Ten best AI courses for working professionals

Ever since the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), the world of work has undergone profound transformations, making us seek the best AI courses for working professionals, as if our livelihoods depend on it. And to a certain level, they do—you either learn to swim in the ocean of AI or your career prospects may face their limitations sooner than expected. 

For today’s workforce, understanding and effectively using AI at work is no longer an option, but a necessity. Thus, to help you keep up with AI, we’ve compiled a list of the best AI courses for working professionals. Whether you’re a beginner or someone who speaks the AI language well enough, you’ll find some valuable resources to enhance your skills and integrate AI more effectively into your daily work. Read on!

Why are AI courses essential for working professionals?

Before we dive into the list of the best AI courses for working professionals, let’s look at why it’s in your interest to add some AI skills to your portfolio. 

While there are plenty of reasons to educate yourself on the possibilities of AI, and even more industry-specific arguments, here are three overarching rationales:

1. It’s about remaining competitive. AI skills are a growing requirement in the world of work, especially if you’re an office clerk. Just as people massively learned how to work with computers, use Excel and Word, we are now learning how to be fluent in AI. It’s not just about acquiring a new skill or two—it’s about staying relevant in the job market.

2. It’s about being more efficient. AI can be a truly powerful tool and a co-pilot to your day-to-day tasks. And this comes from personal experience—dealing with a blank page situation is a lot easier now that I can have some help from AI. Hence, with AI, one can automate mundane tasks, complete tasks more efficiently than ever before, and focus their energy and resources on aspects of their work that require human interaction and expertise.

3. It’s about doing old things in new ways. Besides efficiency, AI is a catalyst for innovation. Equipped with AI knowledge, workers can identify new opportunities, redesign processes, develop innovative solutions, or even create entirely new products. 

How to choose your next AI in the workplace course?

Now that we’ve delivered the whys of learning an AI skill or two, let’s turn to the hows. And asking, “How can I choose my next AI in the workplace course out of the bazillions out there?” is very relevant, as there are numerous options. 

Here are a few tips on picking the right AI course for you:

• Define your goals. What is it that you want to learn? Are you looking for an intro to the use of AI? A hands-on tool usage class or very niche knowledge on the AI use specifics? 
• Consider your current skill level. Do you already have experience with AI use? Are you seeking ways to acquire specific skills or enhance your overall AI knowledge?
• Format and flexibility. Is it an online course, and on which platform will it be hosted? How much of your time will it take? Will it be self-paced or led by an instructor?
• Practical elements. Will you learn practical skills or just some theory? 
• Industry recognition. Does completing the course give you a certification? Would it be of importance to you and your professional industry?
• Cost. Is the price reasonable in terms of content depth and potential career benefits? Would your employer cover the costs?

Plenty of questions, I know. But before you buy a course that promises to turn you into an AI expert, make sure you know what you really need out of this educational experience. It’s your time, and, most likely, your money you’re spending.

Top picks: Best AI courses for working professionals

Now, let’s get to the reason you’ve likely stumbled across this article—the list of best AI courses for working professionals. 

We’ve rounded up a variety of choices, catering to your specific needs while also considering course-taker recommendations and public reviews. We also deliberately focused on online courses with democratic pricing (with one exception).

1. IBM’s Introduction to AI

For those looking to start with the basics, this course is a great fit, as it offers an overview of fundamental AI concepts. IBM’s intro to AI consists of four modules: intro and applications of AI, AI concepts and terminology, business and career transformations with AI, and issues, concerns, and ethics of AI. 

What makes this particularly valuable for working professionals is its straightforward, non-technical approach, including real-world examples and discussions with expert practitioners. It’s easy to access this course on the Coursera platform.

Best for: Beginners looking for a broad overview of AI

Length and flexibility: About 7 hours to complete, learning at your own pace

Cost: Free with Coursera’s 7-day trial, €52/month with Coursera Plus subscription

Shareable certification: Yes

2. DeepLearning.AI’s AI For Everyone

This course has been designed specifically for non-technical professionals, focusing on business applications and strategic thinking for using AI at work. It cuts through the technical jargon to focus on what AI can and cannot do for organizations. 

With this course, you’ll be able to spot where AI can be applied in your business to fix an issue or two. But besides that, you’ll also learn about core AI technologies (so that terminology doesn’t intimidate you), find out how to develop an AI strategy in your company, and more.

Best for: Non-technical professionals looking to understand AI’s business implications and strategic applications

Length and flexibility: 6 hours, learn at your own pace

Cost: Free with Coursera’s 7-day trial, €52/month with Coursera Plus subscription

Shareable certification: Yes

3. Harvard Business School Online: AI Essentials for Business

If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of using AI in business, here’s a course for you by the Harvard Business School. As the course progresses beyond basic concepts, it’s best suited for applicants who already have a foundational understanding of AI’s role in business and seek to take it to the next level with the help of more complex AI initiatives.

Best for: Non-technical business professionals, current and aspiring leaders, and functional specialists looking to understand and leverage AI strategically within their organizations

Length and flexibility: 4 weeks, with an estimated 5-7 hours of study per week. It’s self-paced but with regular deadlines

Cost: $1,850

Shareable certification: Yes (Certificate of Completion from HBS Online)

4. Google’s Prompting Essentials

When working with generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity AI, or my personal favorite, Gemini, being able to craft effective prompts to receive precisely what you need is a skill that cannot be underestimated. Which is why experts at Google have created this online course. You’ll discover how to write AI prompts easily and efficiently at the same time. Plus, you can be a total beginner at this. 

Best for: Professionals looking for practical AI application skills, in particular, prompt writing

Length and flexibility: Less than 6 hours, learn at your own pace

Cost: Free with Coursera’s 7-day trial, €52/month with Coursera Plus subscription

Shareable certification: Yes

5. Generative AI for Personal Productivity: Get More Done

We definitely need to add an AI course that hones in on productivity, given the powerful role it plays, a fact I can personally attest to. Hence, this course on Udemy is an excellent way to learn how AI can enhance your personal productivity, offering you valuable tips and tricks that can be easily applied to your professional life. From finance management to wellness routines and project management tips, you’ll go through it all. Additionally, this course features numerous practical lessons that demonstrate AI in real-world scenarios, including prompts, templates, and more. 

Best for: Professionals, small business owners, and individuals seeking to significantly enhance their performance, efficiency, and overall lifestyle using AI tools

Length and flexibility: About 3 hours, learn at your own pace

Cost: €24.99

Shareable certification: Yes

6. AI for Marketing Course

Among the variety of “how to use AI” courses offered are also numerous “how to use AI for X, Y, Z” classes. As someone in the marketing field, it was almost my responsibility to explore options for AI courses tailored to marketing professionals. I came across numerous recommendations to start with this HubSpot Academy course. 

It provides a comprehensive introduction to the application of AI in marketing strategies, content creation, campaign optimization, and more. You’ll also discover how to integrate AI-powered tools into your reporting to enhance performance tracking and analytics.

Best for: Small business owners and marketing professionals

Length and flexibility: About 3 hours, learn at your own pace

Cost: Free

Shareable certification: Yes

7. Artificial Intelligence in Social Media Analytics

When sharing the best AI courses for working professionals, we cannot overlook social media analytics, as AI enables analysis to move beyond surface-level metrics. Thus, if you’re a social media analyst or a professional engaged in this activity, it’s definitely worth learning more about the magic of AI from this course by Johns Hopkins University, available on Coursera. 

The course is intermediate and recommends having familiarity with social media platforms and a basic understanding of programming concepts. It will equip you with the skills to effectively analyze social media data by teaching you to define and evaluate machine learning classifiers, gain hands-on experience in processing text data using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, conduct sentiment analysis to gauge public opinion, and more.

Best for: Social media analysts

Length and flexibility: 20 hours, learn at your own pace

Cost: Free with Coursera’s 7-day trial, €52/month with Coursera Plus subscription

Shareable certification: Yes

8. Master of AI in HR & Recruitment

Another professional field that can benefit greatly from implemented AI elements is HR and recruitment. Hence, here’s a comprehensive course promising to turn you into an AI master of HR, available on Udemy. 

This 80-hour online course will equip HR leaders and recruitment teams with the skills to implement AI projects, build AI-powered tools like chatbots for recruitment and HR onboarding, master AI prompt engineering and ethics, optimize recruitment marketing and talent acquisition, enhance HR analytics, streamline processes with AI-driven HR systems, and develop AI & UX designs for the entire employment journey.

Best for: Professionals across the HR and recruitment spectrum

Length and flexibility: 80+ hours, learn at your own pace

Cost: €19.99Shareable certification: Yes, three of them

9. AI for Creative Work Specialization

Now, let’s move from single AI courses for working professionals to themed course series offering wider insight into the use of AI in different industries, such as this 3-course series for AI use in creative work. 

This series provides an understanding of the relationship between creative work and AI, paired with plenty of practical skills for using AI for creative tasks. The three courses included in the series are:

• AI Basics and Tools for Creativity.
• AI Ethics, Responsible Use, and Creativity.
• Using AI to Expand Creativity.

Best for: Creative professionals

Length and flexibility: 13 hours, learn at your own pace

Cost: Free with Coursera’s 7-day trial, €52/month with Coursera Plus subscription

Shareable certification: Yes

10. AI For Business Specialization

Another course series we recommend exploring is dedicated to those seeking an in-depth understanding of AI applications in business. The AI for Business Specialization is a series of four courses designed to provide learners with the fundamentals of using Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning, with a focus on their business applications. You’ll gain insights from industry leaders on how AI and Big Data are transforming business. By the end, you’ll be able to implement ethical AI strategies for people management and understand the interconnectedness of data analytics, AI, and ML. You’ll leave with practical knowledge of how these tools can influence your business management.

What’s exciting about this series is that each course module includes assessments, with some featuring peer-review exercises—all to make sure you’ve received the maximum out of this learning journey. 

Best for: Business professionals who want a comprehensive educational journey about AI in business

Length and flexibility: 33+ hours, learn at your own pace

Cost: Free with Coursera’s 7-day trial, €52/month with Coursera Plus subscription

Shareable certification: Yes

Next step: Effective implementation of your new AI knowledge and skills

Regardless of which AI course you choose, you’ll have new knowledge and AI skills you’ll want to implement into your work routines. How to make sure you integrate AI into your daily operations successfully? Here are several tips to bear in mind:

• Start small and adjust over time. As with all changes and new procedures, it’s best to introduce them slowly so you don’t overwhelm yourself or your team. Begin by using AI in specific tasks or set a pilot regime for AI use. When that comes to an end, you can reflect on your experience and gain valuable insights unique to your specific AI needs.

• Encourage a learning environment. Especially if AI implementation is a team or company matter, set the culture towards a “we’re all new at this” vibe. Encourage people to share their knowledge with peers and be open to discussing pain points. 

• Mix AI with human expertise. While specific tasks can be fully automated and performed by AI, it’s essential to remember that AI serves as an augmentation of human capabilities. Hence, upon implementation, focus on this aspect.

• Mind the ethical considerations. Beyond technical proficiency, it’s crucial to mind the ethical considerations that accompany the integration of AI into your workflow. Thus, pay attention to such topics as data privacy, data bias, and transparency in AI’s processes. 

• Measure impact. Don’t just implement AI for the sake of it. Measure whether it’s helping you the way you want it to. How? Start by defining your KPIs—it could be saved time, improved accuracy, customer satisfaction, and more. Review these metrics to understand whether you are gaining the benefits from AI use that you initially wanted to achieve.

Take your next AI in the workplace course today!

In this article, we’ve looked into ten AI in the workplace courses, and, as you may guess, there are so many more of them to explore and choose from. Let this list serve as a starting point for your educational journey towards AI knowledge and skills. 

Remember to start by jotting down things you’re looking for, such as your ideal format, course length, and topical range. As you take more courses, you’ll become fluent in exploring them as well to find exactly what you require at a specific point in time. Happy learning!

Article written by

Aiva Strelca

Aiva is a Riga-based writer, engaged in the vibrant tech and startup landscape of the Baltic states and beyond. In addition to covering startup stories, she loves exploring all things productivity and the workplace. If you stumble across personal productivity stories on the DeskTime blog, chances are they were written by Aiva.