How I’m Learning to Bring Cultural Intelligence into L&D AI Prompts

By Carlos Cadogan

Like many in Learning and Development, I’ve been diving into AI. It’s exciting, fast, and sometimes overwhelming. Every tool promises to save time, create better content, and personalize learning. But here’s what I keep noticing: AI only gives back what I put in. My prompts carry my perspective, assumptions, and blind spots. If I’m not careful, AI just mirrors those limitations—and the people I’m trying to help may feel unseen or misunderstood. It gives back what I put in. My prompts carry my perspective, assumptions, and blind spots. If I’m not careful, AI just mirrors those limitations.

This realization made me look for a different compass—one that would help guide my approach and keep me grounded as I explored AI in L&D. For me, that compass is Cultural Intelligence (CQ).

Why CQ Matters for AI in L&D

I’ve always thought of Cultural Intelligence as the ability to work and connect effectively across differences—whether that’s culture, background, or perspective. Traditionally, it’s been applied in leadership and global business. But lately, I’ve been asking: What if we also applied CQ to the way we use AI in Learning and Development?

Because let’s be real:

●      AI reflects the data it’s trained on (which isn’t always diverse).

●      Prompts reflect the perspective of the person writing them (that’s us).

●      And learners are incredibly diverse—different learning styles, values, and cultural backgrounds.

If we don’t bring CQ into prompting, we risk creating training that’s efficient but not meaningful—or worse, content that unintentionally excludes or stereotypes.

​My Experiment: Adding CQ into Prompts

I’ll be honest, I’m learning as I go. Some days I feel like I’m just throwing prompts at the wall to see what sticks. But using the four parts of the CQ framework—Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action—has helped me slow down and be more intentional.

Here’s how it looks in practice:

CQ Drive → Staying Curious

Drive is about curiosity—wanting to learn how others think and work. So instead of a generic ask, I try to layer curiosity into my prompts.

Example:

●      Without CQ: “Write tips for giving feedback.”

●      With CQ Drive: “Write tips for giving feedback that consider both direct communication styles (like in North America) and indirect styles (like in East Asia).”

👉 Try this prompt yourself:

“Generate three approaches to performance feedback that reflect different cultural communication styles, including direct, indirect, and story based.”

CQ Knowledge → Remembering Differences Exist

Different cultures approach leadership and learning differently. When I bring CQ Knowledge into prompting, I ask the AI to draw from more than one cultural lens.

Example:

●      Without CQ: “Create a leadership training scenario.”

●      With CQ Knowledge: “Create a leadership training scenario that shows both collectivist and individualist decision-making styles.”

👉 Try this prompt yourself:

Write a short case study on teamwork challenges. Include one character from a collectivist culture who prioritizes group harmony, and one from an individualist culture who prioritizes personal achievement.”

CQ Strategy → Pausing Before I Type

This is about reflection. Before hitting enter, I try to ask: Who might this leave out? That simple pause changes how I word my prompt.

👉 Try this prompt yourself:

“Generate onboarding examples that work for both first-time employees who are new to the workforce and experienced professionals transitioning from another company or country.”

CQ Action → Iterating and Adjusting

Finally, CQ Action is about adapting in real time. Rarely do I get the best response on the first try. CQ reminds me to refine, redirect, and push AI further.

👉 Try this prompt yourself:

“Develop three variations of a conflict resolution role-play. Make one reflect a high-context communication style, one a low-context style, and one a hybrid approach.”

What’s Changed in My Outputs

When I started doing this, I noticed my AI outputs became more layered. Instead of a one-dimensional checklist, I’d get scenarios that sparked conversation. Instead of content that felt generic, I was seeing examples that reflected different ways of thinking and working.

The shift wasn’t just in the AI—it was in me. Writing prompts with CQ made me more aware of my own assumptions. It turned AI from a shortcut into a learning partner.

What I’m Still Figuring Out

I won’t pretend it’s smooth sailing. Here are a few things I’m still learning:

●      AI can overgeneralize. Sometimes it gives me cultural stereotypes instead of real nuance. That’s where my own editing (and CQ) comes in.

●      Context matters. A prompt that works for one client might not fit another. CQ keeps me flexible.

●      It takes more time. Writing CQ-informed prompts isn’t always quick—but the payoff in better learning content is worth it.

Why This Matters

Here’s what I keep coming back to: Learning and Development is about people. People who think, work, and learn in different ways. If AI is going to be part of our toolkit, then we need to guide it with more than just efficiency—we need to guide it with Cultural Intelligence.

So next time you’re writing a prompt, try asking yourself:

●      Whose perspective is showing up here?

●      Who might this leave out?

●      How can I bring more diversity of thought into the output?

That’s the practice I’m building for myself, and I’d love to hear how others are navigating it. Because at the end of the day, AI doesn’t replace the human side of L&D. It reflects it. The more culturally intelligent we are in the way we prompt, the more inclusive and impactful our learning solutions will be.

Carlos Cadogan - Carlos Cadogan is a Certified Cultural Intelligence Consultant who helps individuals and organizations improve their capability to function effectively in a cultural context. With over 20 years of experience leading successful diverse, and inclusive teams, he has turned his passion for developing and coaching individuals into a cultural competency consulting firm named, The CQ Mindset.

The CQ Mindset supports leaders and organizations to achieve and develop cultural intelligence skills and applications across all desired outcomes such as cultural competency, inclusion initiatives, executive performance, and leadership development and organization effectiveness.

Carlos is also an Assessment Consultant at Multi- Health Systems. Carlos formally volunteered on the Diversity and Inclusion Board for the Town of Stouffville, Ontario, and a former mentor for at-risk youths through KuppaFoundation.org. Carlos holds a certification in leadership and Inclusion through Centennial College and the CanadianCentre for Diversity and Inclusion.

Website: www.thecqmindset.com