In my entire career, I’ve never seen the demand for any technical knowledge reach the same level of hunger as we have for AI knowledge. Over the past year, it’s been a whirlwind—from executives to frontline teams, everyone is racing to understand AI and put it to work. Whether I'm speaking about the basics of AI, productivity hacks, or the challenges of deploying secure AI systems, the desire for AI insights is palpable.

One question remains: Is there a certification that truly makes sense for today’s AI landscape? With so many options, most are either platform-specific or too broad to be practically useful. This week, I’ll share my take on how I see the AI learning landscape evolving, including what I think would make for a truly valuable certification in AI for professionals across industries.

Please join me and DevOps icon, John Wilis, Evangelist from MongoDB, along with Michael Donovan VP of Product from Docker on November 12, 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. This event is for developers and technical business leaders to get an understanding of how to deploy modern AI applications using the most popular and trusted tools from Docker and MongoDB.

Easily Create Business Images with Ideogram

How often do you create a PowerPoint, social media post, or blog post and need the perfect image? Do you spend a lot of time searching Pixabay or your favorite clip art site?

I often advocate for using Midjourney to create high-quality images, but for many users, the learning curve is steep. However, with Ideogram, I find it very easy to create images with accurate text, one of the Achilles heels of AI-generated images.

The interface is very easy to use and you can customize a color palette to match the colors of your company. They do realistic photo images (though the faces were a little off in this example). Or very good illustrations and other types of images without having to get very technical. It’s a very easy to use interface for any business person.

Anyhow, if you are looking to generate images without a steep learning curve I think Ideogram is among the easiest and best AI image generators out there.

AI Certifications

Do you need an AI certification to get or keep your job?

IT certifications have been pivotal in shaping the modern tech workforce, providing structured learning paths that validate a professional’s technical expertise. Initially, certifications were closely tied to specific vendors and technologies, aligning with the proprietary nature of early IT environments.

For example, the Novell Certified NetWare Engineer (CNE) was highly valued in the 1980s and 90s, focusing on Novell’s network systems. However, as technology evolved, professionals with vendor-specific certifications often found themselves limited when shifting to different systems.

In contrast, vendor-neutral certifications like those from CompTIA (A+, Network+) were designed to cover fundamental concepts that transcended specific vendors, making them more flexible and adaptable to diverse IT environments. These vendor-neutral credentials provided a balanced curriculum focused on industry-wide best practices and core competencies, allowing professionals to apply their skills across platforms. Though these broad

The Modern Need for a Practical, Vendor-neutral AI Certification

As artificial intelligence becomes a core component of digital transformation, the need for an adaptable AI workforce is urgent. AI vendors like Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google offer certification programs tied to their ecosystems, covering their proprietary tools and workflows. While these certifications are valuable, they can leave gaps in a professional’s skill set, particularly for organizations leveraging multi-cloud or hybrid AI solutions.

A vendor-neutral AI certification program could fill this gap, focusing on practical skills in AI fundamentals, governance, ethical considerations, and best practices across various platforms. By concentrating on adaptable, cross-platform competencies, such a program would allow AI professionals to operate confidently in various AI environments and prepare existing IT infrastructure and operations personnel to integrate AI seamlessly.

Practical, Platform-agnostic Training Models

Successful training programs like A Cloud Guru and Scaled Agile offer a template for what a vendor-neutral AI certification might look like:

• A Cloud Guru provides comprehensive cloud training across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, emphasizing hands-on labs and platform-agnostic learning.

• Scaled Agile offers SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) certifications that apply Agile principles across multiple tools, fostering a flexible, adaptable skill set.

These programs highlight the value of practical, vendor-neutral training. An AI certification modeled after these approaches would focus on hands-on, platform-independent learning to cultivate versatile skills in AI—something particularly relevant for professionals in IT and cloud infrastructure who are new to AI but experienced in supporting complex technical environments.

Key Elements of a Practical, Vendor-Neutral AI Certification Program

For an AI certification program to be truly effective, it should cover essential competencies that apply across tools, platforms, and industries. Here are the core elements:

1. Core AI Competency Focus: The program would prioritize universal AI principles and workflows, including data processing, model training, and deployment techniques, without reliance on a specific tool. Core skills would include:

   • Understanding data pipelines, model types, and algorithm selection.

   • Basic data science and machine learning concepts, focusing on reproducibility and scalability.

   • Best practices in ethical AI, including privacy, transparency, and bias mitigation.
     

2. Desktop Knowledge Certification with Competing Tool Proficiency: A practical AI certification should emphasize hands-on experience with popular tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, as well as other emerging models. This desktop-focused knowledge certification would build a professional’s competency in:

   • Using and managing large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and others, as well as understanding their strengths and limitations.

   • Key workflows, such as prompt engineering, Chain of Thought prompting, fine-tuning, and integrating AI with business applications.

   • Comparing and assessing tools based on use cases, organizational needs, and ethical considerations.
     

3. Hands-On, Scenario-Based Learning Modules: Similar to A Cloud Guru’s labs, a vendor-neutral AI certification would include real-world simulations and practical labs that reinforce skills through active problem-solving. Modules could include:

   • Building a simple chatbot and deploying it in a cloud or hybrid environment.

   • Creating a data pipeline that supports AI workflows while ensuring data privacy.

   • Applying AI for desktop applications in business operations, such as summarizing reports, answering FAQs, or assisting in customer support.
     

4. Ethics and Governance: As AI’s influence grows, a vendor-neutral certification should cover critical issues like data privacy, governance, bias detection, and responsible deployment practices. This would prepare AI professionals to navigate AI’s ethical dimensions, which is especially important for regulated industries.
   

5. Adaptable Learning Paths for IT Operations and Knowledge Workers: Many current cloud and infrastructure professionals need an accessible path to AI expertise. Tailored learning paths would cater to:

   • IT Operations Personnel: Covering topics like managing AI workloads in cloud environments, optimizing compute resources, and ensuring security and compliance in AI operations.

   • Knowledge Workers: Emphasizing practical applications, such as desktop AI tools, data analysis, natural language processing, and automation workflows.

The Case for a Desktop Knowledge AI Certification

While many AI certifications focus on complex, enterprise-level integrations, there is an increasing need for a Desktop Knowledge Worker AI Certification focusing on core business user competencies. This certification would target knowledge workers, business analysts, and IT professionals who need to leverage AI daily without deep technical expertise. Modules would include:

• AI-Powered Productivity Tools: Training on popular LLM-based productivity tools, covering skills like using ChatGPT and Claude to automate document summaries, perform research, and assist with project management.

• Data Management Basics: Foundational concepts for working with data, including data cleaning, structuring, and basic analytics, to enable users to handle the data AI tools require.

• Comparison of Competing Tools: As new LLMs emerge, professionals need the skills to evaluate their options. A Desktop Knowledge AI Certification would include practical comparisons between tools like Claude and ChatGPT, helping users understand which tool best fits their business needs and objectives.

I am currently considering creating a full course to address these needs, but in the short term, I am experimenting with my free 14-day email course, The Artificially Intelligent Operating System (The AIOS). I’d love for you to try it and provide feedback so I can continue providing high-quality AI advice.

The Future of AI Skills Development and the Role of Vendor-Neutral Certifications

As vendor-neutral IT certifications like CompTIA A+ and Network+ provided foundational skills for a generation of IT professionals, a vendor-neutral AI certification program would help businesses upskill their workforce for AI-driven operations. Such a certification would provide individuals with flexibility in a fast-evolving market and support organizations in building a workforce capable of working across diverse AI ecosystems.

A practical, vendor-neutral AI certification would serve individuals and organizations by emphasizing hands-on learning and core competencies that can adapt to new tools and environments. From infrastructure professionals managing AI workloads to knowledge workers using desktop AI tools, the demand for versatile, AI-ready skills will only grow. By developing a structured, adaptable certification path, we can create a skilled workforce ready to take on AI challenges, just as past certifications prepared professionals for transformative shifts in IT.

• GPT Researcher - Elevate your application capabilities with the leading autonomous specialized open source research agent built for multi-agent frameworks, delivering real-time, accurate, and factual results at speed.

Improve Your LinkedIn Profile with ChatGPT

One of the top reasons we want certifications is to signal to employers we have basic skills in a given domain. Along with the certifications, telling our story to potential employers is critical in resumes, and in my opinion even more so with LinkedIn.

As we become more dependent on using digital technology to apply for and recruit for jobs, it’s critical for most professional job seekers to have a highly optimized LinkedIn profile for both networking and applying to jobs. I have created the following prompt to help you improve your LinkedIn profile.

If you want to see an example, you can check out my profile to see one that is pretty highly optimized. https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhinkle/

How To Use This Prompt

First, cut and paste this into ChatGPT. It will come up with a strategy-based on any memory it has on you but you will be prompted to print out your LinkedIn profile as a PDF or provide the URL to review your Linkedin profile and make it better for you. Then after the strategy, this prompt will generate suggested copy for your LinkedIn profile.

# Comprehensive LinkedIn Optimization Strategy: Interview Format

**Objective**: To gather the necessary information and insights for optimizing your LinkedIn profile, maximizing its visibility, engagement, and professional impact.

---

## Introduction  
**Interviewer**: Thank you for joining us today! To begin, could you please provide your LinkedIn profile URL or upload a PDF printout of your current LinkedIn profile? This will help us understand your starting point and tailor our recommendations effectively.

---

## 1. Crafting an Attention-Grabbing Headline  
**Interviewer**:  
- What target job title or industry are you aiming for?  
- Can you describe your unique value proposition or what makes you stand out in your field?  

**Task**: We will use this information to craft a concise, impactful headline designed to improve your profile's visibility and intrigue potential employers or clients.

---

## 2. Compelling "About" Summary  
**Interviewer**:  
- Could you share a brief summary of your professional journey?  
- What key accomplishments or experiences would you like highlighted?  
- What are your future career aspirations?  

**Task**: Based on your input, we’ll write a polished, engaging "About" section tailored to decision-makers in your target industry.

---

## 3. Revamping the Experience Section  
**Interviewer**:  
- For each role in your experience section, could you tell us about your key responsibilities and achievements?  
- Do you have specific metrics or results that showcase your impact?  

**Task**: We will rewrite your experience descriptions with compelling bullet points emphasizing measurable impacts relevant to your target role or industry.

---

## 4. Skill-Endorsement Strategy  
**Interviewer**:  
- What are the top skills you want to highlight for your target job title or industry?  
- Do you currently have endorsements for these skills?  

**Task**: We’ll create a prioritized list of relevant skills and outline a strategy to secure endorsements, including outreach templates.

---

## 5. Industry-Specific Keywords  
**Interviewer**:  
- Are there specific keywords or phrases commonly used in your target industry that you want to be associated with?  

**Task**: We’ll research and compile a comprehensive list of high-impact keywords to enhance your profile’s searchability.

---

## 6. Building a Targeted Professional Network  
**Interviewer**:  
- Who are the key individuals or companies you want to connect with?  
- Are there specific LinkedIn groups you’re interested in joining?  

**Task**: We’ll develop a networking strategy, including outreach templates and tips for building meaningful professional relationships.

---

## 7. Soliciting Recommendations  
**Interviewer**:  
- Can you identify colleagues, supervisors, or clients who might be willing to provide recommendations?  
- What specific strengths or achievements would you like them to highlight?  

**Task**: We’ll draft recommendation request templates tailored to showcase your relevant strengths.

---

## 8. Creating Thought-Leadership Content  
**Interviewer**:  
- What topics or areas of expertise do you want to be known for in your industry?  
- Have you considered writing LinkedIn posts or articles?  

**Task**: We’ll create a content calendar with topic ideas and post formats to establish your thought leadership.

---

## 9. Joining and Engaging in LinkedIn Groups  
**Interviewer**:  
- Are you currently a member of any LinkedIn groups related to your industry?  
- What kind of discussions or content would you like to engage with in these groups?  

**Task**: We’ll identify relevant groups and suggest strategies for meaningful participation to enhance visibility.

---

## 10. Maintaining a Professional Online Presence  
**Interviewer**:  
- How frequently do you update your LinkedIn profile?  
- Do you have a system for monitoring new endorsements or recommendations?  

**Task**: We’ll create a checklist to ensure your LinkedIn profile remains polished and up-to-date.

---

## Next Steps  
Once we have your LinkedIn profile URL or PDF, we’ll begin tailoring these strategies to your specific needs. Does this approach align with your goals?