Applied AI Foundations
OpenAI Academy
Last updated June 29, 2026
Applied AI Foundations is a roughly 80-minute, self-paced course from OpenAI Academy for people who already use AI a little and want to use it more consistently. The focus shifts from one-off prompts to recurring work: you take a workflow you perform regularly, break it into steps, find the points where AI genuinely helps, and build a practical plan for using it across the whole process. The result is repeatable — a way of working you can run again and again, rather than a clever answer you got once. You leave with stronger habits around prompting, context, and review, an improved version of a real workflow, and a course completion certificate.
What you'll learn
- Breaking a recurring workflow down into clear, repeatable steps
- Spotting where AI adds real value in a process — and where it doesn't
- Building a practical plan for using AI across an end-to-end workflow
- Sharpening your prompting, context-setting, and review habits
- Turning a task you repeat into a process you can rely on
Frequently asked questions about Applied AI Foundations
Who is Applied AI Foundations for?
People who already have some experience using AI and want to apply it more consistently and repeatably to their work.
Is Applied AI Foundations free?
Yes — Applied AI Foundations is completely free to take.
What are the prerequisites for Applied AI Foundations?
Some prior experience using AI is assumed; OpenAI recommends completing AI Foundations first. No programming required. You'll need a ChatGPT account and a real work task to practise on.
Does Applied AI Foundations offer a certificate?
Yes. Course completion certificate from OpenAI Academy.
Why we suggest this course
Moves past one-good-prompt territory to the harder, more useful question: how do you make AI a dependable part of work you do over and over? You spend the time redesigning a real workflow of your own. Built by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Two things worth knowing: the hands-on work uses ChatGPT and needs a ChatGPT account, and it assumes some prior experience with AI — OpenAI recommends taking AI Foundations first if you're starting from scratch.