Udemy Debuts New Generative AI Leadership Program Developed in Collaboration with AWS

By Business Wire On Jun 6, 2024

Udemy Business Leadership Academy and AWS collaborate to empower leaders with generative AI skills to innovate, inspire, and drive business agility

Udemy, a leading online skills marketplace and learning platform, announced the launch of a new generative artificial intelligence (AI) upskilling program developed in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Offered through Udemy Business Leadership Academy (UBLA), Unlocking GenAI Opportunities with AWS is a six-week cohort learning program designed to equip leaders across all industries with the generative AI (GenAI) tools and change management strategies they need to successfully develop talent and drive the digital transformation within their organization.

“GenAI is revolutionizing industries and transforming the business landscape at an unprecedented pace”

“GenAI is revolutionizing industries and transforming the business landscape at an unprecedented pace,” said Greg Brown, President and CEO at Udemy. “The UBLA cohort program, developed in collaboration with AWS, will equip leadership teams with the skills they need to navigate this transformation successfully while fostering innovation, enhancing productivity, and driving revenue growth. We are thrilled to be working in collaboration with AWS to support organizations around the world, helping to drive strategic outcomes and inspire their teams to achieve new heights.”

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As GenAI continues to accelerate the pace of change across industries and organizations, 71% of executives have identified the technology as a top area of investment in 2024. However, a recent Udemy report revealed that while most employees (88%) agree that effective leadership will be critical to the success of their GenAI initiatives, nearly half (45%) doubt the readiness of senior management to seize the opportunities and mitigate the risks brought on by GenAI.

In the long term, organizations that fail to harness the power of GenAI face several risks, including reduced profitability, talent attrition, slower product development, loss of market share, and increased disruption in the supply chain. To successfully navigate these issues, leaders must acquire the necessary technical skills and be able to effectively communicate and spearhead this change in a manner that inspires and engages employees.

“Generative AI is the most transformative technology we’re likely to see in our lifetimes. Leaders who build their knowledge, skills, and a mindset of resilience and adaptability, will position themselves—and their organizations—to harness its immense potential,” said Maureen Lonergan, Vice President of Training and Certification at AWS. “We’re excited to work with Udemy to realize a shared vision of building a global, AI-ready workforce. Unlocking GenAI Opportunities with AWS is an ideal starting point for leaders everywhere to build their generative AI strategy and set their organization on a path of accelerated innovation.”

How leaders can accelerate growth with this new GenAI program

To help overcome these challenges, this new program––Unlocking GenAI Opportunities with AWS––will help empower leaders with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to harness the full potential of GenAI to achieve critical business objectives and boost employee engagement.

The program is designed to address three critical learning objectives:

Becoming GenAI savvy. Organizations need tech-savvy leaders proficient in GenAI tools. This program provides access to PartyRock, powered by Amazon Bedrock, where participants engage in practical exercises in prompt engineering and capability exploration to help them learn how to reimagine businesses, boost productivity, redefine customer experiences, and create new business models. Amazon Bedrock is a fully managed service that offers a choice of high-performing foundation models (FMs) from leading AI companies via a single API, along with a broad set of capabilities organizations need to build generative AI applications with security, privacy, and responsible AI.

Championing innovation. Leaders also need to create a clear set of operating principles, including responsible use guidelines, to help innovation flourish within their organization. During this program, leaders will be provided with hands-on learning experiences to help them safely nurture innovation, including an “innovation tournament” to practice converting ideas into action plans.

Inspiring change. Fostering a company culture that is open to change––especially those brought on by GenAI––requires inspirational leadership and skilled change management professionals to have a lasting impact. Throughout this program, leaders will have the opportunity to develop clear and compelling messaging around their vision for GenAI, generating sustainable excitement amongst their workforce about the path ahead and their individual roles in this transformation.

Additionally, to help develop leadership teams at scale, this program uses blended learning, combining self-paced learning modules and social learning, including purpose-built groups, micro-learning courses, and guidance from certified expert moderators. Participants in the cohort learning program will also have the opportunity to present and prioritize ideas, address AI misconceptions, design strategies, and inspire their teams with a forward-looking vision.