Coursera launches new suite of enterprise targeted AI courses

Coursera has launched its GenAI Academy, a comprehensive training program aimed at equipping both employees and leaders with essential AI skills to boost workplace productivity. In response to a significant corporate demand for practical AI training, the program offers foundational courses for everyday AI users and a specialized track for executive education.

Coursera is collaborating with prestigious institutions and companies like DeepLearning.AI, Stanford Online, AWS, Vanderbilt University, and Google Cloud to develop the course content. The initiative underscores a broader industry trend: the need for practical, hands-on AI training that transcends theoretical hype and focuses on core principles, applications, innovation, and ethics in AI.

The urgency for such training programs is backed by findings from the United Nations, which indicate that most job roles will be enhanced, not replaced, by AI. However, this technological shift risks leaving a portion of the workforce behind, especially those slow to adopt AI tools.

Reinforcing this concern, Microsoft's Work Trend Index report reveals that 82% of business leaders believe their employees need new skills to keep pace with AI advancements. 2023 is poised to be a pivotal year for generative AI in the workplace, with an increasing number of companies expected to focus on developing and upskilling their employees to effectively utilize this rapidly evolving technology.

Coursera's chief learning officer emphasizes that the responsibility for learning AI skills shouldn't be confined to Learning & Development (L&D) departments alone. Instead, it requires a holistic, company-wide strategy, incorporating learning as a key component. This approach aligns with the broader objective of integrating AI into various business functions.

As AI continues to proliferate in 2023, HR professionals play a crucial role in helping firms reskill their workforce, ensuring that they are well-equipped to harness the productivity gains offered by AI technologies. The emphasis is on creating an organizational culture that supports continuous learning and adaptation in the face of technological advancements.