Bausch + Lomb saves 32,000+ annual hours through AI adoption with Coursera
- Industry:
Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals
- Location:
Global
- Size:
5,000–15,000 employees
- Topics:
AI Transformation, Workforce Upskilling, Learning Excellence, Innovation, Operational Efficiency
OVERVIEW
As advances in artificial intelligence accelerated across industries, Bausch + Lomb recognized an opportunity to build AI capabilities at scale while improving productivity, innovation, and operational performance. Leadership identified a gap between employee awareness of AI and the ability to apply it meaningfully in day-to-day work. To address that challenge, the company launched its AI Academy powered by Coursera, making foundational AI learning a core expectation across the enterprise.
The initiative was designed to do more than increase AI literacy. It aimed to create a workforce capable of identifying opportunities, solving business problems, and generating measurable value through AI-powered solutions. By embedding AI learning into performance management and innovation programs, Bausch + Lomb positioned AI capability as a strategic business priority rather than a standalone training initiative.
THE CHALLENGE
Bausch + Lomb faced a common challenge confronting many organizations: employees understood the potential of AI, but lacked the confidence, practical skills, and structured pathways needed to apply it effectively.
At the same time, the company saw opportunities to improve efficiency, accelerate innovation, and unlock value across manufacturing, supply chain, R&D, customer engagement, and corporate functions. The organization needed a scalable approach that could establish a common AI foundation while supporting employees at different levels of experience and across multiple regions.
Beyond generating awareness, success depended on creating a culture where AI learning translated directly into business application, measurable outcomes, and enterprise-wide innovation.
Devang Modi
Chief AI Officer
“Coursera is central to delivering our AI learning strategy and ensuring colleagues have the foundational education they need to succeed.”
THE SOLUTION
Bausch + Lomb built a structured AI capability ecosystem anchored by its AI Academy powered by Coursera. Two foundational AI courses became mandatory for all colleagues and were embedded directly into performance management, helping ensure accountability and broad participation.
Coursera provided the scalable foundation for learning, delivering expert-led content, self-paced learning opportunities, and role-relevant pathways that enabled employees to build skills aligned with business priorities. The platform’s reporting, tracking, and analytics capabilities helped simplify administration while providing leadership with visibility into progress and outcomes.
Together, these elements created a connected learning experience that extended well beyond formal training. Employees could build foundational knowledge, access support, and continuously reinforce their skills by applying AI to real business challenges.
Learning was reinforced through a broader innovation ecosystem. The VisionAI platform served as a centralized hub for resources, examples, and learning content, while the VisionAI Challenge encouraged employees to apply AI knowledge to real business opportunities. The AI in Action platform highlighted employee-led use cases, creating visibility and momentum around successful applications.
To further personalize development, Bausch + Lomb integrated Coursera content directly into Microsoft Copilot through the Coursera Agent, bringing learning recommendations into employees’ daily workflows and supporting continuous skill development in the flow of work.
THE RESULTS
The initiative transformed AI learning into enterprise-wide business impact.
Within 90 days, the VisionAI Challenge generated 180+ AI-driven solution submissions from teams across manufacturing, supply chain, R&D, commercial, and corporate functions. Rather than limiting innovation to technical specialists, the program enabled employees throughout the organization to identify opportunities and develop AI-powered solutions tied directly to business priorities.
The organization now maintains nearly 200 published AI use cases, representing more than 32,000 annual hours saved through AI-enabled improvements. At the same time, Microsoft Copilot adoption expanded significantly, with monthly active users increasing from 600 to 2,400, demonstrating broader integration of AI into daily work.
A standout example came from the LACELLE™ contacts campaign, which used AI-powered creative and customer engagement capabilities to deliver a new approach to commercial storytelling. Additional initiatives included AI-driven production scheduling concepts designed to optimize manufacturing capacity and automation ideas that streamlined regulatory and operational workflows. These examples illustrate how employees moved from learning about AI to applying it in ways that created measurable business value.
The initiative also changed how the organization approaches capability development. By embedding AI learning into performance expectations and innovation programs, Bausch + Lomb established AI literacy as a baseline workforce capability and created a repeatable model for translating learning into operational outcomes. As the company continues to expand its AI strategy, it is building a workforce prepared to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and accelerate growth through responsible AI adoption.
“Training is most effective when employees have the chance to apply it, so we paired required AI learning with programs that ask people to solve real business problems. For example, our global VisionAI Challenge drew more than 180 AI project submissions in 90 days, from manufacturing, supply chain, R&D, and commercial teams alike.”
DEVANG MODI
Chief AI Officer