Two years of OpenAI Academy
OpenAI Academy marks two years with over 4 million participants and expands training through a new Community Trainer Program to broaden local AI skills access.
OpenAI Academy launched in September 2024 to equip people with practical AI skills for daily tasks such as teaching, small business operations, and software development. The initiative has since hosted more than 250 events, engaging over 4 million participants globally. Training has focused on hands-on learning, peer collaboration, and mentorship from OpenAI staff to ensure participants can apply AI tools to real-world challenges. The program initially targeted developers and mission-driven organizations but has since expanded to include self-paced courses, workshops, and large-scale AI Skills Jams.
The Academy introduced new learning paths this month tailored to knowledge workers, developers, leaders, educators, and college students. Participants can complete role-specific courses and earn badges by passing assessments, reinforcing practical AI application. Examples include educators using ChatGPT to adapt lessons or developers leveraging Codex to implement changes while maintaining oversight. The focus remains on solving day-to-day problems through structured, role-aligned training.
Partners have played a critical role in OpenAI Academy’s growth, collaborating with national and local organizations to deliver AI learning in communities. These partnerships have enabled recurring workshops for small business owners, educators, veterans, and nonprofit leaders, as well as multi-city events like the AI Skills Jam for K–12 Educators. The latter brought together over 1,600 teachers and administrators across eight U.S. cities, demonstrating the program’s scalability and community-driven approach.
To further expand reach, OpenAI is piloting the Community Trainer Program, which prepares staff from partner organizations to lead Academy workshops. Participants in the program learn to demonstrate AI workflows, guide peer learning, and support others in applying AI to their work. The pilot aims to build local capacity for AI education, with the long-term goal of ensuring every community has access to trained facilitators who can adapt to evolving AI tools and needs.