OpenAI Academy is expanding with new learning paths for developers, leaders, educators, and college students, joining the existing Apply AI at Work pathway. The courses are built around a simple idea: use AI to learn AI. Learners practice on real tasks, giving instructions, adding context, and reviewing results as they go.

Apply AI at Work helps knowledge workers build foundational skills, create repeatable workflows, and eventually direct larger pieces of work with agents, deciding what to delegate and where to add checkpoints and human review. The Build with AI pathway targets developers using Codex or building with the OpenAI API, covering planning and implementation across the software development lifecycle, solution design, evaluations, agents, retrieval, and operating AI systems in production. The AI Leadership course helps strategy and adoption owners assess where AI could create business value, define ownership and governance, and develop an initial AI strategy and roadmap. AI for Educators focuses on planning classes and creating activities or assessments with permitted materials, with the educator retaining final decisions. AI for College Students supports academic and career tasks such as study plans, group projects, draft reviews, and interview prep.

Organizations can combine pathways, such as using Apply AI at Work in onboarding, Build with AI for technical teams, and AI Leadership in executive programs. Education institutions can combine AI Foundations with the educator and student courses. Learners earn an OpenAI Academy course badge by passing the assessment. OpenAI notes the courses are shaped by teams across the company and will be updated as models, products, and guidance change. The OpenAI Academy Deployment Guide includes recommendations for introducing courses, engaging leaders and managers, building participation, and tracking progress.