AI tools for eLearning

Do you need to develop, translate, visualize, and deliver learning content—and do it as quickly, professionally, and accurately as possible? Sounds like an average day for eLearning authors, trainers, and L&D managers. AI tools can help here. But which ones are really worthwhile? What can they do? And when are they more of a hindrance than a help?

This article will give you a clear overview of which AI tools bring real added value to eLearning, and what they’re most suitable for. From texts to questions, audio, images, and video, you’ll learn what’s feasible, where the limitations lie, and how you can use AI as a real productivity and creativity booster. Without an overflowing toolbox. Without the technical jargon. But with real-world relevance.

ChatGPT and Gemini are powerful language AIs (LLMs) that specialize in text. They analyze prompts, understand contexts, and create well-structured texts in a matter of seconds. Whether you’re developing brand-new learning content or revising existing texts, these tools can support you in every phase of content creation.

DeepL complements this process as a high-quality translation and language optimization tool. It delivers accurate, context-based translations and helps refine your content stylistically, making it ideal for international training courses.

ChatGPT and Gemini take care of generating the raw version while you focus on the fine-tuning and didactics. You specify the topic, target group, and rough content direction, and immediately receive a structured content proposal including an introduction, main section, ways to apply the knowledge, or even a learning objectives teaser.

One particularly helpful feature is that you can adapt your texts to different target groups with just a few prompts. For example for different departments (e.g., sales vs. manufacturing), level of knowledge (beginners vs. advanced), or working environment (white collar vs. blue collar). So you can create variants for different personas without having to start from scratch every time.

These tools are also great for research and brainstorming. They can summarize complex topics, provide food for thought for new learning units, and help you present dry content creatively.

You can find some ideas for prompts that will give you high-quality online courses in our “Creating effective online courses” guide.

Questions engage learners, test their understanding, and encourage them to apply the content—but they take time to develop. ChatGPT immediately generates appropriate tasks at the right level of difficulty, which is particularly helpful when you’re working with large volumes and diverse target groups.

Another plus: The questions are context-sensitive. The tool recognizes the topic and suggests relevant content, often with formulations that you might not have thought of yourself.

DeepL is more than just a translation tool, it understands language. It recognizes the style, tone, and context of your content and translates it professionally into other languages. The result? Accurate, natural-sounding texts, ideal for multilingual training courses.

DeepL offers great quality, especially when it comes to sensitive topics and industry-specific wording. The AI takes linguistic logic and nuances into account without you having to make any adjustments. This saves time and ensures consistent quality across all your language versions.

Videos are one of the most effective formats in eLearning today. They explain complex content, convey emotions, increase engagement, and make content easier to grasp. However, until now, video production has been complex, expensive, and technically demanding.

AI-supported video tools such as Runway, Synthesia, Steve.ai, and Animate Anything put an end to this. They can create professional training videos in minutes, directly from texts, images, or simple scripts. Ideal for anyone who wants to implement content quickly, flexibly, and in a visually appealing way.

Runway is ideal if you want to add a touch of visual flair to your learning content without a traditional video setup or complex post-production.

The AI tool generates videos based on text descriptions or images. Runway is particularly good for:

Image to video conversion: It animates static images—e.g., a background image, a technical device, or a scene—and creates subtle movements that make content appear more real. Ideal for adding visual accents to more text-heavy courses.

Atmospheric teasers and jumping-off points: Create short visual clips to set the mood or as creative gap-fillers between learning units.

Visual style breaks or contrasts: Use Runway to generate visual attention, e.g., for abstract topics, awareness training, or emotional entry points.

What Runway is not: A tool for realistic process mapping or detailed learning videos. It’s (still) too experimental for that. Use it where creative imagery is required, not as a substitute for structured tutorial videos.

AI tools like Synthesia transform your texts into professional videos with talking avatars, making them realistic, multilingual, and unique. You can choose from a variety of pre-set avatars or create your own digital twin. The avatar speaks your text directly into the camera, with facial expressions, gestures and natural intonation.

This makes Synthesia particularly valuable for eLearning applications:
 

Use cases:

• Welcome videos or personal intros at the start of a learning path
• Guiding users through complex content
• Feedback, wrap-ups, and motivational closing statements
• Explanatory films with a consistent host character
• Recurring figures in blended learning

Synthesia delivers high-quality results without the need for film editing, voiceover artist booking, or studio expenses. It’s particularly effective in courses with many modules or recurring formats where consistency really matters.
 

Steve.ai is a real all-in-one tool for anyone who wants to create animated learning videos but doesn’t have the necessary video creation skills. It transforms simple texts or complete scripts into animated explanatory videos including voiceovers, music, illustrations and transitions.

In eLearning in particular, this brings several advantages:

From script to video in minutes:
You write the script, Steve.ai does the rest—from scene construction and movement to sound effects and visuals. Ideal if you want to present content in the form of a storyline or break down complex topics visually.

Animated instead of stiff and boring:
Choose from different animation styles ranging from professional and modern to playful or comic-like. This increases engagement and lowers the barrier to entry for dry content.

Perfect for training scenarios:
Steve.ai even offers preconfigured templates for educational content, including:

• Training videos to introduce new topics
• Re-caps and summaries of learning units
• How-to videos for software or processes
• Training videos for soft skills and awareness topics

Flexible voice output:
Choose from different voiceover actors or use your own audio recordings. This gives you plenty of flexibility, even in multilingual projects.

Ideal supplement to text-based courses:
Instead of static continuous text, you can offer animated jumping-off points, small learning snacks, or mini-tutorials. This increases variety, strengthens understanding, and motivates learners to stick with it.

Steve.ai is perfect for trainers, L&D teams, and eLearning authors who want to work quickly, visually, and with a professional look and feel, but without an editor, motion designer, or post-production.

Animate Anything is not a traditional video tool, but a powerful AI feature that generates an animatable 3D model from a single 2D image. This opens up completely new possibilities for eLearning, especially when it comes to descriptive, interactive, and immersive training scenarios.

What the tool can do:

Create 3D models from a single photo:
You don’t need a 3D camera or complex modeling; a good front-on photo is enough to create an animatable model.

Add movement and perspective:
The AI automatically creates depth information and so can generate realistic movement, e.g., head movements, changes in perspective, or simple gestures. Ideal for bringing more dynamism and depth to learning.

Provide versatility:
The 3D models can be used in many formats, such as:

• Interactive learning modules where learners can view an object from various angles
• Gamification elements, e.g., animated characters that accompany learning progress
• Anatomical or animal models to make biological content more tangible

• Technical training courses in which devices or machines need to be explored visually

   

Offer realism without a studio or specialist software:
Particularly practical in scenarios where real photos or videos can’t be used, for example due to data protection, sensitive content, or missing originals.

Important:
The tool does not create a finished training video. It creates an animatable model that can be integrated into other video tools or interactive environments. Its strength lies in fast visualization and the addition of movement and depth to static content.

AI tools for eLearning are powerful, but they can’t do it all. If you want to use them sensibly, you need to know their limitations. As impressive as the results may seem at first glance, one thing remains clear: The responsibility for the quality, context, and didactics remains with you.

Artificial intelligence produces content quickly, but not always accurately. Technical inaccuracies, sloppy wording, and an inappropriate tone are among the risks that make a human review essential. Legal and ethical issues, such as the use of AI-generated images or texts, should also be given serious thought.

Care is required, especially when sensitive topics or personal data are involved. Open AI platforms are not places for confidential content. It’s better to rely on integrated solutions such as Knowledgeworker Create and KI-KAI, which are GDPR-compliant.

Another thing AI can’t do: Know your target group, read between the lines, sense emotions, or really understand learning needs. You still need people to shape learning processes with empathy, consideration, and didactic flair.

And one more thing: Nobody has to be afraid of losing their job here. AI doesn’t replace authors, trainers, or L&D experts. It deals with routine tasks, suggests variations, and speeds up processes, but it doesn’t replace your experience, creativity, and pedagogical intelligence. Quite the opposite: It gives you more time to focus on precisely these strengths.