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Interest in artificial intelligence training is soaring but?only a fraction of the demand is being met by?higher education, according to a new report.

Nearly 57?million people in the US are interested in learning AI-based skills ¨C with about 8.7 million currently learning it, the higher education marketing and research firm??estimates.

Two-thirds of them are doing so independently through videos, online reading and other learning resources and a third are doing so via a structured and supervised learning programme. However, just 7,000 (0.2 per cent) are learning AI via a credit-bearing programme from a higher education institution.

This is despite enrolment in AI courses growing quickly in recent years. According to the report, the first bachelor¡¯s degree in the subject was launched by Carnegie Mellon University in 2018.

Over the next five years, enrolment in?AI programmes at colleges and universities?grew 45 per cent annually. The report found that approximately 1 per cent of institutions now offer a master¡¯s degree in AI, 2.5 per cent a bachelor¡¯s degree and 3 to 5 per cent offer a non-degree programme.

SUNY University at Buffalo saw enrolment in its master¡¯s degree in AI grow over 20 times from 2020 to 2024, from five to 103 students.

¡°Based on the data, there was sizeable existing interest and demand for professional and workplace education and training in AI and AI-related areas, but we probably haven¡¯t seen anything yet,¡± said Brady Colby, head of market research at Validated Insights.

¡°According to survey data and hiring trends, this market, the AI education and training market, is positioned for incredible, maybe explosive, growth.¡±

Validated Insights?said Edtech companies have seized the opportunity?and are serving more than 99 per cent of those looking to upskill in AI. Just 14 months after the launch of ChatGPT, enrolment in generative AI courses on platforms like Coursera and Udemy grew to 3.5 million.

¡°Given the expected very high demand for learning AI,?that so few existing learners are in credit programmes?is an important thing to know,¡± said Colby.

¡°It¡¯s not necessarily a warning for colleges and universities as it may be a blast of opportunity. If for-credit, degree-granting institutions can sync their programmes and reach this massive pool of interested students, the rewards could be excessive ¨C for the students and schools alike.¡±

Estimates published by Statista suggest that the aggregate market for AI in the US in 2025 is worth $74 billion (?55 billion).

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com