Indie: A Field Guide to AI-Augmented Learning & Development

By David Quentin Dauthier

INDIE: A Field Guide to AI-Augmented Learning and Development
INvestigation-Design - Development - Implementation - Enhancement

The tools have changed. The standards haven't.

In an era where generative AI can draft a learning objective in seconds, produce scenarios in minutes, and synthesize stakeholder feedback at unprecedented speed, instructional designers, learning experience designers, and L&D professionals face a critical question: What is our work now?

INDIE is the practical framework built for exactly this moment. Moving beyond the limitations of traditional ADDIE in an AI-augmented world, this field guide integrates artificial intelligence at every stage while keeping human judgment, pedagogical rigor, and real organizational results at the center.

Drawing on decades of experience teaching classical languages, designing high-stakes technical training in the utilities sector, and leading AI integration efforts, author

The author delivers: A clear-eyed explanation of what AI actually is, what it does well, and where it reliably failsConcrete strategies for prompt engineering and context architecture that produce reliable resultsPhase-by-phase guidance through INvestigation-Design, Development, Implementation, and Enhancement, with ready-to-adapt prompts, examples, and quality standardsRole-specific chapters for instructional designers, LXDs, facilitators, performance consultants, L&D managers, technologists, solo practitioners, and morePractical governance, ethics, and organizational transition strategies to protect quality and professional accountabilityWhether you're excited, anxious, or somewhere in between, this book replaces hype and fear with a serious, grounded approach. AI will not replace the instructional designer who understands their craft. It will, however, separate those who master it from those who don't.

The designer's judgment has never been more important. This book shows you how to use it.

Perfect for instructional designers, L&D leaders, and anyone responsible for developing capable people in a world of intelligent systems.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H5GBZ6D1
• ISBN13: 9798987080207
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Poikilos Press
• Length: 428 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"