Coursera Launches GenAI Academy to Improve Executive and Foundational Literacy

Launch partners include Microsoft, Stanford Online, Google Cloud, AWS, DeepLearning.AI and Vanderbilt University 

By Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO 

Generative AI will unleash the next wave of innovation and productivity. As the fastest-growing technology in human history, it has the potential to transform every aspect of our lives. However, organizations must balance its enormous potential against considerable risks. Companies face a “GenAI conundrum”: they risk ethical, data, and regulatory pitfalls if they move too quickly but may lose their competitive edge if they’re too cautious. The key to navigating this conundrum lies in high-quality education and training, enabling companies to adopt GenAI both quickly and safely.

Today I’m excited to announce the launch of Generative AI (GenAI) Academy, designed to equip executives and their employees with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven workplace. GenAI Academy offers a unique blend of foundational literacy and executive education programs from top research universities and companies at the forefront of AI, including Microsoft, Stanford Online, Vanderbilt, DeepLearning.AI, Google Cloud, and AWS.

In the era of AI-generated content, the quality of training from trusted institutions is more important than ever. Poor training can increase the risk of disengagement, misuse, and susceptibility to biases with GenAI. On the other hand, high-quality learning can help develop safe and equitable AI. As they say in F1, “To go fast, you need good brakes.” You also need a skilled driver.

GenAI Academy for Everyone builds foundational literacy across every job role 

This foundational literacy program gives every employee a general understanding of GenAI’s core principles, applications, and impact. Employees will learn how to use AI tools to enhance their productivity and innovation in their day-to-day jobs, with Guided Projects providing hands-on practice. Selection includes: 

GenAI Academy for Executives helps leaders enhance their ethical and strategic decision-making

For executives, GenAI strategy formulation and technology adoption are high-stakes decisions. The choices we make about GenAI will not only determine an organization’s competitive edge but also influence societal impacts and shape the future of various industries. GenAI for Executives will help leaders develop a deep understanding of AI’s broad applications and its market influence. It aims to guide them in making strategic and ethical choices and lead and motivate their teams through rapid change. 

Selection includes: 

New courses and credentials will be added over the coming months, with a focus on further expanding executive education and role-based learning programs. 

As part of our early access program, companies including  Larsen & Toubro (L&T), a $23 Billion  multinational engaged in EPC projects, high-tech manufacturing and services have utilized training from leading AI authorities on Coursera to build skills across their workforces. 

“We believe AI is key for growth, creativity, and innovation. As a tech-driven organization, L&T is committed to harnessing the power of AI to drive engineering and service excellence. The GenAI Academy’s launch reaffirms our commitment to promoting AI literacy and empowering everyone to enhance efficiency and foster innovation,” stated Dr. C Jayakumar, EVP & Head of Corporate HR at Larsen & Toubro.

As Coursera Co-Founder and AI expert Andrew Ng said many years ago, “AI is the new electricity.” We don’t exactly know the full impact of this new technology yet, but we know for sure that it will change our world. It is incumbent upon leaders and workers to embrace this general-purpose technology with both curiosity and rigor.

We’re proud to launch GenAI Academy in partnership with the world’s leading AI experts, offering trusted learning for workforces to navigate and shape the new AI frontier. Whether you aim to deepen your AI understanding or strategically integrate it into your business, Coursera is your partner in this journey.

To learn more about our Generative AI Academy, visit the website. For more information about Coursera for Business, visit coursera.org/business.