Validated Insights Report: Education Offerings in AI Fields Growing Very Rapidly, Dramatic Growth Expected

A new report from Validated Insights estimates that AI education and training was a $16.2B market in 2024, and projects it will grow at more than 22% annually.

According to a newly released report from higher education marketing and research firm Validated Insights, the market for training and education in artificial intelligence fields is substantial and growing, with outsized anticipated demand signaling even more significant near-term growth.

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According to a Validated Insights report, the market for training and education in artificial intelligence fields is substantial and growing, with outsized anticipated demand signaling even more significant near-term growth. The report analyzes enrollment trends in higher education and training, student demand, and the labor market. Enrollment in AI programs at colleges and universities grew 45% annually from Fall 2018 to Fall 2023, however there was a shortage of 341,000 AI and machine learning workers in 2023. By 2027, that shortfall is projected to grow to nearly 700,000.

According to the report, AI education and training is already growing rapidly:

• From Fall 2018 to Fall 2023, enrollment in AI programs at colleges and universities grew 45% annually.
• Just 14 months after the launch of ChatGPT, enrollment in Generative AI courses on platforms like Coursera and Udemy grew to 3.5 million.
• Between 2019 and 2023, completions of graduate certificates in AI from colleges and universities grew 245% annually.

“Based on the data, there was sizable 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,” he said.

“As it stands, roughly 4% of the white-collar workforce is pursuing upskilling in the field of AI, while 80% indicate interest in doing so,” according to the report. To highlight demand further, the report cites that, “There are 46.9M workers indicating plans to upskill in AI within the next six months.”

For comparison, leadership training, which is one of the largest and fastest-growing career education markets, is predicted to grow at 10.2% annually, according to the new report. Meanwhile, AI education programs are projected to more than double that growth rate – estimated to grow at 22.7% per year.

“The expressed demand isn’t only driven by current workers wanting to upgrade or refine their skills on new technologies,” Colby said. “The job market is starting to seek and reward AI skills in hiring, and we’re already seeing dramatic projections of shortages in many AI-related career fields,” he said.

For example, the report found that:

• There is an estimated shortage of nearly 700,000 AI workers, and that shortage is projected to persist in the coming years.
• AI/ML Engineer employment will almost triple from 2024 to 2027.

Also noteworthy in the report is an alarm for degree-granting higher education institutions. “Only 0.2% of people learning AI in a supervised and structured environment are doing so via a credit-bearing program,” the report found.

“Given the expected very high demand for learning AI, that so few existing learners are in credit programs 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 programs and reach this massive pool of interested students, the rewards could be excessive – for the students and schools alike,” he said.

Another interesting finding from the new report is that, although interest and demand for AI training is very high, workplace hiring for AI skills is uneven. According to the report, nearly half (46.7%) “of all job postings for AI experts came from California, New York, Texas, or Washington.”

The new report also covers degree competition trends in AI fields of study, states with the highest and lowest interest in acquiring AI training, trends in venture capital funding for AI-related companies, and existing business use of AI, among other data.

This report is the first from Validated Insights to examine AI education and training specifically. Previous reports have studied the market for online program management companies (OPM), MBA programs, nursing education, computer science programs, and trade schools.

Like its other benchmark education market reports, the report on AI education and AI-related fields will be updated regularly, along with other timely and relevant information about higher education and the higher education market generally. To receive future reports from Validated Insights, follow Higher Ed News by VI on LinkedIn.

About Validated Insights

Validated Insights is an agile marketing agency specializing in helping higher education institutions achieve and exceed their goals. With a comprehensive suite of services, including digital marketing, paid search, paid social, and web strategy, Validated Insights delivers data-driven strategies and measurable results. The agency's agile testing approach enables short- and long-term growth through better creative, strategy, media execution and continuous brand building. Validated Insights is the only agency in the higher education space to offer a performance guarantee in KPIs in the first 60 days - and continuous growth beyond that.

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