OpenAI announced an expansion of its free online learning platform, OpenAI Academy, introducing AI certification programs and partnering with Walmart to help bring training directly to workers. According to Fox Business, the initiative aims to certify people across multiple levels of AI fluency and give Walmart associates hands-on experience with AI tools.
OpenAI Academy to offer tiered AI certifications
Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, said the Academy has already connected more than 2 million people with resources, workshops and communities to master AI tools. The company now plans to “offer certifications for different levels of AI fluency, from the basics of using AI at work all the way up to AI-custom jobs and prompt engineering,” Simo said in a release.
OpenAI set a goal of certifying 10 million people by 2030 and identified Walmart as one of its launch partners for the expanded program. The company said it is partnering with major employers to expand economic opportunity by helping people build in-demand AI skills.
From fundamentals to prompt engineering
The certification pathway spans introductory workplace AI use to advanced topics like AI-custom jobs and prompt engineering, according to the announcement. Simo framed the effort as a step toward broadening access: “If we want to put more power into the hands of more people, not just a fortunate few, we need to help everyone, at every level, take advantage of the opportunities that come with AI.”
Walmart partnership brings training to associates
Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said the retailer will deliver AI training directly to associates. “At Walmart, we know the future of retail won’t be defined by technology alone — it will be defined by people who know how to use it,” he said. Furner described the plan as putting “the most powerful technology of our time” into workers’ hands so they can “rewrite the playbook and shape the future of retail.”
The announcement follows OpenAI’s unveiling of GPT-5 in August, which the company characterized as a significant upgrade to its large language model capabilities. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has described GPT-5 as “like having a team of Ph.D.-level experts in your pocket.”
Simo underscored the longer-term ambition behind the certification drive: while progress remains to be made, expanding the Academy is intended as an important step toward enabling more people to benefit from AI skills and tools.
