5 Learning Paths That Can Help You Build the Next Great Gen AI Product

Natalie Pao

Senior Content Strategist, AI/ML @ LinkedIn Learning; Amplifying voices and building a leading AI library to upskill the global workforce

June 9, 2025

Photo of two people sitting outside on a couch and working on a laptop to build a Gen AI product.

The AI revolution isn't just changing what we build — it's changing how we work. The traditional silos between development, operations, security, and data science are breaking down. The skills required span multiple disciplines, and the pace of change means that what worked six months ago might already be obsolete.

Organizations across every industry recognize that AI is no longer optional — it's essential for remaining competitive. While securing buy-in and budget allocation for AI initiatives remains crucial, the challenge I’m focused on happens after that: How do you actually build these AI systems? How do you ensure they're responsible, secure, and deliver measurable value?

For the last 4 years, I’ve been focused on solving the question for AI professionals: “What should I be upskilling on to stay competitive in my job?” My role is to identify skills gaps between where technical teams are today and where they need to be to remain competitive, then work with industry experts to create the learning experiences that bridge that gap. What I've discovered is that the traditional boundaries between roles are dissolving — and that's creating both tremendous opportunities and urgent learning needs.

A curated learning journey for modern AI development

How does a software developer learn about AI orchestration and security? How does a data scientist understand the importance of explainable AI and governance? How does a security professional tackle the unique challenges of protecting AI systems and data?

To address these challenges, we've developed a comprehensive series of Professional Certificates that guide technical teams through the entire AI product development lifecycle:

These aren't standalone courses thrown together — they're highly curated learning paths designed to flow together intentionally, taught by AI subject matter experts who build impressive AI systems and teams, taking learners from initial concept to production deployment.

1. The foundational primer for understanding the workflow

Every successful AI product begins with a solid foundation. Our Building AI Products: Understanding the Workflow Professional Certificate provides a high-level primer of the technical roadmap teams need once they've secured stakeholder buy-in. Led by industry experts Dr. Isil Berkun, Denys Linkov, and Reet Kaur, this certificate covers everything from AI product ideation and prototyping to orchestration, responsible AI implementation, security, and ROI evaluation.

2. Ideating and prototyping

The journey continues with our Building AI Products: Prototyping Essentials Professional Certificate, where learners dive deep into the practical aspects of turning ideas into viable products. Maria Parysz, Alina Zhang, Lillian Pierson, and Reet Kaur guide learners through ideation, technical feasibility assessment, and data management, while introducing a critical framework of responsible AI from the very beginning.

3. Architecture and orchestration

Once teams understand the fundamentals, they need to tackle the complexity of modern AI systems. The Building AI Products: Architecture and Orchestration Professional Certificate addresses the critical challenge of coordinating multiple AI systems and data sources. Fikayo Adepoju, Noah Gift, Nayan Saxena, and Janani Ravi teach how to integrate your large language models (LLMs) with other data sources or other LLMs, coordinating the flow of information to produce predictable results.

4. Implementing responsible AI at scale

Perhaps no aspect of AI development is more critical — or more complex — than ensuring AI systems are responsible, fair, and transparent. The Building AI Products: Implementing Responsible AI Professional Certificate provides comprehensive coverage of these essential practices. Dr. Brandeis Marshall, Jazmia Henry, Laurence Moroney, Jigyasa Grover, and Kumaran Ponnambalam bring their expertise for deploying generative AI products at scale with a responsible AI data and application development and integration strategy.

5. Security is non-negotiable

In today's threat landscape, AI security cannot be an afterthought. The Building AI Products: Security Essentials Professional Certificate addresses the unique security challenges that AI products face. Meghan Maneval, Sam Sehgal, and Malcolm Shore teach the essential security considerations and implementations required throughout the AI product lifecycle — from data governance and model protection to incident response and continuous security validation.

The Professional Certificate advantage

These Professional Certificates are more than just collections of courses — they're comprehensive credential programs. Not only are we looking to upskill technical teams but also provide opportunities to validate and showcase skills through a Professional Certificate, which can be featured on your LinkedIn Profile.

Professional certificates make it easy to complete courses, take an assessment, and share your credentials without leaving LinkedIn.

To earn your Professional Certificate, you'll need to:

Complete all courses and content in the learning path
Take and pass the final exam

Once you pass, you'll have immediate access to your certificate, which you can add to your LinkedIn profile and share with others. This credential demonstrates not just that you've consumed content, but that you've mastered the integrated skills needed to build AI products in today's environment.

Your next step in AI excellence

The organizations that will thrive in the AI era aren't those with the most sophisticated technology — they're those with teams skilled in building AI products responsibly, securely, and effectively. Whether you're a developer looking to expand into AI, a data scientist wanting to understand production deployment, or a security professional needing to protect AI systems, complete these Professional Certificates and prepare your teams to build AI products that drive real business value while maintaining the highest standards of responsibility and security.

The future of work is here, and it's powered by AI. Ready to build the future? Your journey into professional AI product development starts now with these learning paths:

Woman writing in a notebook sitting in front of a laptop

Topics: Top skills and courses