Coursera adds AI amid strong demand

Coursera Inc, the global online learning platform, has introduced new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) courses to capitalise on the demand for AI talent in the workforce.
As of June 30, the company has 983,000 registered learners in Thailand, representing year-on-year growth of 21%.
The global growth rate is 20%, rising to 155 million registered learners. The company aims to double its Thai registered learners within three years.
The expansion of courses supports the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry’s AI policy, encouraging universities to integrate advanced technology and impart critical skills to prepare students for the demands of the digital era.
Bridging Thailand’s digital talent gap through training could generate US$30 billion in value by 2030, according to a Google study.
“Thailand’s vision of becoming a regional hub for the digital economy hinges on building a digitally skilled workforce and cultivating lifelong learners,” said Raghav Gupta, managing director for Asia-Pacific at Coursera.
He said the company is committed to supporting this vision by equipping Thai learners and institutions with skills using AI-driven tools and globally recognised credentials, which are required to thrive in a competitive job market.
The company is in discussions with the ministry regarding various business models to provide AI training courses.
The median age of learners in Thailand is 32, close to global average of 33. Some 47% of Thai learners use mobile devices.
Coursera reported it has 30 enterprise customers and 20 campus/university customers in Thailand.
Learners in Thailand are focused on job-relevant digital and business skills, as well as hands-on learning experiences.
The most popular courses in the first quarter of 2024 included an introduction to psychology from Yale University and Chinese for beginners from Peking University.
The top GenAI courses in Thailand this year are Google AI Essentials, Gen AI for everyone, introduction to GenAI, Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT, and Gen AI with Large Language Models.
“Despite economic challenges, the impact of technological change has been more disruptive in creating enthusiastic learners of Gen AI,” said Mr Gupta.
Thai employers seek AI skills, yet training gaps persist, with 98% of Thai employers expected to use AI tools by 2028, and 58% expecting a productivity boost from AI. Thai employers are willing to pay 41% more for workers with AI skills.
“We found that the 1,076% year-over-year increase in Gen AI enrolment in Thailand was on a par with 1,060% globally,” Mr Gupta said.
Coursera recently partnered with four new universities, including Saïd Business School-University of Oxford and IMD Business School, and five industry leaders such as Airbus Beyond, Amazon, and Xbox, expanding access to high-quality, job-relevant content for learners in Thailand.
The company recently launched eight professional certificates, 20 GenAI certificates and specialisation courses and new AI-powered capabilities at the regional 2024 Coursera Connect event in Thailand.
Coursera also doubled the content catalogue available in Thai to more than 4,700 fully translated courses, up from 2,000 last year, to all consumer and enterprise learners.
The company offers six entry-level professional certificates from Google, and new specialisations from IBM and Microsoft teach GenAI skills tailored to job roles, helping learners apply AI in their work and boost productivity.
Coursera has expanded partnerships with Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), Central Retail, Prince of Songkla University, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Srinakharinwirot University and Banpu Plc.
Worawat Suvagondha, chief people officer at SCB, said the bank had maintained its training budget for employees, with an emphasis on AI and GenAI.
“Banks and large corporations will train on GenAI, AI, automation, lean operations and data analytics,” he said.