5 Free Online Courses To Learn AI In 2025

If one technical skill stands out above all others as a priority for professional growth and development in 2025, it’s AI. Artificial intelligence is more than a nice-to-have; it’s a technology that is permeating the workforce, being readily embraced by organizations, and is now such a non-negotiable that employers would instead hire someone with AI skills, even if they have less experience, than hire a candidate who is more experienced but lacks AI-knowhow, per Microsoft’s Work Trend Index.

The end of 2022 saw the development of AI as we know it today. Then, in 2023, millions of users around the world became fascinated with its multiple use cases. Their curiosity fueled the most brilliant innovations, which spread like wildfire.

VCs began pouring their funds into the AI gold rush; everyone wanted a piece of the pie and had strong expectations of a significant return on investment. 2024 saw AI finally being adopted by organizations, with implementations underway, and regulations began to be put in place to ensure ethical usage and safe practice.

What will 2025 have in store for professionals when it comes to AI?

5 Free Courses To Learn AI Skills For Your Role In 2025

Clearly, artificial intelligence is not going fade out. New developments and improvements on existing LLMs (large language models) are in the works every day, such as OpenAI’s recent introduction of their most advanced ChatGPT yet, with exceptional computing abilities for researchers and other professionals with highly complex tasks such as software programming and analytics.

There are also talks of AGI—that is, artificial general intelligence—a hypothetical AI spinoff that aims to be 10 steps ahead of current artificial intelligence technology and just as competent or outsmart humans. While it’s not realistic for this to be achieved in 2025, the point is that technology is constantly developing, and as it does, so should you.

You’ve probably already completed some online training or workshops detailing the benefits of artificial intelligence and talking about the essentials of prompt engineering and generative AI. So, the list below is different from what you already know. Instead, this list of free courses will help you learn how to apply AI to your specific role or industry context, which makes it much more effective for you and delivers more tangible benefits than generic AI knowledge.

1. Practical Application of Generative AI for Project Managers, by PMI (Project Management Institute)—this course has just been released. It is free for PMI members (you most likely would already be a member if you are in the project management profession). Otherwise, it is priced at $19.
2. ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers, by DeepLearning.AI—this course is free and delivered in collaboration with OpenAI.
3. AI Applications in People Management by the University of Pennsylvania—this course is free on Coursera and is part of the AI for Business specialization.
4. AI Applications in Marketing and Financealso by the University of Pennsylvania—free on Coursera.
5. AI Strategy and Governancealso by the University of Pennsylvania—free on Coursera.

The future of AI remains to be written. But the good news is that it’s not entirely up to the bright thinkers of Silicon Valley. Without you, AI would be of little benefit, and its adoption wouldn’t make much of an impact. By continuing to develop your skills each day and learning more about artificial intelligence (primarily how it affects your role directly and how you can use it to improve your workflow), you can be more efficient in your role, enhance your creativity, do more in less time, and become so stellar within your field that this could lead to a promotion or pay raise this year. Additionally, taking the time to upskill your AI skills enables you to contribute meaningfully to your industry, spark innovations, and find unique solutions to customer problems.