To ensure the benefits of AI are broadly shared, people need the skills and confidence to use it in their everyday lives. Since launching in September 2024, OpenAI Academy has helped people build those skills through practical training for tasks ranging from teaching and running a small business to developing software.
Over the past two years, OpenAI Academy has hosted more than 250 events, and more than 4 million people have engaged with Academy content. That work has brought together educators, small business owners, developers, nonprofit leaders and community members to learn, practice, and share what works.
For this next chapter, we’re expanding OpenAI Academy through a new trainer program that prepares people and organizations to teach Academy material in their communities. This program builds on our work with partners and will make training and ongoing support available closer to where people live and work.
From access to practical skills
We launched the Academy to expand access to AI training, technical guidance, and community, initially focusing on developers and mission-driven organizations working on local problems. Since then, the Academy has grown to include self-paced courses, practical guides, in-person workshops, and large multi-site events known as AI Skills Jams.
This month, we alsointroduced new Academy learning paths for knowledge workers, developers, leaders, educators, and college students. Learners can take courses relevant to their roles and earn Academy course badges by passing assessments.
These programs focus on helping participants use AI to solve problems they face day-to-day. An educator might use ChatGPT to adapt a lesson. A small business owner might build a repeatable process for customer research. A developer might use Codex to plan and implement a change while retaining control over review.
Across hundreds of events, we’ve found that the most valuable part of our training is giving people dedicated time and space to try AI tools on work that matters to them, learn from their peers, and get coaching and support from OpenAI mentors. We’re building on our work with partners to bring this approach to more communities around the country.
Built with community partners
Partners have been central to OpenAI Academy’s programming. We work with national and local organizations to bring AI learning to the communities they serve. These partners bring trusted relationships, help bring participants together, and shape programs around the work people do and the problems they face.
Together, we’ve offered recurring workshops for communities including small business owners, educators, veterans, and nonprofit leaders, as well as larger, multi-city events. Our AI Skills Jam for K–12 Educators, for example, brought together more than 1,600 teachers, administrators, and district leaders across eight U.S. cities.
Helping communities build training capacity
To help more partners lead these programs, we’re piloting the OpenAI Academy Community Trainer Program. Participating organizations nominate staff members to learn the Academy curriculum and how to guide a practical workshop: demonstrating useful workflows, helping people apply AI to their own tasks, encouraging peer learning, and supporting participants as they evaluate results. They complete training and a facilitation assessment before leading Academy sessions.
The pilot will help us offer more workshops and help partner organizations – including schools, workforce organizations, small-business networks, and community groups – build their own capacity to teach AI skills. Over time, our goal is for more people to have someone in their community they can turn to as their needs and the tools evolve.
The next phase of OpenAI Academy
We’ll continue developing online courses, workshops, and Academy Jams, informed by what we learn from participants and partners. Through the Community Trainer Program, we’ll also help more people lead practical AI learning in their communities.
Our goal is for more people to have opportunities to practice, learn from one another, and build knowledge and confidence as they put AI to work in their everyday lives.
