At Learning Technologies France, Juliette Bojanic from CrossKnowledge sat down with Afia Tak, Global Learning Innovation & Infrastructure Manager at Alstom, to explore how AI role play is redefining feedback training for managers at scale. Here’s what she had to say.
Afia, can you give us a quick picture of Alstom and your role within the group?
Alstom is a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility. We design and deliver trains, systems and services that keep cities moving, from high-speed rail to urban transit. But we’re more than trains. Our mission is to make transport smarter, greener and more sustainable, and we have over 86,000 employees working towards that goal across 63 countries.
In my role as Global Learning Innovation & Infrastructure Manager, I focus on how our people learn and grow, using technology and innovation to build the capabilities that prepare us for today and for the future.
Feedback is at the heart of your initiative today. Why is it such a priority for Alstom right now?
Feedback isn’t new, for Alstom or for any organization that wants to grow. As Ken Blanchard put it, feedback is the breakfast of champions. We firmly believe that agility, inclusion and trust start with everyday conversations and continuous feedback. Our 2030 strategy puts continuous dialogue at the very heart of leadership.
But feedback is nuanced. It’s emotional, it’s cultural, and managers often hesitate when it comes to the tough conversations, such as addressing underperformance, navigating conflict. There’s a fear of damaging relationships. And it’s simply a skill that’s very hard to develop without real practice.
And what makes it so hard to train at scale?
We have over 15,000 people managers at Alstom, at very different levels of maturity on this skill. The formats we’ve traditionally relied on all have their limits. Classroom training is expensive and hard to scale. E-learning helps with reach but lacks realism. VR offers some immersion, but it’s based on pre-determined scenarios, it’s not truly personalized, and it’s also difficult to scale.
Mastering feedback requires deliberate, structured practice, with real frameworks and meaningful feedback in a safe environment. That’s incredibly hard to deliver consistently at scale.
So that’s where AI avatars come in. What made you choose this approach?
We chose avatar-based conversational AI because it has the potential to transform formal training into something far more experiential.
Exactly. We chose avatar-based conversational AI because it has the potential to transform formal training into something far more experiential. In the classic 70-20-10 model, traditional learning sits in the 10% bucket, structured, but limited. With generative AI-powered avatars, that 10% starts to feel like the 70%: real, on-the-job learning where true mastery happens.
We see four key benefits.
- First, psychological safety. Managers can practice in a completely judgment-free space. No real colleague watching, no consequences for getting it wrong. That freedom to experiment closes the knowing-doing gap.
- Second, emotional realism. These aren’t chatbots. They’re lifelike characters that react to tone and emotion, helping managers feel the real impact of their words.
- Third, personalized coaching available 24/7, adapting to each manager’s pace and blind spots.
- And fourth, scalability: consistent, high-quality training that reaches every manager, regardless of location or schedule.
Can you walk us through what the experience looks like for a manager?
We designed a blended learning path where managers first build the conceptual foundation, understand the why and how of feedback, before they ever engage with an avatar. […] It’s like having a buddy and a coach available anytime, anywhere.
It starts with clarity and purpose. We didn’t want to introduce AI as a gimmick. So we designed a blended learning path where managers first build the conceptual foundation, understand the why and how of feedback, before they ever engage with an avatar.
Then the avatars take over. And they go native, they speak the manager’s language, making the experience culturally relevant. For a first-time manager, it’s like having a buddy and a coach available anytime, anywhere. After each conversation, they receive personalized feedback mapped to the learning objectives we defined upfront. And crucially, they can practice as many times as they need to progress.
The avatar also plays three complementary roles throughout: teacher, trainer and coach, switching seamlessly based on the learner’s progress and emotional cues.
This program is part of Alstom’s Global Management Academy, targeting 15,000 managers in 15 languages. Why was that global ambition so important from the start?
We can’t afford pockets of excellence. We need consistency, a shared language around leadership.
Because feedback is a strategic priority. We can’t afford pockets of excellence. We need consistency, a shared language around leadership, and we need every manager, wherever they are in the world, to have the tools and the mindset to lead in a way that reflects our values.
And this is just the beginning. The next phase will extend the program beyond people managers to individual contributors as well.
Prepare your managers to improve their feedback