Coursera's Foray into GenAI

In early 2023, Maggioncalda, CEO of US EdTech firm Coursera, launched Project Genesis to develop a strategy for incorporating GenAI capabilities into the firm's offerings, asking his teams to focus on value to the firm and cost of implementation. The team identified several projects: powering translations and modifying content format and delivery, personalized coaching, an automatic course-building tool, and the building out of new GenAI-related academic content. By early 2024, the firm had made significant progress in bringing these ideas to market, but there was still much to do. Technology was fast evolving, and Coursera needed to continuously improve its offerings. Maggioncalda wanted better branding to make personalized coaching a distinctive advantage of the firm’s platform. For its course builder tool, Coursera and its university partners had to work through difficult intellectual property and branding questions. But more broadly, Maggioncalda remained alert to the risks presented by the advent of GenAI. While the firm had been an early mover, competitors were fast adapting. Was Coursera taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by the technology? What more could it do?