Generative AI is reshaping the business landscape, and staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success. 

Already, 66% of leaders wouldn’t hire someone with AI skills and those who do possess them can make up to 49% more. 

That's why finding the best generative AI courses has become a top priority for many of us. 

With 75% of employees using AI, most of them in secret, we can’t be left behind. The programs I’ve highlighted below offer a fast track to understand and leverage AI tools.

If I’ve missed a course that deserves to be on this list, please let me know.

Best Generative AI Courses for Business Leaders

As business leaders, we always look for ways to stay ahead of the curve—but with our plates full as they are, we may risk others learning AI faster. 

This is a challenge, as Generative AI is reshaping everything about our work, organization, and industry. Fortunately, I've found some excellent courses to help us effectively harness this technology.

AI Essentials for Business – Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School offers a comprehensive “AI Essentials for Business” course. It's designed to immerse us in the world of GenAI through a hands-on, project-based approach. What I love about this course is that it suits all technical backgrounds. Whether new to AI or an expert, you'll find value in the material and project work.

AI Essentials for Business is a four-week online course co-created by HBS Professors Karim Lakhani and Marco Iansiti. The course covers AI-based business models, market opportunities, and the evolving AI landscape, including machine learning, predictive modeling, and generative AI. 

Price: $1,850

Expected Time Commitment: 20 – 28 hours over 4 weeks

Structure: Self-Paced, Starting Mid-October 2024

Enroll in HBS’ AI Essentials for Business course here.

Generative AI for Executives and Business Leaders – IBM

Another great option is the IBM Generative AI for Executives and Business Leaders course, taught on Coursera. This program provides a framework for implementing successful AI projects and strategies in our organizations. 

The program covers crucial topics such as the history and impact of generative AI in business, the role of data in business AI, and the importance of trust, transparency, and governance. With seven videos taking just 67 minutes to complete, this course is a great starting point for anyone starting with AI for business.

Price: €45 (free without certificate)

Expected Time Commitment: 3 hours

Structure: Self-Paced, Starting Anytime

Enroll in IBM’s ​​Generative AI for Executives and Business Leaders course here.

Generative AI for Business Sprint – MIT Sloan

For those looking for a quick, intensive learning experience, MIT Sloan's Generative AI for Business Sprint is an excellent choice. This self-directed course explores the transformational power of generative AI Websites, answering critical questions about its relevance to our businesses and future trajectory.

These courses offer practical insights into leveraging GenAI to transform our operations, automate tasks, improve decision-making processes, and increase efficiency. They're designed to equip us with the knowledge and tools to lead our organizations into the AI-driven future.

Price: $1,750

Expected Time Commitment: 6 hours

Structure: Self-Paced, Starting Anytime

Enroll in MIT Sloan's Generative AI for Business Sprint course here.

Generative AI in Business – University of Cambridge

If you’re seeking a more in-depth exploration of generative AI in a business context, the University of Cambridge offers an excellent 6-week “Generative AI in Business” course. This comprehensive program is designed to equip leaders with the essential principles and techniques while offering live sessions and dedicated tutor support.

The course covers topics ranging from the fundamentals of generative AI to its strategic integration into organizational frameworks. You’ll learn to identify benefits, navigate challenges and risks, and develop a strategic deployment plan for generative AI within your organization. 

Price: €2,300

Expected Time Commitment: 36-48 hours over six weeks

Structure: Tutor-guided with weekly modules and optional live sessions, starting October 7, 2024

Enroll in Cambridge's Generative AI in Business course here.

Lead with AI - FlexOS

If you're an executive, founder, or senior leader looking to integrate AI into your strategy and operations quickly, we would be remiss not to tell you about our cutting-edge program, "Lead with AI." 

This comprehensive course is designed to transform you into an AI expert in just three weeks, with only 30 minutes of commitment per day. 100+ global business leaders from companies like Apple, L'Oréal, and Amazon have taken the program.

Led by AI expert Daan van Rossum, you’ll receive 15 daily video lessons, hands-on coaching, and three live sessions. Learning everything from AI fundamentals to creating GPTs ("AI Employees") and automations, this course stands out with its focus on practical application - you'll build at least 11 AI Employees tailored to your work and business.

You'll also join an exclusive community of 100+ global business leaders from companies like L'Oréal, Gartner, and Toyota, providing valuable networking opportunities and ongoing support. 

Price: From $299, including a LinkedIn certificate.

Expected Time Commitment: 30 minutes per day for 3 weeks

Structure: Daily video lessons, live sessions, and personalized coaching, starting September 2, 2024.

Enroll in FlexOS's Lead with AI course here.

Note: Our Lead with AI course is ideal if you're feeling behind on AI and want to quickly gain practical skills to lead your organization into the AI-driven future. With a money-back guarantee and lifetime access to materials, it's a low-risk investment in your AI expertise.

Best AI Courses For ChatGPT

I've explored several courses that can help us master ChatGPT beyond writing basic prompts (see also our ChatGPT prompt generator.)

IBM's Generative AI Fundamentals Specialization on Coursera is an excellent starting point. It covers basic concepts, ethical concerns, and prompt engineering, which are crucial for understanding.

For a more comprehensive approach, the Introduction to Generative AI course from the University of Colorado, Boulder, delves into language and image generation. It's perfect for those who want to grasp the theory and practical applications.

If we're short on time, Vanderbilt University's Generative AI Primer is a super-snappy one-hour course that introduces using AI to augment our skills and creativity.

To sharpen our prompt engineering skills, which are becoming increasingly important, I recommend the Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT course from Vanderbilt University. This skill is forecast to be among the most in-demand in the AI era. Having taken the course, it is a great investment.

Another course I enjoyed is Advanced Prompt Engineering by LearnPrompting.org. The course will help you quickly craft complex and efficient prompts for sophisticated AI Applications. Join and master several prompting techniques, including Few-Shot, Chain-of-Thought, and Problem Decomposition, to elevate AI's understanding and response precision.

For those of us looking to integrate ChatGPT into our daily workflow, some courses focus on practical applications.

We can learn to leverage ChatGPT to generate high-quality content, optimize for SEO, and even code. These skills can significantly boost our productivity and give us a competitive edge.

Best AI Courses For Microsoft Copilot

Many of us will be using Microsoft Copilot within our enterprises and organizations. Luckily, I've discovered some fantastic courses that can help us harness the power of Copilot.

To get started, I recommend exploring the Copilot Learning Hub. It's a one-stop shop for all things Copilot, offering a wealth of resources from beginner to advanced levels. The hub includes detailed documentation, interactive tutorials, and real-world examples that make learning accessible and practical.

The "Learning Microsoft 365 Copilot" course provides a comprehensive understanding. It delves into Copilot's functionality and Microsoft's commitment to responsible AI implementation. This course will give us insights into how Copilot works and its core components.

If we're looking to boost our productivity quickly, there are specific courses focused on Copilot's application in various Microsoft 365 tools:

1. "Copilot in PowerPoint: From Prompt to Presentation"
2. "Copilot in Outlook: Maximize Your Workday Efficiency"
3. "Copilot in Teams: AI-Powered Collaboration"
4. "Copilot in Word: Create and Refine Documents with AI"
5. "Copilot in Excel: Supercharge Your Productivity"

These courses offer hands-on experience, helping us integrate Copilot seamlessly into our daily workflows. Remember, while Copilot is powerful, reviewing AI-generated content for accuracy and appropriateness is crucial.

Best Generative AI Courses for Beginners

I've found some excellent courses for those of us just starting our journey into the world of generative AI. These programs are designed to give us a solid foundation without overwhelming us with technical jargon.

One standout option is Google’s Introduction to Generative AI, a microlearning course that explains what it is, how it's used, and how it differs from traditional machine-learning methods. It also covers Google Tools to help us develop our own Gen AI apps. As a bonus, we can earn a badge upon completion, which is great for showcasing our new skills.

Microsoft's "Generative AI for Beginners" course is fantastic for a more comprehensive approach. It's an 18-lesson program that covers the fundamentals of building Generative AI applications. 

What I love about this course is its flexibility—we can start with any lesson that interests us. It's split into "Learn" lessons, which explain AI concepts, and "Build" lessons, which provide practical coding examples in Python and TypeScript.

Looking for a beginner course specifically for executives? Then you’ll enjoy AI for Business Leaders, our on-demand webinar with all the secrets of the full Lead with AI program.

Best Generative AI Courses for HR Professionals

I've discovered some fantastic courses that can help HR professionals harness the power of generative AI. 

One standout option is the "Generative AI in HR—Impact and Application of Gen AI HR Tools" course. It's a comprehensive program that explores how AI is transforming our field. The course is split into two modules, covering everything from AI basics to practical applications in recruitment, employee engagement, and training.

Another excellent choice to learn AI in HR is the specialization designed to advance our HR careers through AI. It consists of three self-paced courses, each taking 6-11 hours to complete. We'll learn about core concepts, prompt engineering techniques, and how to leverage AI for various HR functions.

Both courses delve into the ethical considerations we need to consider, addressing issues like bias, fairness, and data security. They also examine future trends, helping us prepare for the evolving landscape of AI in HR.

These programs offer hands-on labs and projects, giving us practical experience with tools like ChatGPT and IBM Watson Orchestrate. We'll learn to create AI-powered chatbots for candidate screening, personalize onboarding experiences, and even automate benefits administration.

By taking these courses, we'll be well-equipped to implement AI solutions in our HR departments, potentially revolutionizing how we handle talent acquisition, employee development, and overall employee experience.

Conclusion

The rapid growth of generative AI significantly impacts various industries, making it crucial to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements. 

These learning opportunities offer a chance to gain practical knowledge and hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI technologies.

Whether you're just starting or looking to deepen your expertise, there's a course to fit your needs, but let me know if that’s not the case.