We’re proud to announce that Learnlight has been named a finalist in the 2026 Engage Awards, shortlisted in the category Best Use of AI in Customer Engagement.
The recognition celebrates Learnlight’s AI Trainers in Fluency Lab — developed to address one of the biggest challenges in corporate language learning: giving people enough opportunities to practice speaking confidently, authentically, and consistently.
For busy professionals, access to speaking practice can be limited by schedules, availability, and the natural anxiety that can come with practicing a new language in front of another person. Learnlight’s AI Trainers were designed to remove these barriers by giving learners access to realistic, judgment-free speaking practice whenever they need it.
AI-powered practice, grounded in learning expertise
Fluency Lab gives learners access to AI-powered conversation practice 24/7 across six languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch.
Learners can practice realistic professional and social scenarios, repeat conversations as often as they need, and receive real-time feedback on pronunciation, fluency, and comprehensibility.
Unlike generic conversational AI, Learnlight’s AI Trainers are grounded in our curriculum and learning methodology. They are fully CEFR-aligned and designed to adapt practice to each learner’s proficiency level, helping ensure that conversations remain relevant, achievable, and appropriate to their development.
This reflects a core principle behind our approach to AI: technology should extend human expertise, not replace it. By creating a psychologically safe environment for repeated practice, AI can help address some of the practical and emotional barriers that prevent learners from building confidence through use.
As Rupert Hillier, CEO of Learnlight, explains:
nd build confidence. This makes it easier to overcome the barrier to actively speaking a language.
Rupert Hillier, CEO of Learnlight, explains:
“The future of learning isn't a choice between AI and humans; it's about using AI to enhance human expertise. That's why we built proprietary AI grounded in Learnlight's methodology and pedagogy to complement and support our expert trainers, rather than replace them. Strong client demand and learner adoption reinforce our belief that we've struck the right balance between technological innovation and human-centered learning.”
From AI adoption to measurable impact
For HR and L&D teams, innovation only matters if it translates into meaningful learner and business outcomes.
Since the introduction of Learnlight’s AI Trainers, AI-driven interactions have increased by 451%, while learner retention has improved by 12%. Together, these results point to stronger program engagement and completion, with learners spending significantly more time in active practice — an important driver of skill development.
At the same time, automating elements of speaking practice has helped reduce per-learner training costs by 40% through lower reliance on live trainer hours while maintaining learning outcomes. For organizations, this creates the opportunity to train more people within existing budgets or reinvest those savings into additional learning initiatives.
Client behavior has provided further validation. One enterprise client requested continued access to the Learnlight platform after its live classes had ended specifically to maintain access to AI Trainers. Another client chose to invest in expanded daily access to the feature.
What matters is not simply that learners tried the technology, but that they used it more, stayed engaged for longer, and, in some cases, clients chose to expand access.
Scaling meaningful language practice
For organizations delivering language learning across global workforces, one of the biggest challenges is providing enough speaking practice at scale.
Trainer-led learning continues to provide the human guidance, expertise, and context that are essential to development. AI extends that experience by giving learners more opportunities to practice between live sessions, whenever and wherever it suits them.
For L&D teams, that means more opportunities for active practice without needing to increase live training capacity at the same rate — giving employees greater flexibility while making language development easier to scale across the organization.
Recognized by the 2026 Engage Awards
The Engage Awards recognize organizations and teams delivering outstanding results across employee, customer, sales, and marketing engagement. The 2026 program attracted a record number of entries, followed by a rigorous and anonymized judging process.
For Learnlight, being shortlisted for Best Use of AI in Customer Engagement is recognition of an approach we believe will increasingly shape the future of workplace learning: technology that is purpose-built around people, grounded in learning expertise, and focused on meaningful outcomes.
The winners of the 2026 Engage Awards will be announced on November 10 at Old Billingsgate in London.
We’re proud to be among this year’s finalists and grateful to everyone across Learnlight who has contributed to developing learning experiences that combine the possibilities of AI with the value of human expertise.
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