India seems to be sprinting ahead in GenAI education. A newly released report by the online learning platform, Coursera, revealed that the country recorded a staggering 3.6 million enrolments this year alone. This, according to the company, is the highest in the world.
Amid rising AI investments from major technology companies and India’s push to establish itself as a global talent hub, the report strengthens the nation’s ambitions. The Coursera report underscored two courses that have become popular among Indian learners – Introduction to Generative AI from Google Cloud and AI for Everyone by DeepLearning.AI.
Google Cloud’s Introduction to Generative AI is the country’s top GenAI course of 2025. This course has been designed as part of its beginner-friendly specialisation and gives learners a foundational understanding of generative AI models, their use cases, and practical applications. The course is short and comes in an accessible format and is a hit among first-time AI learners who want clarity before committing to deeper technical domains.
According to Coursera, this course leads the list of India’s ten most popular GenAI offerings this year, surpassing IBM, AWS, and Google AI Essentials programmes. “India’s learning momentum is extraordinary, reinforcing why the country sits at the heart of Coursera’s mission,” said Ashutosh Gupta, Managing Director, India and Asia Pacific, Coursera.
“With a young, ambitious workforce and a fast-growing digital economy, India has a unique opportunity to lead globally in the AI era – but this will require rapid skilling at scale. Coursera is committed to expanding access to verified, job-aligned learning that helps India fully realise this opportunity.”
On the other hand, AI for Everyone is known for famed computer scientist Andrew Ng’s easy yet influential method. This course, according to the platform, continues to dominate the broader AI learning in India, topping the list of the most popular courses across categories in 2025. The main focus of this course is on what AI means for non-technical professionals, and this notion seems to have resonated deeply with India’s workforce, which is in a transitional phase.
Further, the report also highlights that 95 per cent of Indian learners reported positive career gains, including new roles and internal progression. Over 50 per cent saw a salary increase, and an overwhelming 96 per cent experienced boosts in confidence and personal growth. These numbers underline why India has become Coursera’s second-largest learner community, with over 32.8 million registered users.
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The platform also highlighted a cluster of “fastest-growing skills” that signal where the country’s learners are headed next. Agentic AI workflows, prompt engineering, data storytelling, digital resilience, and human-centred change management are witnessing a sharp rise. These are not just technical proficiencies but come with blended competencies that can help organisations navigate AI-driven transformation.
Based on the report, India’s top 10 most popular courses overall reflect a balanced mix of AI fundamentals, data literacy, digital marketing, and cybersecurity. Titles from Google, IBM, Stanford, and DeepLearning.AI dominates the list, underscoring the influence of industry-backed credentials in shaping India’s future workforce. The prominence of foundational programmes like Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere and Python for Data Science, AI & Development indicates that Indian learners are building durable skills rather than chasing trends.