The journey to Vee: your new AI coach is ready for you

There are lots of opportunities out there to take advantage of AI in a learning platform, so why then did we zone in on an AI-powered learning coach as our next major initiative at 5app? Today, I want to share the story behind Vee, our latest product innovation, and how we arrived at this exciting milestone.

A data-driven approach

5app’s principle for existence is to elevate the learning experience. We never want to be in a position of adopting an AI capability for the sake of market buzz to 'keep up with the Joneses', so to speak. We want to make sure that all our technological advancements are grounded in a user and/or business benefit.

When we started exploring AI's potential for L&D, we first took a data-driven approach. A staggering 96% of HR leaders believe AI agents can provide personalised learning opportunities, and of the 10% of organisations already using AI agents, these early adopters are seeing tangible results. Productivity is up, engagement is meaningful and learning outcomes are sharper. 44% of business leaders, for example have already seen increased productivity through the use of AI agents.

These assessments made it clear that adopting an AI agent as our next major initiative was a no-brainer. We still didn't want a flashy, gimmicky tool though. It had to solve real problems, fit seamlessly into the current flow of work and deliver actual results. More research was needed.

A customer-driven approach

Cue our fortnightly Product Roadmap meetings. In these sessions, chaired by myself as a ringmaster of sorts, led by James Cranwell,  Head of Product, and grounded by Rob Mackenzie, Head of Technology, it gives us the opportunity to debate customer feedback, sales feedback, platform usage metrics and wider market research.

We kept hearing the same themes:

• 'We’re drowning in content.' Learners couldn’t find the answers they needed in the sea of resources available. It was not unusual for customers to have thousands of professional learning materials at their fingertips, but this brings its own challenge: where do I start? Decision paralysis, if you will.
• 'We need personalisation.' Employees wanted information tailored to their roles, challenges, and goals – not generic one-size-fits-all solutions. Especially where you have a large and disparate workforce, it's not unusual for educators to try to cater for the masses – but this makes it harder for the knowledge to then stick, as it is not relatable for each learner.
• 'We want to coach our staff, but lack the finance.' There is acceptance that one-to-one coaching can be very powerful. However, this is generally only made available to senior leadership (if at all) due to its expense. Providing personalised coaching for every employee, especially a large one, simply isn’t feasible with existing resources.

This presented a clear opportunity: we needed a way to combine the scale of a platform with the personalisation of one-on-one human interaction.

The birth of Vee

We knew from the start that Vee needed to strike a delicate balance. It had to be approachable and human-like, but still clearly artificial. This is how we landed on the name 'Vee' – a nod to the Roman numeral V (from 5app) and a subtle hint of personality.

From day one, our team focused on making Vee much more than just an AI chatbot. It had to be a true learning coach – one that empowers employees with curated knowledge, actionable advice and immediate support, all while respecting the compliance needs of organisations.

Here’s the kicker: Vee isn’t just about finding answers. It’s about unlocking insights, and making interactions specific to each learner to ensure the knowledge sticks.  

Answering the tough questions

Building Vee wasn’t just a technical challenge – it was a philosophical one. We asked ourselves some tough questions along the way:

• How do we maintain trust? Vee doesn’t scrape the open internet for answers. Instead, it relies solely on the content organisations choose to make available, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• How do we give confidence in answers? SCORM is a set of technical standards that govern how elearning content and learning management systems communicate with each other. Many AI agents find it impossible to interact with this type of content due to its configuration. If your coach is not using the full library of resources, its effectiveness crumbles. It was therefore non-negotiable for us – that to build learner confidence, there can be no excuses, and all content must be accessible to the AI agent.
• How do we ensure inclusivity? Vee supports multiple languages, making learning accessible to global teams.
• How do we measure success? Traditional metrics like engagement won’t cut it in an AI-enabled world. Instead, we’re looking at the quality of outcomes and the depth of insights Vee provides. We are at the start of our own journey here, and these specific outcomes will likely evolve over time. Historically, high levels of employee engagement with an LMS were seen as good. However, in the new AI-enabled world, if a learner gets to the answer faster, and therefore spends less time in the system, surely this is a better outcome? Success is turned on its head.
  
  

Seeing Vee in action

Let me paint you a picture of Vee’s potential. Imagine you’re a new team leader, unsure where to start. You ask Vee, “Any tips for leading a team?” In seconds, it curates advice based on your organisation’s content library, pointing you to videos, infographics, and bite-sized tips that are immediately actionable.

Or maybe you’re dealing with conflict in your team. Vee doesn’t just offer generic advice – it guides you through principles like open communication and mutual respect, tailoring its recommendations to your unique scenario.

This isn’t just theory. It’s happening. And the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from our pilot phase.

Our early access programme is still open – this is the best way to see Vee before the rest of the world, so please do apply if you want to experience the benefits of Vee for yourself.

Looking ahead

Vee is only the beginning. Early in 2025, we’re launching an AI-powered content authoring tool that will simplify the creation of professional learning materials – no design skills required. 5app is at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of what constitutes an LMS or LXP.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as CEO, it’s that the best solutions are born from listening. Vee exists because we listened to what learners, leaders and organisations need. And as we continue to innovate, that principle will remain at the heart of everything we do.