Context: Udemy built AI Role Play to give people a safe, low-stakes way to practice human-centric skills, including communication, conflict resolution, inclusive leadership, ethical decision-making and critical thinking. This approach addresses the limitations of live role-plays, which are costly to deliver, challenging to scale and often carry psychological risks. The AI-driven simulations adapt to each response and provide real-time, actionable feedback, letting professionals rehearse high-impact workplace conversations without reputational risk. Available in five languages (and expanding to four more) Udemy’s AI Role Play reaches 81 million learners and 17,000 organizations across 225 countries and territories, making human-centric skill training practical, repeatable and measurable.

Approach:  AI Role Play blends instructor expertise with adaptive AI to deliver private, psychologically safe simulations in which learners practice behaviours such as active listening, de-escalation, constructive feedback, negotiation and decision-making. Instructors and organizations design scenarios that mirror authentic organizational challenges such as resolving team conflict, running an inclusive design critique or handling a performance conversation, while the AI dynamically responds to the learner’s choices and language.

Learners receive personalized feedback and guidance on what to try next, enabling rapid iteration without social penalty. To strengthen fairness and relevance, Role Play also provides standardized feedback that tracks engagement, progression and completion, with organizations and learners able to align scenarios to their values and competencies. 

Results: AI Role Play has established a repeatable, risk-free practice loop for human-centric skills. Most AI Role Plays designed so far are designed to sharpen high-impact skills related to leadership, management and strategic thinking. Learners report higher confidence navigating difficult conversations; teams use analytics to target coaching where it matters; and organizations gain a scalable alternative to resource-intensive live simulations. Profiles of learner progress are enriched with performance evidence from realistic tasks, while private practice, immediate feedback and the ability to repeat attempts promote a culture of continuous learning.