By Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer, Coursera
Today, Google is launching its first AI Professional Certificate, expanding its GenAI catalog on Coursera that has already attracted nearly three million enrollments worldwide. This certificate helps professionals move beyond the basics and integrate AI into their everyday work with practical, job-ready skills. Every learner who enrolls will also receive three months of no-cost access to Google AI Pro to support their hands-on learning and practice using Google’s most capable models.
To help expand AI training nationwide, Google is offering U.S. small businesses free access to the certificate, along with additional tools to support adoption, like Google Workspace Business Standard.
This comes as AI fluency is quickly becoming a baseline expectation across roles and industries. More than half of job postings requesting AI skills are now outside IT and computer science fields, underscoring how broadly AI is reshaping work. Yet new research from Google and IPSOS reveals only 40% of American workers use AI at work.
To help close that gap, Google analyzed hundreds of job descriptions and partnered with employers to develop this program focused on universal, transferable capabilities.
“The Google AI Professional Certificate translates the power of AI into tangible economic opportunity for every business and worker. Top employers and universities across the country will use this training to help their teams and students succeed,” said Lisa Gevelber, Founder, Grow with Google. “By providing this program at no cost to U.S. small businesses, we’re ensuring that businesses of all sizes have the most up-to-date AI tools and training to empower their people, at every level, with the hands-on AI experience needed to thrive in today’s workforce.”
Through seven short courses and a hands-on capstone, learners collaborate with tools like Gemini, NotebookLM, and AI Studio to tackle tasks across research, data analysis, content creation, and communication, all while learning directly from experts at Google.
Moving beyond basic prompting, the certificate emphasizes learning by doing, showing learners how to use AI strategically to streamline work and solve complex problems. Responsible AI use is woven throughout the program, reinforcing the importance of human judgment when evaluating outputs, managing risk, and making decisions.
Courses in the certificate include:
- AI Fundamentals — Understand foundational generative AI concepts and learn how to evaluate AI outputs responsibly and ethically for professional use.
- AI for Brainstorming and Planning — Use AI to generate, refine, and turn ideas into structured, actionable project plans.
- AI for Research and Insights — Gather, synthesize, and validate information from multiple sources to support faster, better-informed decisions.
- AI for Writing and Communication — Shape clear, persuasive messages and adapt them for different audiences and high-stakes scenarios.
- AI for Content Creation — Responsibly partner with AI to create, edit, and critique visual and multimedia assets.
- AI for Data Analysis — Turn complex datasets into clear insights and compelling visuals that guide better decision-making.
- AI for App Building — Build a custom AI-powered solution to automate real workplace tasks using natural language.
By the end of the certificate, which can be completed in ten hours, learners will have built a portfolio of work including reusable prompts, data-backed project plans, AI-generated research and visual assets, and a custom AI-powered app.
With bite-size content focused on skills that can be applied immediately, the certificate prepares working professionals looking to future-proof their careers, as well as organizations seeking to upskill teams.
We are proud to partner with Google to provide learners and small businesses with greater access to advanced AI training needed to expand AI fluency.
Enroll in the Google AI Professional Certificate and learn more about free access for U.S. small businesses today.
