AI for professionals
AI Essentials for Work: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot
Use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot properly at work: how to ask, how to check the answer, and what never to paste in.
AI Essentials for Work: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for office and knowledge workers in any role who want to use AI assistants safely and well. It has 9 modules and takes about 6.2 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 6.2 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Office and knowledge workers in any role who want to use AI assistants safely and well
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- A free account on any one of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot. Nothing to install. Hardware: any computer or phone with a browser.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Decide which tasks to give an AI assistant and which to keep
- Write prompts that give a usable answer in one or two tries
- Check answers for errors, invented facts and bias
- Keep confidential data out of public AI tools
- Build a small prompt library for your own job
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Office and knowledge workers in any role who want to use AI assistants safely and well.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. No technical background. If you can write an email, you can take this course.
What you need
Software: A free account on any one of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot. Nothing to install..
Hardware: Any computer or phone with a browser.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
9 modules in order, at your own pace. 6.2 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Meet your AI assistant8m
- 2What generative AI is, and what it cannot do34m
- 3The 4D framework: delegation and description22m
- 4Prompts that work, with lab practice: 42m
- 5AI tools for everyday productivity24m
- 6Checking the output: discernment and iteration, with lab practice: 19m
- 7Using AI responsibly: privacy, bias and scams, with lab practice: 28m
- 8Staying ahead of the AI curve16m
Show the other 1 modules
- 9Final Assessment6m
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Nothing to install
Show what to download (4 tools)
One AI assistant
Any one is enough.
- 01Free plan with limits
ChatGPT
OpenAI, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus mobile and desktop apps
- Account
- A free OpenAI account
The Free plan allows everyday text chats. File uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have tighter limits than paid plans, and ads may appear in some countries. Paid plans raise the limits.
Steps
- 1.Open chatgpt.com.
- 2.Click Sign up and create an account with your email, or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
- 3.Verify your email and confirm your details.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Do not paste personal data, passwords or confidential work files.
- ChatGPT tells you when you reach a limit. Wait for it to reset or switch to a lighter task.
Open ChatGPTchatgpt.com - 02Free plan with limits
Claude
Anthropic, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus desktop and mobile apps
- Account
- A free Claude account (you must be 18 or over)
The Free plan covers chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation and Artifacts. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window and depend on message length and features used. Paid plans give more usage.
Steps
- 1.Open claude.ai (or see the plans at claude.com/pricing).
- 2.Sign up with your email or Google account and confirm your email.
- 3.Confirm you are 18 or over and accept the terms.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Long conversations and large files use up your limit faster. Start a new chat for a new topic.
- Do not paste personal data or confidential work files.
Open Claudeclaude.com - 03Free with limits
Google Gemini
Google, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Android and iOS apps
- Account
- A free Google account
Free with a Google account, including a Flash model, limited access to the Pro model, image generation, Deep Research and Gems. Paid Google AI plans give higher limits. Some features require you to be 18 or over.
Steps
- 1.Open gemini.google.com.
- 2.Sign in with your Google account.
- 3.Accept the terms the first time you use it.
- 4.Type your question or upload a file in the prompt box.
- Use a personal Google account. Work or school accounts depend on your administrator's settings.
Open Google Geminigemini.google.com - 04Free
Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
Microsoft, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Windows, macOS, Android and iOS apps
- Account
- None needed
Microsoft Copilot is free for individuals; you must be at least 13 (older in some countries). Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is included at no extra cost for organisations with an eligible Microsoft 365 licence and needs a work or school (Microsoft Entra ID) account.
Steps
- 1.Open copilot.microsoft.com.
- 2.Optionally click Sign in and use your personal Microsoft account.
- 3.Type your question in the message box.
- 4.For work or school use, sign in at microsoft365.com with your organisation account and open Copilot Chat.
- Copilot Chat with a work or school account adds enterprise data protection. Use it for work material if your organisation provides it.
Open Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chatcopilot.microsoft.com
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Try the three habits of everyday AI use in the AI Workbench: a clear prompt, checking the answer against a source, and keeping personal data out.
- Prompt to specAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Prompt to spec
- Check the AI's work: financeAI Workbench, about 20 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Check the AI's work: finance
- Privacy firstAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Privacy first
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 6 hours
An AI playbook for a customer-service team: a prompt library, a tested tool comparison and a one-page AI use procedure
Build the playbook a small team needs to use AI assistants safely on real work: a library of six tested prompts, a scored comparison of two assistants and a one-page procedure. The sample pack shows each document filled in for a freight forwarder's customer-service desk.
- 4documents in the pack
- 5steps to follow
- 4things to hand in
- 6 hof work, at your pace
- RegisterCustomer-service prompt library
- RegisterAssistant comparison record
- ProcedureUsing AI assistants on the customer-service desk
- Training recordDesk training on the AI use procedure
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
AI for Project Management
Eight short weeks of using AI for charters, schedules, risks, minutes and status reports, and of knowing where its estimates fall short: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Analyst
- Operations specialist
- Project coordinator
- Team lead using AI tools
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Grow with Google, Anthropic, OpenAI. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Grow with Google · Anthropic · OpenAI. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Which AI assistant does this course use?
All of them. The lessons show ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot, and every habit in the course works on each. You need a free account on just one to do the exercises.
Do I need any technical background?
No. If you can write an email, you can take this course. There is no coding and nothing to install.
How long does the AI Essentials for Work course take?
About six hours including the videos, notes and practice; the first module's videos take under ten minutes. Most people finish in a week of short sessions, and the optional project adds about six hours.
Is this Google's AI Essentials course?
No. It uses lessons that Google, Anthropic and OpenAI publish free on YouTube, credited on each module, and none of them is affiliated with EDWartens. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice, project and assessments, and issues its own certificate.
What will I have at the end?
A prompt library for your own work, a tested comparison of two assistants, and a one-page AI use procedure. They are more useful to show an employer than the certificate.
Is the AI Essentials for Work course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you decide you want it.
Can I use what I learn with my company's own AI tool?
Yes. The habits in this course (a clear brief, a proper check, placeholders for personal data) work the same in Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude or an in-house assistant. Follow your employer's rules on which tool may see which data.
What certificate does the AI Essentials for Work course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have worked through the course and passed the final assessment, with a unique number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a vendor credential and we never describe it as one.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the AI Essentials for Work course cover, module by module?
The AI Essentials for Work course has 9 modules. It opens with "Meet your AI assistant", goes through "What generative AI is, and what it cannot do", "Prompts that work", "Checking the output: discernment and iteration" and "Staying ahead of the AI curve" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the AI Essentials for Work course?
After the AI Essentials for Work course: Decide which tasks to hand to an AI assistant and which to keep; Write prompts with a task, context, references and format; Use examples to get the exact style and structure you want. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the AI Essentials for Work course, and does it cost anything?
For the AI Essentials for Work course, software: A free account on any one of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot. Nothing to install. Hardware: any computer or phone with a browser. The course itself is free.
Is the AI Essentials for Work course suitable for me, and what level is it?
AI Essentials for Work is rated beginner. Beginner. No technical background. If you can write an email, you can take this course. It is written for office and knowledge workers in any role who want to use AI assistants safely and well, and takes about 6.2 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the AI Essentials for Work course?
Skills from the AI Essentials for Work course (for example: decide which tasks to hand to an AI assistant and which to keep) are used in roles such as analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools, and in office and knowledge worker work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
AI Essentials for Work: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.