The end of static online learning is the opportunity to be amongst the first movers in adaptive AI learning space.
It's time to cannibalise your online learning courses yourself
I could pass on the fluffy MBA case-study lessons of companies not adapting and dying, but by the time I do a new LLM model would have disrupted learning some more.
This AI learning era is about speed.
If you need to be convinced to adapt, my guess is your balance sheet is already heavily punctured and leaking cash. I'm not telling you to add a chatbot to your site or just dump some extra prompt engineering courses.
The answer is simple, change the way you think about how your learners consume content because static talking heads is not it!
Static content is not for humans anymore, it's for models
In the sprawling circus of online education, MOOC platforms have long strutted their stuff as the ringmasters of accessibility—promising knowledge to the masses with a grand flourish.
Yet, behind the curtain, the numbers tell a grim tale: completion rates limp along at 5-15%, engagement fades faster than a cheap magician’s smoke.
And revenue? Unless you’re Coursera or edX, it’s a tightrope walk over a pit of despair.
The crowd’s applause is fading, and the culprit is clear: static content, the tired old elephant in the room, can’t keep up with the AI acrobats stealing the show. Don't get it twisted, static was king once upon a time.
But now its purpose has changed from teaching humans to teaching models. Yes, it's not optimised for the machines 100% but it most certainly is not optimised for humans too.
The degrading human attention cycle dictates this. I'm sure by now you've been tempted to check WhatsApp again or scroll through LinkedIn since you started reading. That's because we've become addicted not to social media but to the reflection of our interests and consciousness that the algorithms lay bear in front of us.
So why don't we adapt our learning experiences to reflect our cognitive strengths and weaknesses too?
The static content trap
Picture this: you enroll in a MOOC, eager to learn Python or leadership skills, only to face a wall of pre-recorded lectures droning on like a professor who’s forgotten his audience isn’t asleep. No feedback, no adaptation—just you, a screen, and a creeping sense of doom.
It’s no wonder 96% of learners ditch these courses, as MIT’s 2019 study grimly confirmed.
Static content is a one-trick pony in a world that demands a circus of interactivity. It’s like handing a smartphone generation a rotary phone and expecting them to call it progress.
The MOOC course design was the best we had on offer in the late 2000's early 2010's.
Regardless of the production value, the method of talking at someone was acceptable and the proliferation of courses made it part of the fabric of learning.
But since 2023, we get monthly groundbreaking innovations.
The naysayers will suggest that since the transformer architecture was released, no significant changes have showed up. The reality, however, is that the user interface, experience and interactivity layer has gone through several lifetimes of change.
Talking heads now talk to you. Pre-recorded audios are now full on podcast shows with deep dives that adjust to you. As tempting as it is to try to squeeze that last bit of juice from the static content you've poured resources into, it'll be devastating.
The good news is that your content can continue to grow and serve each user uniquely - with the right approach.
AI your problems away
Enter AI.
A layer that turns your courses into adaptive learning experiences to be precise, whipping online learning into shape with personalised components and lessons that adapt to each student.
. The very best kind.
Imagine a tutor that chats, conjures videos, and crafts images, all tailored to your pace and quirks.
Struggling with a concept? It swoops in with a custom explanation, not a canned video.
Completion rates? Why not plan to keep them forever?
Here’s the dark comedy twist: we’ve been measuring success with a yardstick from the 1950s.
Completion rates, the sacred metric of MOOCs, assume everyone wants a certificate, ignoring the learners who dip in for a skill and dash.
A 2024 Open Praxis study revealed that when you count only active learners or those with intent, completion jumps to 66%.
So why cling to a stat that punishes efficiency?
Your content transformed by the AI layer flips the script, tracking engagement and skill mastery over arbitrary finish lines.
Remember, you aren't just giving your learners a certificate. You're adapting the content to fit their way of thinking.
Analogies. Current examples from the news. Common mistakes. Visuals. Sounds. Faces. You get the best of both worlds - the attachment of a relationship and the data of an algorithm.
Revenue models in the AI era
Ok so where does the cannibalising come into play - and can it be done surgically?
For small training providers and medium-sized directors, static MOOCs are a financial death spiral—low completion, lower reputation, and a revenue stream as dry as a desert. Even though you can plan ahead and forecast the revenue, what good is that when it's heading only one way.
Your AI transforms this, offering certification-focused, adaptive experiences that keep learners hooked and paying.
Suppose you provide certification training for small businesses. All was going well until the openai bombshell.
The judo move here is to make the content continuous and adaptive so that the revenue from the client becomes continuous and adaptive. Suppose they needed an EMT course for their staff, which you don't have yet. No problem, hours later you've added a module on your AI courses infrastructure layer. Say they needed to downsize for a few months, just drop a few modules and let the price reflect it.
The upfront fixed costs are gone.
Universities and MOOC execs, take note: this isn’t just about survival; it’s about thriving in a market where personalization is the new gold standard. Static content can’t price itself out of obsolescence, but AI-driven courses can.
Adapt now or throw in the towel
The future of MOOC's is in AI. If not, the MOOC collapse isn’t a prediction; it’s a countdown.
Static platforms are Blockbusters in a Netflix world, and AI is the streaming service rewriting the rules.
Adaptive learning technology built on your courses drives your clients to say yes because your online learning retention will pay them dividends. Unskilling employees is always healthy for the bottom line.
For the little guys—small certification trainers—it’s a slingshot against giants. For the bigwigs—MOOC platforms and universities—it’s a lifeline. Either way, the message is clear: leverage what you have before it becomes the noose.