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You don’t need me to tell you AI has completely changed the face of educational content creation. It’s there, clogging up your social media feeds and deep in everything you read. It’s making things freer, faster, and sloppier than ever. And it’s not going anywhere.
So what do you do? Well, you sort of have no choice but to start using it too.
In this deep dive I take a look at the top AI-powered authoring tools out there on the market, what they enable you to do, and give you some practical advice on how to make the most of these machine learning…machines.
What are AI-powered authoring tools?
AI-powered authoring tools use machine learning to generate, edit, and format content. They provide users with an easy method to develop elearning content in a fraction of the time.
An AI content generation tool can generate product descriptions, email campaigns, and social media content for businesses.
Academic institutions can turn to them to produce course materials, quizzes, and study guides. Meanwhile, course creators can design interactive lessons and personalized learning paths and marketers can create blog posts, ad copy, and presentations.
💁🏻Explore the best authoring tools for elearning.
How AI-powered authoring tools simplify content creation
Before I go into the tools and platforms themselves, let’s take a look at the key areas AI is increasing productivity in elearning.
Master the art of AI prompt engineering in course creation
Faster content generation
It’s like having an automated writing assistant by your side all the time. AI-powered content creation speeds up tasks like drafting a blog post, creating captivating hooks and conclusions, brainstorming ideas for the content, and generating variations of the content for A/B testing.
You can also personalize content, create better storylines, and jot down brief outlines quickly before you expand them into full-length articles.
Better quality and consistency
AI writing generators ensure that all content types maintain quality in terms of tone, grammar, and structure through AI-supported proofreading and editing. You can set your style guides and preferred tone of voice from the beginning so that everything is on brand.
Personalization and customization
Authoring tools use AI to personalize content according to the preferences and engagement history of a user. They also provide recommendations as to how learners behave, adapting the tone and complexity for dynamic content.
For example, the AI model can suggest technical articles to users who display an interest in the tech space (or specific related niches) and readjust texts and learning materials according to their knowledge levels.
Content optimization for SEO
You can ask AI to suggest keywords for your web pages and blogs, run readability tests against industry best practices, and enhance metadata. AI enhances metadata by optimizing the title, description, and tags to make sure it includes relevant keywords for improving search rankings and click-through rates.
Multilingual content creation
The very best AI authoring tools have native translation and localization options, giving you more options for creating content that allows you to connect with a global audience. This way you get to expand and enter into new markets.
Key features to look for in AI-powered authoring tools
Let me walk you through the features of AI-powered authoring tools that will make a difference in your content creation process.
AI author assistance
AI-assisted writing tools offer content suggestions, allowing you to brainstorm new ideas and hone your creativity and productivity.
Dynamic content creation
Multimedia formats support, interactive quizzes, and adaptive learning experiences will all keep learners engaged—provided you have high-quality learning materials.
Content document rendering
Converting your documents into a visual format so that they can be viewed and interacted with on a screen, can help you export your content in varied formats like SCORM (SCORM authoring), xAPI, and AICC. This way it becomes compatible with Learning Management Systems (LMS).
Content analytics and insights
Look for AI authoring tools designed with built-in analytics to help you track engagement, progress, and performance—without sifting through all the data. This will come in handy when you want to fine-tune and optimize your content.
Top 5 platforms with AI-powered authoring tools
Below, you have a list of the AI-powered authoring tools I selected based on how extensive their feature set is beyond just authoring as well as if the tools can fulfill a large variety of use cases.
Now, let’s explore these intelligent elearning software solutions in more depth:
1. LearnWorlds
With its extensive feature set and cutting-edge tech for creating dynamic online courses, LearnWorlds comes out on top for creators, educators, professional trainers, and corporations.
Notable features:
💁🏻Check LearnWorlds for pricing information.
2. Thinkific
Thinkific includes great customization options and easy integrations that are great for course builders and entrepreneurs.
Notable features:
💁🏻Check Thinkific for pricing information.
3. Kajabi
For digital entrepreneurs who want AI automation and marketing tools to help monetize their content, Kajabi is a good option.
Notable features:
💁🏻Check Kajabi for pricing information.
4. Absorb LMS
Absorb LMS offers enterprise-level learning solutions, guaranteeing compatibility with any corporate training program.
Notable features:
💁🏻Check Absorb LMS for pricing information.
5. LearnUpon
LearnUpon suits organizations that require a training management solution driven by powerful assistant automation.
Notable features:
💁🏻Check LearnUpon for pricing information.
💡Disclaimer: Your needs for an AI elearning authoring tool will vary depending on your desired integration level, how you wish to use it in your workflow, and obviously, your budget.
5 steps for creating impactful courses with an AI authoring tool
Now that you know how AI authoring tools work and you’ve picked one or two options to test, here are the steps I recommend for using them to create high-value and impactful courses:
1. Bring in industry experts
Even though AI models can generate content quickly, nothing beats human expertise. Get an expert on board to make sure your course is full of those original insights your users wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.
You could even think about hosting a live Q&A or interview with them and letting AI do its magic in transcribing the key takeaways and summarizing them into bite-sized lessons.
2. Develop engaging course materials
AI-powered tools are great for creating interactive content without the need for a whole production crew. From video explainers to gamified quizzes, make sure you’re using multimedia and interactive elements at all times to engage learners.
Experiment with AI-generated voiceovers or avatars to give content more life. Think: an Einstein persona explaining physics, or Ramesses II explaining the business secrets of the pharaohs.
3. Collaborate for internal feedback
Instead of relying merely on AI for course creation, bounce ideas off beta users. Although AI tools for analysis can help you clarify problematic areas, only real-life insights will give you the cues you need to make a course more engaging.
Here’s a fun idea: set up a “course roast” allowing people to poke fun at the content. Not only would it make for a playful environment, and create deeper bonds with your users, but it’ll also get you valuable insights.
4. Add interactive evaluations
AI-generated quizzes and assessments make learning less boring and tiring. There are various ways of breaking down an assessment, but you can start with something out-of-the-box and add a chatbot “quiz master” to tests. This virtual assistant can give hints, cheer for answers, and crack jokes when answers are wrong. They will be bad jokes. But they will be jokes.
5. Launch, review, and refine
Once the course is live, use AI-powered analytics to track engagement and see where you can make improvements. In my own experience as a course creator, I’ve noticed that constantly refining your curriculum is the only thing that will help you avoid monotony and keep people coming to your courses.
AI can come in handy if you want to speed up content idea generation based on learners’ requests. Maybe you can use it to help you set up a voting system where learners can vote on topics they want you to expand on.
💁🏻Looking for an AI tool to help you create and market your courses? These 37 machine learning writing tools may come handy.
Benefits of AI-powered authoring tools for businesses
Before I wrap up, let me walk you through the key benefits you’ll want to get out of using these AI-powered authoring tools.
For starters, AI is a must for elearning courses if you want to automate repetitive tasks and activities, such as formatting documents, structuring content, and generating quizzes.
Accenture, for instance, uses AI to create content for its internal training programs. The company’s AI-based learning platform supports continual development to reflect the latest trends in the industry and cuts course development time by about 40%.
Duolingo uses AI to analyze language patterns, correct grammar, and refine learning paths. Their AI-driven algorithms make sure that their language and professional development courses maintain coherence, readability, and engagement.
Here, AI ensures content is grammatically accurate, well-structured, and even optimized for SEO. But, it’s important to note there’s always an entire team behind that algorithm—they don’t just set it and forget it.
Elsewhere, McDonald’s uses AI-powered learning platforms to deliver standardized training across its global franchises. For them, AI helps translate and adapt multilingual courses for different markets, ensuring consistency while catering to regional nuances.
💁🏻Read more on how you can use AI in learning and development with our 4 practical use cases to enhance student learning.
Final thoughts
AI authoring tools transform content creation in a way that makes it more:
But for best results, you need to ensure your input is on point and expert-led. And you need to vet its output—no matter how sensible its writing may sound, AI makes mistakes and doesn’t always know what it’s talking about. After all, AI is best used with human supervision.
Try LearnWorlds for free today to jump-start your content creation and explore how our AI-powered authoring tool can help you build online courses and grow your business.
Alexandra Cote
Alexandra Cote is a SaaS growth marketer and online instructor who's worked with dozens of brands in the MarTech, HR tech, and productivity space. She's also a strong supporter of staying happy at work and choosing a healthy career path.
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