Multiverse, the British EdTech that uses skills diagnostics and applied learning programs to unlock economic opportunity, today announced the formation of its Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board. The board, composed of luminaries from academia and industry, will provide strategic guidance on Multiverse’s use of AI to identify skills gaps, enable career mobility, and deliver high-quality, personalised learning at scale.
The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence has radically reshaped the world of work, necessitating an entirely new set of in-demand skills. However, the current education-to- employment system has struggled to keep pace, resulting in a transition that is both economically inefficient and socially inequitable.
“AI is creating profound change in the skills that both companies and societies need to be successful,” said Euan Blair, founder and CEO of Multiverse. “At Multiverse we believe this shift has AI as both the provocation and the solution – new educational tools built on gen AI are opening access to personalised training at scale, and done right we can use the benefits of AI to drive large scale reskilling programs and mitigate the job losses the technology otherwise might bring. Our AI Advisory Board massively expands the range of expertise we can rely on, and will be instrumental in ensuring we stay at the forefront of this transformation.”
The board brings together recognized experts in AI, computer science, workforce development, and education. It includes:
- Professor Mehran Sahami, Professor and Chair of the Computer Science department at Stanford University
- Kersti Kaljulaid, former President of Estonia (2016 – 2021)
- Professor Michael Wooldridge, Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford
- Derrick Hastie, Chief Technology Officer at Legal & General Investment Management
- Anne Devlin, former Global Head of Learning for JPMorgan Chase AWM
- Dame Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton
- Doug Gurr, Chair of the Alan Turing Institute and former Country Manager of Amazon UK
“AI is profoundly transforming education, said Kersti Kaljulaid, former President of Estonia and global technology leader. “Multiverse is leading the way down one of the promising paths. As we explore the application of AI to increasingly complex tasks, it’s thrilling to have a front seat on this journey.”
Multiverse’s unique platform identifies, solves, and prevents skills gaps, enabling people to develop at all career stages by equipping them with in-demand skills in AI, data science, software engineering and more. Through its acquisition of Searchlight earlier this year, Multiverse gained the ability to diagnose organisational skills gaps at scale, recommend targeted interventions, and deliver them through applied learning programs like apprenticeships. To date, the company has trained over 16,000 professional apprentices and generated more than $2 billion in ROI for its clients.
The formation of the AI Advisory Board comes on the heels of the successful launch of Multiverse Atlas in February. Atlas is an AI-powered coach offering personalised, on-demand support to Multiverse apprentices. Early analysis shows Atlas has achieved adoption rates of over 40% and usefulness ratings exceeding 91% across all demographics.
“Our early results with Atlas demonstrate that when designed thoughtfully, AI can meaningfully expand access to world-class education in an equitable way,” said Ujjwal Singh, Chief Technology Officer at Multiverse. “With the guidance of our AI Advisory Board, we will double down on our efforts to harness this powerful technology to drive economic opportunity for individuals and workforce transformation for organisations.”
The Multiverse AI Advisory Board will meet quarterly, with additional ad hoc sessions as needed. Its initial priorities include developing governance principles for the ethical development and deployment of AI, identifying opportunities for product innovation and enhancement, the content of Multiverse’s AI offering, and showcasing Multiverse’s industry leadership and thought partnership on AI’s workforce implications.
“We are at a critical inflection point in the world of work,” said Annie Devlin, former Global Head of Learning at JP Morgan AWM. “We became obsessed with ‘where’ our people were working but we should be much more curious about ‘how’ people work—which tools they use to augment what they can produce on their own. Imagine having the best manager you have ever had next to you, nudging you and guiding you when you are stuck or bored and need a boost? That’s the potential AI brings to the knowledge worker of tomorrow. And it requires a whole other level of skills training than most employers offer today.”
About Multiverse
Multiverse is a tech company that identifies, closes and prevents skills gaps, through personalized, on-the-job learning. They partner with over 1,500 companies in the US & UK to deliver skills that enable business transformation, and economic opportunity for individuals.
Their focus areas include AI, tech and data skills, for people of any age and any career stage. Multiverse learners have driven $2bn + ROI for their employers, using the skills they’ve learnt to improve productivity and measurable performance.
In June 2022, they announced a $220 million Series D funding round co-led by StepStone Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners and General Catalyst. With a post-money valuation of $1.7 billion, the round makes the company the UK’s first EdTech unicorn.
For more information, please visit www.multiverse.io
