Coursera, a prominent U.S. edutech platform, reports a surge in user enrollment for AI courses in 2023, particularly in generative AI. CEO Jeff Maggioncalda highlights the platform’s commitment to collaborating with industry leaders and providing personalized education through AI assistants. The success contradicts initial concerns, showcasing a growing interest in upskilling within the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
18 January 2024 – U.S. edutech platform Coursera (COUR.N) experienced a noteworthy surge in user enrollment for its artificial intelligence courses in 2023, averaging a new user every minute, according to CEO Jeff Maggioncalda. The spike in interest, particularly in generative AI, reflects a growing trend of individuals upskilling to tap into the potential boom in this transformative technology.
In an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Maggioncalda highlighted the appeal of generative AI, stating, “I’d say the real hotspot is generative AI because it affects so many people.” Coursera aims to collaborate with industry frontrunners in the AI race, including OpenAI and Google’s DeepMind, to offer comprehensive AI courses.
Contrary to initial investor concerns that generative AI applications might replace ed-tech firms, Coursera’s experience indicates a surge in user engagement as people actively seek to upskill in response to the transformative possibilities of generative AI. The platform boasts over 800 AI courses, with more than 7.4 million enrollments in the past year.
Coursera’s commitment to personalized education is exemplified by its AI assistant named “Coach,” akin to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, provided to every student on the platform. The assistant offers personalized tutoring, leveraging large language models from OpenAI and Google’s Gemini.
CEO Maggioncalda emphasized that Coursera does not plan to develop or train its own models but anticipates fine-tuning existing models with proprietary data. The company has successfully employed generative AI technology to translate approximately 4,000 courses into different languages.
Looking ahead, Coursera plans to ramp up hiring for AI roles, underscoring its dedication to staying at the forefront of technological advancements in the edutech space. – ref: Reuters
