LANHAM, Md. – March 19, 2024 – edX, the global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), has once again been included on Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. This list recognizes companies that are transforming business, shaping society, and paving the way for the innovations of tomorrow. For 2024, edX is featured in the education category for leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to advance the reach and impact of high-quality online education. 

As a part of 2U, edX connects more than 83 million people with access to high-quality online education. Together with leading universities and businesses around the world, 2U offers thousands of job-relevant programs on the edX platform across nearly every career discipline, from AI and robotics to sustainability and public health. 

edX’s inclusion in this year’s list is a result of 2U’s innovations in AI that seek to enhance and improve learners’ experiences. These innovations demonstrate how 2U continues to propel the future of learning and work forward and quickly adapt to deliver the world’s most in-demand skills training on edX.

"edX's recognition on Fast Company's list of the World's Most Innovative Companies underscores our commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to revolutionize education,” said Anant Agarwal, 2U’s Chief Academic Officer, Founder of edX, and former Director of CSAIL, MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. “Through our AI advancements, we're not just shaping the future of learning, but empowering individuals worldwide to thrive in the age of AI." 

In 2023, 2U moved quickly to harness the power of generative AI to equip learners with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the era of AI. These innovations include using technology from OpenAI to give learners on edX more ways to discover career-relevant education pathways, receive learning assistance, and access real-time support:

• edX Xpert serves as a learner’s personal tutor and assistant on edX.org. In a growing number of open courses, learners can ask Xpert to provide summaries of video lectures and text material, break down complex concepts, answer follow-up questions, recommend modules for review, and provide practice tests. To date, over 600,000 unique learners and edX.org site visitors have engaged with Xpert and asked over 350,000 questions.
• The edX ChatGPT Plugin makes descriptions and links for all courses and programs on edX discoverable to potential learners directly within ChatGPT. Partners that have created audit track courses on edX can also opt-in to allow ChatGPT users to search and learn directly from their course content. 

Over the past year, 2U has leveraged its scale and technology expertise to mobilize university and corporate partners to substantially grow our portfolio of online AI learning programs that reflect our commitment to access and affordability. 2U offers over 450 programs with AI-related content on edX to serve learners at every experience and investment level, from free to degree, including:

• A disruptively priced $10K online master’s degree in AI
• AI boot camps from over a dozen partners, designed to educate early to mid-career professionals in practical and technical skills across data science, machine learning, and AI
• A suite of ChatGPT open courses—all free to audit—including Introduction to ChatGPT and Prompt Engineering and Advanced ChatGPT
• Updated professional certificate and executive education programs like Computer Science for AI and AI Implications for Business Strategy that include content on in-demand topics including generative AI
• The edX AI Academy, a curated selection of programs from our edX For Business catalog that aligns with vital capability areas and skills required for enterprises to harness AI’s potential

2U also partnered with research firm Workplace Intelligence to understand the needs and challenges that professionals and business leaders face amid the precipitous rise of AI in work and learning. The findings, published in Navigating the Workplace in the Age of AI, illustrate how AI continues to rapidly change the way that professionals at all levels of an organization must think about their role and upskilling/reskilling. 

The report found that executives estimate that nearly half (49%) of the skills that exist in their workforce today won’t be relevant in 2025, and they feel 47% of their workforce is unprepared for the future of work. The report continues to serve as a tool for employers looking to establish AI learning and development programs, and for individuals seeking to understand how they can use AI to drive career success.

Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue is now available online.