AI at work, for the rest of us
Decision-first reviews and comparisons. We'll tell you what to skip.
Microsoft 365 Copilot for Leaders ($49/mo, ~20 hrs) is worth it for managers new to AI who will use Copilot for executive work; too basic if you use it daily. It is a Vanderbilt course, not Microsoft. Compared with Generative AI for Everyone inside.
Generative AI for Growth Marketing ($49/mo, ~26 hrs) is worth it for working marketers who finish the capstone; too long if you only want a quick AI overview. Comparison with Google AI Essentials inside.
Generative AI for Everyone ($49 cert, ~6 hrs) is worth it for Andrew Ng's plain-English AI strategy foundation; too light if you want hands-on building skills.
The best books about OpenAI are Empire of AI by Karen Hao (Goodreads 4.01 from 12,099 ratings, 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award winner), Supremacy by Parmy Olson (Goodreads 4.05, 2024 Financial Times Business Book of the Year), and The Optimist by Keach Hagey (Goodreads 3.81, first major Sam Altman biography from 250+ interviews). These 5 picks combine award-winning investigations and insider biography for operators and policy readers tracking the company.
The best AI books written by tech executives are The Coming Wave by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman (Goodreads 3.79 from 15,861 ratings, 2023 FT Business Book of the Year shortlist), AI Superpowers by Sinovation founder Kai-Fu Lee (Goodreads 4.09 from 16,916 ratings, NYT bestseller), and Genesis by Henry Kissinger, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and Craig Mundie (McKinsey's July 2025 standout AI book). These 9 cover containment, the China-US race, and statecraft for non-technical business professionals.
IBM, Kellogg, and Vanderbilt lead the 9 best AI courses for sales professionals in 2026 — all built for non-technical sellers on Coursera or Emeritus.