AI for Leaders

Once your payment is successfully processed, you’ll receive an email granting you access to the course content within two hours. To maximize your 90-day access period, we strongly recommend logging into the course platform as soon as you receive this notification.

If you plan to pay online using a credit card, you may do so at any time. If you’ve selected an alternative payment method, please allow additional time for processing:

• Western Union: 3 business days
• Domestic wire: 5 business days
• International wire: 14 business days
• Loans: 12 business days

Participants in AI for Leaders are eligible for a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Business School Online.

Participants are expected to fully complete all coursework in a thoughtful and timely manner. This means completing each course module and fully answering questions posed therein. In addition to module assignment completion, we expect participation in the social learning elements of the course by offering feedback on others’ reflections and contributing to conversations, as well as participation in the course’s AI-based tools and activities. Participants who fail to complete the course requirements won’t receive a certificate or be eligible to retake the course.

More detailed information on course requirements will be communicated at the start of the program. No grades are assigned for AI for Leaders. Participants will be evaluated as complete or not complete.

You’ll have access to the materials in every prior module as you progress through the program. Access to course materials and the course platform ends after the 90-day on-demand access window.

Once you’ve earned your Certificate of Completion, list it on your resume along with the date of completion:

Harvard Business School Online
Certificate in AI for Leaders
[On Demand Start Month and Year]

List your certificate on your LinkedIn profile under "Education" with the language from the Credential Verification page:

School: Harvard Business School Online
Dates Attended: [The year you participated in the program]
Degree: Other; Certificate in AI for Leaders
Field of Study: Leave blank
Grade: Complete
Activities and Societies: Leave blank

For the program description on LinkedIn, please use the following:

AI for Leaders is a four-module, 20-hour online certificate program from Harvard Business School. The course equips professionals with a strategic understanding of how AI and machine learning are transforming organizations. Through real-world cases and interactive activities, participants discover how AI is changing the way work gets done, what it takes to scale its use responsibly, and methods large organizations can adopt to stay competitive

The snack food activity invites you to step into the role of an entrepreneur and build an AI-native snack food company using generative AI tools. You’ll generate product ideas, research the market, and develop a marketing strategy with the help of downloadable instructions and datasets. After developing your product, you’ll share your results and reflections, gaining hands-on experience with generative AI in a real-world business scenario.

AI Essentials for Business and AI for Leaders align with distinct stages of organizational AI adoption and leadership readiness.

AI Essentials for Business is designed for business professionals, functional specialists, and aspiring leaders who want to develop a foundational understanding of AI and its business implications. It uses a conceptual, narrative-driven approach, featuring longer, conversational videos and real-world examples, to provide broad AI awareness for a wide range of non-technical learners.

AI for Leaders is tailored for digital transformation leaders, AI champions, and startup founders ready to drive, implement, and scale AI initiatives within their organizations. The course emphasizes hands-on, action-oriented learning—using immersive, real-world cases, concise, professionally produced videos, and practical, interactive exercises—empowering leaders to drive AI transformation.

Neither course requires technical expertise. AI Essentials for Business is ideal for organizations just beginning their AI journey, while AI for Leaders is best suited for those prepared to operationalize AI strategies and drive tangible organizational change.

The AI Course Assistant is a generative AI-powered chatbot designed to enhance your learning experience by providing context-specific responses to course-related questions. Drawing from an integrated system of resources and materials, the Course Assistant delivers text-based answers and may also suggest relevant videos. While we strive for accuracy, please note that responses may occasionally be inaccurate or incomplete. Please review all information carefully. The AI Course Assistant is focused on course content. For program or technical support questions, please contact us via via the Support Portal.

AI for Leaders is designed for a general audience and does not require an MBA, business expertise, or technical background. While the course uses some business terms and focuses on how AI is reshaping organizations and influencing leadership decisions, it does not assume any in-depth business knowledge. All technical and business terminology is clearly explained as it arises, and an AI Course Assistant is available to help with content-related questions along the way.

AI for Leaders is an updated course designed to reflect the latest developments in AI. While it does revisit a few foundational ideas and cases from AI Essentials for Business, such as VideaHealth and the concept of the AI factory, it also features new and expanded content filmed in 2025. This includes in-depth, up-to-date case studies on how Moderna is using generative AI across its workforce, P&G’s development of a robust AI factory, JPMorgan Chase’s governance of GenAI, and Pernod Ricard’s digital transformation.