate five common training roadblocks.
Great Scott—it’s going to be good.
