Anant Agarwal: How AI Is Disrupting Our Industry, and What We Can Do About It
An Interview With Cynthia Corsetti
Learn from Others and be Open to New Ideas
Stay curious about how AI is being utilized in your industry and beyond. Engage in conversations with peers, attend industry conferences, and participate in forums. Understanding how other companies and colleagues are leveraging AI can provide valuable insights and inspiration. This can lead to discovering best practices, avoiding common pitfalls, and identifying novel applications of AI that could benefit your organization.
Artificial Intelligence is no longer the future; it is the present. It’s reshaping landscapes, altering industries, and transforming the way we live and work. With its rapid advancement, AI is causing disruption — for better or worse — in every field imaginable. While it promises efficiency and growth, it also brings challenges and uncertainties that professionals and businesses must navigate. What can one do to pivot if AI is disrupting their industry? As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Anant Agarwal.
Anant is Chief Platform Officer of 2U, Founder of edX, and professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. Named one of the top 10 Voices in Education by LinkedIn, he launched edX in 2012 and guided the organization’s vision to expand access to high-quality education for everyone, everywhere. As the first educator to teach an edX course on circuits and electronics from MIT, Anant drew 155,000 students from 162 countries. Today, he leverages his expertise in building powerful online learning engines to drive edX’s growth as one of the world’s most comprehensive free-to-degree online learning platforms, under parent company 2U. Anant holds a bachelor’s degree from IIT Madras and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I believe education is a human right — everyone should have access to it like the air we breathe.
In 2011, we created edX with a radical new vision of education. Of what it could be, and how many people it could reach. Along with our founding partners, Harvard, and MIT, we started with one course and a dream. We imagined a system in which it didn’t matter where learners lived. Or how much money they had. We imagined a system that was designed for them. A system that would launch a movement at planet-scale. For every learner, or future learner, everywhere.
Today, as a part of 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), edX connects over 81 million people with online learning to meet every professional moment. Together with top-ranked universities and organizations at the forefront of their fields, such as MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Seoul National University, UC Berkeley, Tsinghua, Google, IBM, and Amazon, edX offers thousands of job-relevant programs across nearly every career discipline, from artificial intelligence and semiconductor engineering to sustainability and public health.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Since our founding, edX has been at the forefront of harnessing new technologies to not only expand access to world-class learning outcomes, but also put cutting-edge skills in the grasp of millions of people around the globe. From CRISPR to Blockchain, Covid Tracing to Python and AI, edX has a long history of democratizing the skills needed to leverage technologies that are changing the world. Guided by our belief in the power of high-quality online education to create a better future for all, a core focus of our mission has been innovating in partnership with the world’s leading universities and industry experts to strengthen the global workforce through affordable, career-relevant online learning opportunities that range from free courses to full degrees.
At the beginning of 2023, as it became clear that generative AI would rapidly reshape the future of work, edX moved quickly to equip our global learner network with the knowledge and skills they need to not only meet the moment but thrive in the era of AI. Leveraging our vast scale and expertise in leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver strong learner outcomes, we mobilized some of our forward-thinking university partners to swiftly create a comprehensive portfolio of online AI learning programs that reflect our commitment to access and affordability. These included a disruptively priced $10K Masters in AI from the University of Texas, Austin, an AI bootcamp, and free courses on chatGPT and prompt engineering.
In the spring of 2023, edX also launched XPert, a groundbreaking AI-powered initiative that uses technology from OpenAI and Google to give learners more ways to discover career-relevant learning pathways, receive learning assistance, translate courses into multiple languages, and access real-time support.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Embrace Mentorship for Personal Growth
My path was profoundly shaped by mentorship, particularly through my interaction with Mr. J. L. Saldanha, my 9th-grade math teacher. Initially dreaming of becoming a fighter pilot, Mr. Saldanha steered me towards a different goal: attending the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). His mentorship was hands-on, involving extra math assignments and tutoring to prepare me for the demanding IIT entrance exams. This experience taught me the value of being open to guidance and the impact of mentoring others, fundamentally shaping my professional journey.
Be A Good Networker
Networking, though sometimes uncomfortable, has been crucial in my journey. It’s about believing in the value of your goals and understanding that others’ support can be pivotal. I learned that people are often eager to help when they connect with their passion and objectives. This realization opened doors for me, showing that networking is not just about making contacts but about building relationships that are mutually beneficial and goal oriented. Good networking also helps you build great teams. One of the early lessons I learned was that good venture capitalists are not just about money, but bringing their vast networks of customers, executives and team members. and other VCs to help you as an entrepreneur.
Never Give Up
Perhaps the most important trait for an entrepreneur or business leader is to have the courage of your convictions and the ability to plow through the most difficult of times. I don’t give up, perhaps to a fault. When you are working on ambitious projects with incredible goals you will encounter all sorts of obstacles. This trait helps you be optimistic and keep to the mission and others will follow your lead as your positivity rubs off on your team. This trait has been crucial in everything I have done, but none more so than in my first company, Virtual Machine Works. We had to go through multiple false starts in our product as we tried to get a good market fit. Resiliency was critical as we went through several product iterations from a low-cost hardware verification product for small designs, to a high end product for the largest chip designs.
Let’s now move to the main point of our discussion about AI. Can you explain how AI is disrupting your industry? Is this disruption hurting or helping your bottom line?
AI has been a transformative force in the education sector — it’s revolutionizing the way we approach learning and teaching. This technology isn’t just about automating tasks; it’s about creating new, human-caliber content, enhancing learning experiences, and offering unprecedented personalization, and real-time learner assistance. We’re leveraging AI to transform teaching and learning methods, much like how we integrated digital learning into traditional classrooms through blended models.
From a business perspective, the disruption caused by AI is decidedly positive for 2U and edX. We believe that generative AI, when thoughtfully and responsibly applied, offers tremendous value: It can be transformative to learner access and outcomes, enhance educators’ curriculum authoring and teaching capabilities, and expand our partners’ reach. By integrating AI into our platform, we’re able to offer more effective and engaging courses. This not only attracts more learners but also improves their satisfaction and outcomes, leading to better retention and completion rates.
Which specific AI technology has had the most significant impact on your industry?
ChatGPT, and more generally GenAI’s impact — so far — has been multifaceted. For learners, it acts as an interactive tool that can aid in understanding complex concepts, provide study assistance, and even simulate tutoring sessions whenever learners need it. For educators and content creators, it’s a powerful ally in generating educational content, designing curriculum, and creating and testing assessments. This technology’s ability to understand and respond in natural language makes it an invaluable asset in developing more responsive and adaptive learning platforms. It is also helping increase access by translating videos and courses into any language of your choice and at very little cost. At edX, integrating such AI technologies aligns with our mission to democratize education, making learning more accessible, personalized, and effective for students around the globe. The potential of ChatGPT and similar AI tools in transforming education is immense, and we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what they can achieve.
Can you share a pivotal moment when you recognized the profound impact AI would have on your sector?
When we first launched edX’s AI learning assistant, Xpert, the rate of student use was astounding. Nearly 85% of students showed a preference for asking the AI tool questions. Students have an equal opportunity to ask human instructors questions but, as one student said, “Xpert has been really helpful with explaining things that are hard to understand, and it’s really nice to be able to keep asking questions and not feeling like you’re annoying the person you’re asking.” This is a perfect example of how AI can provide a personalized learning experience that meets students where they are and when they want. We’re now seeing that students are asking five times more questions via Xpert than they have historically. We are monitoring and watching changes in behavior over time to better understand how to create tools that result in better outcomes for students.
How are you preparing your workforce for the integration of AI, and what skills do you believe will be most valuable in an AI-enhanced future?
In the immediate future, I believe prompt engineering will not only be one of the most valuable but also the most necessary skill for everyone in an AI-enhanced future. Prompt engineering is not just about technical know-how; it’s a blend of creativity, critical thinking, and an understanding of how AI interprets and processes human language. It requires a nuanced approach to problem-solving, where one must anticipate how an AI system might respond to different prompts, and what constraints to apply to AI’s responses. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into various aspects of our lives, the ability to interact with these systems efficiently and effectively as a co-pilot will be crucial.
What are the biggest challenges in upskilling your workforce for an AI-centric future?
edX recently released a whitepaper, Navigating the Workplace in the Age of AI, which shares insights from a survey of 800 executives and 800 working professionals, that found that one of the biggest challenge in upskilling for an AI-centric future lies in the shift of responsibility for learning and development (L&D) from traditional educational institutions to employers. Over 80% of employees now expect their companies to provide necessary training, yet there’s a disconnect between employee perceptions and executive beliefs about the effectiveness of current L&D programs. This gap highlights the need for companies to not only enhance their training offerings but also to ensure these programs are aligned with the rapidly evolving demands of an AI-driven workplace. The challenge is further compounded by the need to upskill at scale while addressing critical business needs like performance, recruitment, and retention. Addressing this effectively requires a concerted effort from both business leaders and L&D teams to foster a more robust and accessible learning culture within organizations.
What ethical considerations does AI introduce into your industry, and how are you tackling these concerns?
Back when edX first set out to democratize education, we were thoughtful about how we used digital learning. We open-sourced our technology as Open edX so that everyone could access it, not just a select few. We also worked on creating blended models of learning, which enabled teachers and learners on campus to benefit from digital learning as well, and we must once again be thoughtful. And we must be fast, too!
With initiatives like our edX Xpert tool and the edX ChatGPT plugin, we harness AI’s potential to support learners effectively. We prioritize responsible innovation, recognizing our role as a trusted technology partner to universities, employers, and governments.
While we act swiftly and deliver impactful new updates, launch exciting new content, and drive innovative new developments, we must do so with some principles in place to guide our momentum. We’ve embraced the following principles that are adaptable and evolve based on input from partners, learners, and the industry at large.
- Benefit: We are committed to using AI to improve the learning and teaching experience. The goal is to benefit learners and educators, driving impactful outcomes.
- Guardrails: We will enable partners to choose which AI-powered innovations they embrace on the edX platform and are implementing guardrails to prevent our partners’ content from being incorporated into public AI training sets whenever possible.
- Accuracy and Bias: We will seek to avoid bias and improve accuracy by ensuring that we use clean data inputs — and we will include mechanisms for user feedback.
- Data Privacy: As always, we are dedicated to keeping learner data safe and private. We continue to uphold our strict guidelines for managing information and maintaining high standards for transparency, privacy by design, and security.
- Innovation: We thrive on solving challenges and exploring opportunities in AI. We look forward to tackling this new technology by learning with and from our partners and other industry leaders.
- Open Source: The advances we make in educational technology are given back to everyone, so that we all can progress together.
What are your “Five Things You Need To Do, If AI Is Disrupting Your Industry”?
Understand the Technology
Encourage yourself and your team to ask questions, delve into how AI works, and understand its implications for your industry. This requires going beyond surface-level knowledge. It could involve attending workshops, webinars, or even enrolling in online courses. Understanding AI isn’t just about grasping its technical aspects; it’s about recognizing how it can transform various facets of your business. This foundational knowledge will empower you to make informed decisions and strategize effectively in an AI-driven environment.
Invest in Learning Opportunities
AI’s impact isn’t limited to tech teams; it permeates every aspect of an organization. Therefore, investing in learning opportunities for all employees is crucial. The goal is to build an AI-literate workforce capable of leveraging AI tools across different functions — from marketing and sales to HR and operations. This organization-wide upskilling will not only enhance efficiency but also foster a culture of continuous learning and adaptability.
Utilize AI Actively: Make It Part of Your Daily Life
Whether you are a CEO or a front-line worker, one of the simplest ways of demystifying AI is to begin using it immediately in your everyday life. Much like you have an internet browser open at all times in your laptop, tablet or mobile phone, keep a window to an AI tool like chatGPT open at all times and begin to play with it. It is free, and soon you will find it indispensable!
Similarly, encourage your team to integrate AI tools into their daily workflows. For instance, consider making ChatGPT or similar AI tools as integral to your operations as Google search is today. This hands-on experience will help demystify AI, alleviate any apprehensions, and showcase its practical benefits. Regular use will also spark innovative ideas on how AI can further streamline processes or enhance product offerings.
Learn from Others and be Open to New Ideas
Stay curious about how AI is being utilized in your industry and beyond. Engage in conversations with peers, attend industry conferences, and participate in forums. Understanding how other companies and colleagues are leveraging AI can provide valuable insights and inspiration. This can lead to discovering best practices, avoiding common pitfalls, and identifying novel applications of AI that could benefit your organization.
Foster an AI-Inclusive Culture
Create an environment where every team member feels empowered to suggest, experiment with, and implement AI-driven solutions. Encourage collaboration between departments to brainstorm how AI can solve existing challenges or create new opportunities. This culture of innovation should be underpinned by a supportive atmosphere where trial and error are seen as part of the learning process. By nurturing an AI-inclusive culture, you not only democratize the use of technology across your organization but also foster a sense of ownership and creativity among your employees, leading to more sustainable and impactful AI integration.
What are the most common misconceptions about AI within your industry, and how do you address them?
One of the very early misconceptions with AI in education was the fear that AI would replace educators. We now know this is so far from the truth. AI is intended to augment and enhance the educational process, not to replace human instructors. We use AI to personalize learning experiences, provide adaptive feedback, and handle administrative tasks, thereby enabling educators to focus more on the core aspects of teaching. The goal is to complement, not substitute, the invaluable human elements of teaching and mentorship.
I remember a similar experience with digital learning where a professor colleague wondered what they would do if students could learn effectively from online courses and their live lectures were no longer needed. As digital learning unfolded, it became clear that the blended model of learning was the future, where in-person teaching combined with online learning for the best outcomes. In a similar manner, a blended model where AI augments human skills will become the norm.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
“When you don’t know what to do, do a lot, so the odds of hitting upon the right thing increase.
The most important aspect of achieving something for the first time is also the most obvious: hard work, and lots of it!”
When you’re trying to do something that hasn’t been done before, experimentation and hard work become even more important, because they make up for a lack of knowledge and experience. Hard work is also the only aspect of your journey that you can completely control. In the absence of one clear, no-fail approach, your best bet is to experiment broadly to achieve your goal.
As I was studying for the IIT entrance exams in India, in addition to math, there was chemistry, physics and English for which I had to prepare, with absolutely no idea how to be ready for these subjects. In my hometown Mangalore in the mid 70’s, there were no prep classes or coaches, or other alumni who I could talk to, so the exams appeared very mysterious and opaque. Unsurprisingly, my journey to IIT Madras (where I went to college) was filled with starts, stops and wrong turns. But when you’re working in the dark, you have to become comfortable working without clear instructions to succeed. So rather than doing nothing, I randomly worked on lots of problems in lots of books from libraries in chemistry and physics. It’s like panning for gold, and frankly, I must have lucked upon some useful nuggets. When charting a new course, you have to accept the inherent inefficiencies and understand that it will never be a linear journey to meet your goal.
Success can sometimes mean being willing to take the scenic route — not the express lane. Don’t worry about making mistakes, and remain confident that if you work hard and course-correct when you need to, you’ll stand a better chance at finding success.
How can our readers further follow you online?
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About the Interviewer: Cynthia Corsetti is an esteemed executive coach with over two decades in corporate leadership and 11 years in executive coaching. Author of the upcoming book, “Dark Drivers,” she guides high-performing professionals and Fortune 500 firms to recognize and manage underlying influences affecting their leadership. Beyond individual coaching, Cynthia offers a 6-month executive transition program and partners with organizations to nurture the next wave of leadership excellence.
