With AI becoming core to every startup and skillset, learning directly from AI pioneers is a game-changer. The best part? You can start completely free.
Here’s a curated list of free AI courses and tutorials by OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepLearning.AI, Microsoft, and more, trusted by founders, marketers, product teams, and developers.
1. OpenAI’s Learn Platform (Free Courses & Tutorials)
Course Link
- What’s inside?
- “Intro to ChatGPT” (for personal + professional use)
- “ChatGPT for Beginners: Basics & Prompts”
- Tutorials for educators, researchers, and developers
- Free lessons on Prompt Engineering, APIs, and GPT-4 tools
- Best for: Beginners, business users, creators
- Certificates: Not currently issued
- Cost: Fully Free
- Bonus: Includes real-world examples, productivity use cases, and GPT tools
2. OpenAI Cookbook (Developer Tutorials)
Course Link
- A GitHub-based treasure trove of real code snippets, fine-tuning guides, and GPT workflows
- Learn how to use GPT-4, embeddings, assistants API, and more
- Highly recommended for developers and technical founders
3. DeepLearning.AI – ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers
Course Link
- Co-created by OpenAI & DeepLearning.AI (Andrew Ng)
- Practical & hands-on training on building apps with LLMs using OpenAI API
- Teaches prompt design, chaining, and reliability
- Best for: Developers & product managers
- Duration: ~1–2 hours
- Certificate: Free certificate included
- Used by: Over 2M learners in 2024
4. OpenAI Dev Day 2023 Talks & Tutorials
Course Link
- Includes free video lessons on:
- GPT-4 updates & use cases
- Building Assistants with OpenAI API
- Fine-tuning, function calling, and real product demos
- Great for: Startup teams using GPT tools
- Format: Recorded talks & code walkthroughs
5. Anthropic’s AI Fluency Course (Claude)
Course Link
- Free 4-hour online course to improve AI literacy
- Focuses on safe, responsible use of LLMs (Claude, GPT, etc.)
- Great primer for teams and educators
- Best for: Business users, HR, founders, teams
- Cost: Free, no login needed
- Certificate: No, but widely recommended in AI circles
6. Microsoft Learn – AI Skills Challenge (2025 Edition)
Course Link
- Covers OpenAI GPT tools inside Azure, Copilot tools, and LLM basics
- Includes prompting, GenAI use cases, and real deployment examples
- Offers free certification challenges and Microsoft badges
- Duration: 4–8 hours
- Certificate: Yes, on completion
- Great for: Professionals, marketers, AI product teams
7. Hugging Face – Free NLP/LLM Courses
Course Link
- Learn transformers, fine-tuning, tokenization, and building with open models
- Strong community & tutorials on building GPT-like models yourself
- Good for advanced learners and open-source fans
- Used by: Thousands of ML engineers globally
- Certificate: No formal certs, but practical skills
📊 Quick Summary Table
| Course | Platform | Best For | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI Learn | OpenAI | Beginners, general users | ❌ |
| OpenAI Cookbook | GitHub | Developers | ❌ |
| Prompt Eng for Devs | DeepLearning.AI | Coders, PMs | ✅ |
| Dev Day Talks | OpenAI | Founders, builders | ❌ |
| AI Fluency | Anthropic | Non-tech, teams | ❌ |
| Microsoft Learn | Microsoft | Enterprise users | ✅ |
| Hugging Face Learn | Hugging Face | ML developers | ❌ |
Final Thought: Learn From the Source, Build for the Future
If you’re building or scaling anything with AI, it pays to learn directly from OpenAI and top AI labs. These free courses:
- Save money on bootcamps
- Accelerate learning with product-level skills
- Empower teams with prompt engineering, API use, and ethical know-how
In 2025, the best AI tools aren’t just in the cloud — they’re also in your browser, free to access, and waiting for you to start.
