Ilya Sutskever helped prove that scale works in AI. Now he says it doesn't—and his $3 billion company is betting the future belongs to researchers with ideas, not labs with the biggest GPU clusters. The industry isn't ready for this argument.
Silicon Valley promised AI would democratize creativity. New research tracking 442 participants found the opposite: people who were more creative without AI produced better work with it. The gap didn't close. It may have widened.
Enterprises are spending billions on AI pilots, but MIT's research shows most deliver no return. It's not the technology failing. The gap between impressive demos and working systems comes down to data quality, technical debt, and organizational readiness.
Coursera courses now live inside ChatGPT—world-class instructors summoned mid-conversation. No app switching, no browser tabs. EU users blocked by privacy laws while Wall Street bets big on AI-powered education. The learning shortcut arrived, but not for everyone.
Coursera just landed inside ChatGPT, so now anyone (with the exception of those in the EU for the moment) can summon world-class instructors without ever leaving their trusted AI chat window. Imagine casually asking about quantum computing or portfolio management and getting an answer as if a professor who actually enjoys teaching had dropped in.
This might just be the real AI revolution.
Not long ago, at the CFA Institute LIVE conference in Chicago, I asked Andrew Chin, Chief AI Officer at Alliance Bernstein, a deceptively simple question from the audience: “Where and how can I learn about the different AI tools?” His answer was one for the ages: “AI!” No detours, no jargon. Just AI as the tutor, the toolbox, and the entire curriculum. If that does not crystallize the future of learning, nothing will.
This pithy retort perfectly captures what is happening now. AI is not just a subject to study. It is your learning companion, your tutor, and your most efficient study buddy rolled into one. Take a bow, traditional syllabi.
Thanks to OpenAI’s clever embedding of Coursera inside ChatGPT, mentioning “Coursera” during your chat summons an encyclopedia of courses. No app juggling. No endless Google rabbit holes. Want just-in-time tutorials? Done. Need a deep dive into neural nets or negotiating skills? Delivered. All while you are busy chatting about your other existential crises.
This isn’t just another flashy new feature. Generative AI has been my personal secret weapon for picking up skills that used to feel out of reach. Whether fiddling with vibe-based coding or tackling some paralegal research (don’t ask me how that happened), it has completely changed how I absorb information. It behaves like the tutor who’s always patient, who never rolls their eyes, and who’s ready with a quick explanation or a deep dive whenever I need it.
The Coursera experience inside ChatGPT could turn my previously chaotic searches and countless browser tabs into concise, digestible lessons—available precisely when my curiosity flares up and my concentration allows. Learning has never been more convenient.
There is one tiny hiccup. If you are in the European Union, this integration is as elusive as a polite X debate. Regulatory red tape, privacy laws, and enough legal jargon to make anyone’s head spin are preventing access for now. Switzerland sits in the gray zone, not in the EU but with similar privacy standards, so it is a bit of a waiting game there too. Meanwhile, some resourceful learners are hopping across virtual borders using VPNs to access the future of learning. Because when motivation meets tech savvy, there’s always a way to bypass digital fences.
Cue Wall Street’s applause. Coursera’s stock jumped on the announcement, showing investors are waking up to the same realization the rest of us have: Education powered by AI is not a passing trend but a game-changing evolution.
We’re finally stepping out of the era of passive scrolling and into active learning. Ask smart questions, and the best instructors worldwide will respond—even if it’s just a quick chat while you’re pretending to work.
About the columnist
European Editor · Implicator.ai
Technologist with financial expertise (CFA). Author of Artificial Stupelligence: The Hilarious Truth About AI. A hype-skeptic who believes in technology that actually works. Based in Switzerland—and still waiting for an AI that can finally perfect snow forecasts.
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