Millennial men are most likely to enroll in gen AI upskilling courses, report shows

Even though Amazon Prime Day deals may be at the top of my mind, July 16 is also AI Appreciation Day. To celebrate, Coursera, the online learning platform, released data on its learners’ enrollment patterns and found several notable insights regarding generative AI learning. 

Even though the generative AI boom technically began with the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, the magnitude of the shift was felt in 2023. Consequently, Coursera saw a spike in enrollments in generative AI content in 2023 at one enrollment per minute. That trend has continued in 2024, with four enrollments per minute in generative AI courses. 

Also: The best free AI courses in 2024 (and whether AI certificates are worth it)

Out of the users enrolled who reported their age, millennials made up 56%, the majority of learners, and had a significant lead among the other generations. Gen X followed with 22%, then Gen Z (18%), and Boomers (4%). The data also revealed that men enrolled in generative AI courses more than women, at 72% vs. 28%. 

The benefits of upskilling likely caused this boost in enrollment seen in the past two years. A recent Microsoft and LinkedIn report showed that 66% of leaders wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills, and 71% would prefer to hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them. 

If you, too, are interested in standing out as an employee or applicant, upskilling is easier than ever, with many online courses available. Some even have certificates you can share with your network to showcase your new skills.  

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Coursera shares that its most popular courses include Introduction to Generative AI from Google Cloud, Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT from Vanderbilt University, and Generative AI for Everyone from DeepLearning.AI. Today, Coursera also announced seven new generative AI courses, specializations, and certificates for different needs, from parents and kids courses to graduate certificates, which you can find here. 

The Coursera courses above require a $49 Coursera Plus subscription, but you can try them for free with a seven-day trial. There are also plenty of free online courses you can take advantage of if you are ready to learn more. To help you find which one is best for you, ZDNET’s David Gewirtz rounded up the best free AI courses in 2024 from AWS, IBM, DeepLearning, and more.