Speaking exclusively to CNBC-TV18, Hart said interest in AI learning has surged over the past year as companies and individuals race to acquire new skills.
“A year ago, we saw about 15 enrollments every minute in AI content. So far this year, we’re up to 20 enrollments per minute on Coursera. So, one every three seconds,” Hart said.
Hart said the rise in generative AI has made continuous learning essential for both employees and businesses.
“Everyone around the world needs to upskill and reskill in this age of AI because AI is changing what’s possible so rapidly that, if you are not upskilling and reskilling yourself in the right way, you will be left behind,” he said.
Hart said demand for AI-related learning is coming from both individual users and enterprises. Companies are increasingly seeking practical, role-specific AI training rather than broad awareness programs.
“What we do with enterprises is sit down and understand the objective they’re trying to accomplish and then work with them to craft exactly the right approach to enable targeted upskilling and reskilling on a function-by-function basis,” he said.
The Coursera chief said the company believes expert-created content and verified assessment will become even more valuable in an era when AI tools can generate content easily.
“What Coursera brings to the table is not just a catalog of that content, but a perspective deeply rooted in academia and education on how to deliver learning in a way that provides verified assessment and proof of learning,” he said.
Hart said the company is integrating AI tools directly into learning experiences and workflows. Coursera already has integrations with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Anthropic’s Claude.
“We are very focused on skills, skill delivery, skill assessment and providing verifiable proof of mastery of that content. That, we believe, will be what sets us apart,” he said.
Hart also revealed that Coursera and Udemy, which recently completed their merger, are working toward a unified platform.
“Our goal is to move to a single unified platform,” he said. “The new platform will look very different from either Coursera or Udemy today. AI will be a core feature.”
Hart said AI-powered learning experiences embedded into the flow of work would shape the future of education and help deliver better outcomes for learners.
Watch the full conversation here
