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As AI becomes more commonplace at work, employees are worried about losing their jobs.
Around 43% of 3,000 U.S. workers surveyed by educational technology provider D2L in January say they’re concerned another employee with better generative AI skills could replace them within the next year. Young workers in particular are worried, as 52% of Gen Z respondents expressed that fear, while only 33% of Gen X workers said the same. Many people also say their companies aren’t providing the right training opportunities, and around 40% of respondents to D2L’s survey believe their employers aren’t prioritizing professional development opportunities.
It’s no surprise then, that around 26% of Gen Z and 24% of millennial respondents to D2L’s survey plan to take six to 10 generative AI courses this year, compared to 12% of Gen X respondents. And they’re already getting started. Around 280,000 people have signed up for online generative AI classes so far this year, according to online learning platform Coursera. That’s already half the total number of enrollments for AI classes the platform saw in all of 2023—around 570,500.
“We’re getting this clear message from our learners that not only are they interested in this, but they believe that the future really belongs to those who are going to adapt to these skills,” Marni Baker Stein, Coursera’s chief content officer, tells Fortune.
On Coursera, interest in generative AI curriculum includes anything from courses teaching the technical skills required to build AI tools, to lessons about how to use generative AI tools in specific professions. The platform offers several courses aimed towards learning basic skills for generative AI for any career level, including a prompt engineering course from Vanderbilt University and a “navigating generative AI for leaders” course created by Coursera’s CEO Jeff Maggioncalda.
“There’s a lot of people out there looking for these courses to uplevel themselves in any role that they’re in,” says Baker Stein.
Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion
Today’s edition was curated by Emma Burleigh.
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
- Instacart will cut 7% of its workforce—or 250 employees—as it prioritizes profitability amid rising food costs and growing grocery delivery service competition. Wall Street Journal
- U.S. workers with disabilities have been a top driver of the post-pandemic job market, accounting for nearly a third of labor force growth over the past three years. Bloomberg
- About 500 Adobe employees signed a petition against the company’s decision to host their MAX conference in Florida, demanding to move the event to a state more “inclusive” of marginalized groups. Business Insider
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Snap back to reality. Tech workers are not living the dream they once expected—as industry layoffs continue to surge and benefits roll back, tech now feels like an uncertain career path. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Unhappy meal. Last month, eight states introduced or took action on new laws that would curb child labor protections—and child labor violations in the fast-food industry in particular are up over the past decade. —Chloe Berger
Trial and error. Several companies have been trying out four-day workweeks with promising results—but Deutsche Telekom’s Hungarian team found it made workers less efficient. —Prarthana Prakash
Dream boss. Bob Moore, founder of Bob’s Red Mill grain products, left his company to his workers via an employee stock ownership plan before his recent passing at 94 years old. —Sasha Rogelberg
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