google launched a new AI Professional certification and expanded its workforce training strategy to meet applied demand. A.I. Skills accelerate.
Ruth Porat, Alphabet and Google’s president and chief investment officer, confirmed in a LinkedIn post that her company is working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Development Center to provide free access to the certificate to all small businesses in the United States.
This announcement follows new research from Ipsos and Google showing that only 14% of employees have AI training, even though 70% of managers believe that AI-trained employees are essential to success. As AI tools become more integrated into daily workflows, the gap between expectations and formal upskilling is becoming more pronounced.
Porat wrote on LinkedIn: “Today, I’m proud to announce the launch of the new Google AI Professional Certification, a program designed to close the AI fluency gap for workers and businesses. In particular, recognizing that small businesses are the backbone of our economy and have been the engine of new job growth throughout history, Google is proud to announce the launch of the new Google AI Professional Certification, a program designed to close the AI fluency gap for workers and businesses. In particular, in recognition that small businesses are the backbone of our economy and have been the engine of new job growth throughout history, Google is proud to announce the launch of the new Google AI Professional Certification, a program designed to close the AI fluency gap for workers and businesses. We’re working with Google to provide free access to this certification training for all small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. For more than a decade, we’ve been investing in skills development to equip people everywhere with the AI skills to thrive in an AI-powered economy.
From basics to applied AI skills
Lisa Gevelber, founder of Grow with Google, said the certification builds on previous AI training efforts, including Google AI Essentials, which has become Coursera’s most popular course.
Gevelber said, “Today, with the launch of the Google AI Professional Certification, we’re taking the next step in helping professionals gain fluency from the basics. We developed this program to address an important need. New research from Ipsos and Google reveals that while 70% of managers believe that employees with AI training are essential to success, only 14% of employees have received AI training.”
Employers such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Deloitte, Verizon, and Colgate-Palmolive plan to use the certificate to train employees on AI.
Free access and workspace support for small businesses
Google says small and medium-sized businesses, which employ about half of Americans, will get three months of Google Workspace Business Standard, plus free access to the AI Professional certification. This deployment is supported by partners such as ADP, PayPal, and Verizon, who will share resources with businesses across the network.
The program focuses on practical AI applications across communications, research, data analysis, content generation, planning, organization, and what Google calls “vibe coding.” Participants will receive free access to Google AI Pro for three months and complete more than 20 use cases, from creating professional-looking images and presentations, to cleaning and visualizing data, to building custom apps without writing code.
The new certification joins Google’s career certificate portfolio and now includes AI training across all programs. Google reports that this wide-ranging certificate initiative has impacted more than 1 million graduates worldwide, with more than 70% reporting positive career results within six months.
For EdTech providers and workforce leaders, the direction is clear. As major employers formalize AI training and small businesses gain subsidized access, applied AI fluency is turning from an advantage to a promise.
ETIH Innovation Award 2026
The ETIH Innovation Awards 2026 is now open and recognizes education technology organizations that are driving measurable impact across K-12, higher education, and lifelong learning. The award welcomes applications from the UK, the Americas and overseas, and applications will be assessed on the basis of evidence of achievement and practical application.
