Marni Baker Stein is the Chief Content Officer at Coursera, the global learning platform with over 175 million learners and partnerships across 6,200 campuses, businesses, and governments. She leads Coursera’s content and credential strategy and manages global partner relationships. Before joining Coursera, Marni was Chief Academic Officer and Provost at Western Governors University, where she oversaw programs for more than 135,000 students. She has also held leadership roles focused on access, student success, and program design at the University of Texas, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Marni earned her PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How AI is shifting education from one-size-fits-all to personalized, contextualized learning tailored to each student
• Why microcredentials and stackable learning are replacing traditional degrees as the new path for lifelong learners
• The role of educators in the AI era and why they should be part of the solution, not sidelined by automation
• What it means for universities to stay relevant as learning becomes more modular, flexible, and job-aligned
• Why GenAI is fueling demand for both technical skills and enduring human abilities like critical thinking and communication
• How tools like AI tutors, instant translations, and proctoring are democratizing access and preserving integrity at scale

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Marni on LinkedIn
• AI fun fact article
• On How To Identify The Power of Product and Listening to Your Customers.
• Past episodes mentioned in this conversation:
  • [With Dave Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business] - On How AI is Changing Academia
  • [Chris Caren, Turnitin CEO] - On using AI to prevent students from cheating plus lessons for leaders on innovation and team culture

Tess Posner is the CEO and founding leader of AI4ALL, a nonprofit that works to ensure the next generation of AI leaders is diverse and well-quipped to innovate. Since joining in 2017, she has focused on embedding ethics, responsibility, and real-world impact into AI education. Her work connects students from underrepresented backgrounds to hands-on projects and mentorships that prepare them to lead in tech. Beyond her role at AI4ALL, Tess is a musician whose 2023 EP Alchemy has over 600,000 streams on Spotify. She was named a 2020 Brilliant Woman in AI Ethics Hall of Fame Honoree and holds degrees from St. John’s University and Columbia University.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why AI literacy is becoming essential for everyone, from casual users to future developers
• The role of project-based learning in helping students see the real-world impact of AI
• What it takes to expand AI access for underrepresented communities
• How AI can either reinforce bias or drive real change, depending on who’s leading its development
• Why schools should stop penalizing AI use and instead teach students to use it with curiosity and responsibility
• Tess’s views on balancing optimism and caution in the development of AI tools

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Tess on LinkedIn or learn more about AI4ALL
• AI fun fact article
• On How To Build and Activate a Powerful Network
• Past episodes mentioned in this conversation:
  • [With Tess in 2020] - About what leaders do in a crisis
  • [With Tess in 2019] - About how to mitigate AI bias and hiring best practices
  • [With Chris Caren, Turnitin CEO] - On Using AI to Prevent Students from Cheating
  • [With Marcus "Bellringer" Bell] - On Creating North America’s First AI Artist

Brian Elliott is one of the most recognized future of work thought leaders and the CEO of Work Forward, where he advises senior leaders on how to build better organizations. A former senior executive at Slack, Brian is also the bestselling author of How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do the Best Work of Their Lives. His insights have been published in Harvard Business Review and Fortune, and cited in Time, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Economist, and Forbes. He holds a BA in Math and Economics from Northwestern and an MBA from Harvard.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Brian Elliott’s leadership journey from Google and Slack to founding Work Forward and advising companies on building healthier workplace cultures.
• Why alignment, accountability, and shared purpose matter more than hustle culture in scaling organizations effectively.
• The hidden risks of AI at work, including why employees often use it in secret out of fear of punishment or judgment.
• The growing tension between executives and employees in an era of midnight layoffs, return-to-office mandates, and AI-induced anxiety.
• How progressive leaders can create space for experimentation with AI and lead with fallibility instead of fear.
• Why the future of work depends on creating space for learning, building trust, and valuing human craftsmanship in an AI-powered world.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belliott/
• AI fun fact article: https://ashugarg.substack.com/p/nvidias-ai-factory-bet
• On How To Deliver IT Service To The Legal Industry: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jim-mckenna-serial-cio-and-legaltech-expert-discusses/id1476885647?i=1000624398232