Enrolment in Technical AI Skills Skyrockets as EU AI Act Mandates AI Literacy
Recent data reveals a staggering 1,100% increase in employee enrolment in technical AI courses, following the implementation of the EU AI Act, which mandates AI literacy across various sectors. This surge indicates a critical shift in how organizations are prioritizing AI skills in response to regulatory requirements.
The Rise of AI Upskilling
Following the EU AI Act’s data literacy mandates that came into effect earlier this month, organizations are racing to enhance their workforce’s understanding of AI technology. According to Coursera’s Job Skills Report 2025, the most sought-after course among businesses has been ‘Generative AI Cybersecurity & Privacy for Leaders: A Primer’. This course equips participants with essential skills to leverage AI tools securely, a necessity for maintaining competitiveness in an increasingly AI-driven job market.
The Race to AI Literacy
Under the EU AI Act, organizations are now obligated to promote AI literacy, facilitating the safe deployment of AI technologies. This regulatory push has led to a remarkable 866% year-over-year increase in enrolment for Generative AI courses among enterprise learners. Specifically, employees, students, and job seekers have experienced enrolment increases of 1,100%, 500%, and 1,600%, respectively.
Currently, there is an astounding rate of seven people per minute enrolling in GenAI content on the Coursera platform. This marks a significant increase from just one enrolment every ten seconds in 2024, highlighting the growing interest in AI skills.
Essential Technical AI Knowledge
According to Coursera’s findings, crucial AI skills such as artificial neural networks, PyTorch (a machine learning library), reinforcement learning, and supervised learning rank among the top ten fastest-growing skills in demand. Courses like ‘Generative AI for Everyone’ from DeepLearning and ‘AI and Generative AI with Large Language Models’ from AWS demonstrate a strong focus on understanding the comprehensive capabilities of GenAI.
Moreover, courses such as ‘Google AI Essentials’ and ‘Introduction to Generative AI’ from Google Cloud are also highly regarded, emphasizing the collective effort to build a robust foundation in GenAI concepts.
The Gender Divide in AI Skilling
Despite the rapid growth in AI skilling, a significant gender gap persists. Currently, only 22% of AI professionals are women, raising concerns about biases in AI models due to a lack of diverse perspectives in their development. As noted, 80% of the engineering workforce will require upskilling in GenAI by 2027, making it imperative that organizations address these inequalities.
In 2024 alone, over 450 unique GenAI courses were launched on Coursera, reflecting the escalating demand for expertise in this transformative technology.
Policy Development and Future Considerations
As organizations adapt to the AI literacy mandate, it is crucial for them to establish clear policies regarding AI learning and development. Many organizations have explored AI education out of self-interest, but with the EU AI Act’s implementation, these investments must be formally integrated into workplace policies.
Furthermore, addressing accessibility challenges is essential to ensure equitable access to AI learning opportunities. With only 32% of AI enrolments on Coursera coming from women, companies must actively work to bridge this gap.
Failure to invest in AI skills could result in talent shortages similar to those seen in cybersecurity. As AI and big data are projected to become the third-highest priority for corporate training by 2027, organizations that prioritize resource investment in AI training now will be better positioned for future success.
In conclusion, the EU AI Act has catalyzed significant developments in learning and development policies across Europe, paving the way for other regions, including the UK, to follow suit in promoting AI literacy.
