Agents and Workflows
OpenAI Academy
Last updated June 29, 2026
Agents and Workflows is a roughly 90-minute, self-paced course from OpenAI Academy for people who are already comfortable using AI for everyday tasks and want to take on more structured, agent-assisted work. As AI systems get more capable, the skill that matters most is no longer writing a single good prompt but directing the work well — and that is what this course is about. You learn to work with agents by giving them context, defining the output you want, setting clear boundaries on what they should and shouldn't do, reviewing the results, and improving the workflow over time. You'll work through a downloadable file alongside the lessons and finish with stronger direction-and-review habits, an improved version of a real task, and a course completion certificate.
What you'll learn
- What it means to direct an AI agent rather than prompt it once
- Giving an agent the context and the boundaries it needs to work well
- Defining the output you want clearly enough to get it
- Reviewing an agent's results and catching where they fall short
- Improving an agent-assisted workflow over repeated runs
Frequently asked questions about Agents and Workflows
Who is Agents and Workflows for?
People comfortable using AI for individual tasks who want to direct more structured, agent-assisted workflows.
Is Agents and Workflows free?
Yes — Agents and Workflows is completely free to take.
What are the prerequisites for Agents and Workflows?
Comfort using AI for individual tasks is assumed; OpenAI recommends completing AI Foundations and Applied AI Foundations first. No programming required. You'll need a ChatGPT account and access to agent capabilities, plus a real work task to practise on. The course includes a file to download and work through.
Does Agents and Workflows offer a certificate?
Yes. Course completion certificate from OpenAI Academy.
Why we suggest this course
Agentic work is where many people get stuck — handing a task to an AI agent and being disappointed usually comes down to vague direction, not a weak model. This course teaches the direction itself: context, outputs, boundaries, and review. Built by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Two things worth knowing: it assumes you're already comfortable using AI (OpenAI recommends taking AI Foundations and Applied AI Foundations first), and the hands-on work needs a ChatGPT account plus access to agent capabilities.