5 Free AI-Related Certifications to Boost Your Skills in 2025

In 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) will be the most important technical skill for professional development.With artificial intelligence rapidly transforming industries, gaining relevant certifications is a valuable way to stay competitive. The best part? Some of the most impactful certifications are free!  

According to Microsoft's Work Trend Index, artificial intelligence is becoming more than just a nice-to-have; it is a technology that is ingrained in the workforce, being quickly adopted by businesses, and becoming so non-negotiable that employers would rather hire a candidate with AI skills—even if they have less experience—than one with more experience but no AI knowledge.

AI is quickly emerging as a key component of all business operations, aiding in the resolution of wide-ranging and intricate issues in all industries. People are crucial to this effort, and there is a growing demand for professionals with skills in artificial intelligence worldwide. However, despite this need, the skills gap continues to widen.

The following courses, which last up to two hours each, are appropriate for individuals with varying levels of experience and will help them develop the abilities necessary to thrive in an AI-driven world.

Here are 5 free AI-related certifications you can pursue in 2025

1. Google AI's "Machine Learning Crash Course" (MLCC):

In this course, you will explore how machines learn and make predictions based on evidence, including brain-inspired artificial intelligence systems that solve complex problems.        

• Basic ML 
• conceptsTensorFlow 
• usageReal-world problem-solving with AI

Where to Access: Stanford Online

2. DeepLearning.AI’s "AI for Everyone" (Free via Coursera)

A non-technical introduction to AI concepts and their implications, created by Andrew Ng. It’s mainly useful for beginners, business leaders, or anyone looking to understand how AI can be applied in various industries.

• Core AI terminology
• AI’s potential and limitations
• Ethical considerations in AI

Where to Access: AI for Everyone

3. Microsoft Learn’s "AI Fundamentals" Certification

This certification is an opportunity for you to demonstrate knowledge of machine learning and AI concepts and related Microsoft Azure services. As a candidate for this certification, you should have familiarity with the self-paced or instructor-led learning material.

This certification is intended for you if you have both technical and non-technical backgrounds. Data science and software engineering experience are not required. However, you would benefit from having awareness of:

• Basic cloud concepts
• Client-server applications

Skills measured

• Describe Artificial Intelligence workloads and considerations
• Describe fundamental principles of machine learning on Azure
• Describe features of computer vision workloads on Azure
• Describe features of Natural Language Processing (NLP) workloads on Azure
• Describe features of generative AI workloads on Azure
• Where to Access: Microsoft Learn AI Fundamentals

4. IBM’s "Applied AI" Certification on Coursera (Free Audit)

A beginner-to-intermediate course covering AI techniques and their real-world applications. It’s about machine learning, deep learning, neural networks, and ML algorithms like classification, regression, clustering, and dimensional reduction.

• AI workflows
• Use cases for AI in business
• Building AI chatbots

It's useful for practical insights into AI applications, making it ideal for career advancement.Where to Access: IBM Applied AI

5. AWS Machine Learning Foundations Program (Offered by AWS and Udacity)

A foundational course for anyone interested in AI and ML, provided for free by AWS through Udacity.Learn what machine learning is and the steps involved in building and evaluating models. Gain in demand skills needed at businesses working to solve challenges with AI. Learn the fundamentals of advanced machine learning areas such as computer vision, reinforcement learning, and generative AI. Get hands-on with machine learning using AWS AI devices (i.e., AWS DeepLens, AWS DeepRacer, and AWS DeepComposer). Learn how to prepare, build, train, and deploy high-quality machine learning (ML) models quickly with Amazon SageMaker and learn object-oriented programming best practices.

• Where to Access: AWS ML Foundations

Conclusion:These certifications are particularly valuable in 2025 because they align with in-demand skills like Python programming, cloud computing, and deep learning frameworks—key areas driving innovation in AI.