Explore Credly’s Top AI Badges Across Foundational to Advanced Levels

As AI adoption accelerates, an additional 2.04 million tech jobs will be needed to implement and maintain emerging technologies. In the UK alone, government research shows that approximately one in six UK organizations, have adopted at least one AI technology.

AI upskilling and reskilling have become more important than ever. Yet with such a broad range of AI topics to explore, knowing where to begin can be difficult. Some roles may already involve AI, while employees have varying levels of experience and confidence. Every worker should develop a foundational understanding of AI, with opportunities to build more advanced skills as their role requires.

Over the last few years, we have seen a staggering increase in badge issuance on topics of AI from all levels. In 2024, a total of 1.39M individual badges had been issued, but in 2025, that number jumped to 3.59M – essentially, a growth rate of 158%. We are only in July of 2026, and our customers have already issued 3.77M AI-themed badges with us this year. 

In this blog, we highlight the top AI courses available on Credly for various levels—Foundational, Intermediate, and Advanced and key takeaways to help you shape your AI learning strategy.

Different Mastery Levels on Credly

Before diving into the top badges, let's define the different badge levels available on Credly.

Each digital badge on Credly contains rich metadata, providing details about the type of credential, mastery level, time commitment, and cost. This metadata helps contextualize the badge, offering insights into what the credential represents and how it compares to others.

• Foundational (e.g., Beginner, Fundamentals, Level 1)
• Intermediate (e.g., Professional, Intermediate, Level 2)
• Advanced (e.g., Specialist, Expert, Level 3)

In this blog, we'll explore some of the most popular, most searched, and recently trending badges at each level and highlight some common themes we observed.

Top 10 Foundational AI Badges

Foundational AI skills focus on basic concepts, tools, and techniques that provide a solid understanding of AI. These skills and courses are designed for beginners or those looking to build a base in AI before advancing to more complex topics. 

Top 10 Intermediate AI Badges

Intermediate AI skills dive deeper into practical applications, tools, and methodologies that allow learners to implement AI solutions in real-world scenarios. These courses are geared toward professionals who already have a basic understanding of AI and are looking to enhance their technical proficiency or apply AI in their specific industry.

Top 10 Advanced AI Badges

Advanced AI skills focus on specialized and cutting-edge AI technologies, including areas like machine learning engineering, generative AI, and enterprise-level AI deployment. These courses are designed for experts seeking to master the complexities of AI and lead innovation in their fields, requiring significant experience and technical knowledge.

AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty Issued by Amazon Web Services Training and Certification	Generative AI in Action Issued by IBM	Microsoft Innovator Educator Expert 2025-2026 Issued by Microsoft Elevate
AWS Certified Generative AI Developer - Professional Issued by Amazon Web Services Training and Certification	Claude Partner Badge - Claude Code Issued by Anthropic	ISACA Advanced in AI Security Management (AAISM) Issued by ISACA
Code Generation and Optimization Using IBM Granite Issued by IBM	AI Agents for Databases Issued by O'Reilly Media	Automate AI Solutions on Cisco Infrastructure Issued by Cisco
Use Machine Learning APIs on Google Cloud Skill Badge Issued by Google Cloud

Key takeaways

• Emphasis on Professional Recognition
  
  Many advanced badges are designed for professionals looking to validate their high-level expertise or to demonstrate advanced use of AI in their respective field. This shows a focus on industry-recognized credentials that signify a high degree of specialization and experience, but also an expansion in roles and fields using AI as part of their core skillset.
  
  
• Focus on Real-World Applications
  
  Advanced badges often emphasize practical, real-world applications of AI, such as enterprise search, generative AI solutions, and security. This indicates that advanced training is not just theoretical but also deeply tied to solving complex problems and deploying sophisticated AI solutions.

Actionable Steps to Bridge AI Skill Gaps in Your Workforce

With the growing need for AI expertise, taking a proactive approach to upskilling your workforce is essential. By leveraging AI badges across foundational, intermediate, and advanced levels, organizations can create clear pathways for skill development. These steps will guide you in building a robust AI learning strategy, ensuring your team is prepared for the evolving demands of AI technologies.

1. Conduct a Skills Audit: Evaluate your organization’s AI skills to identify gaps and areas for improvement to address gaps and forecast future AI needs. [Discover more on how to identify & address AI skills gap in our blog]
   
   
2. Design Role-Specific Training: Create targeted training programs based on the different badge levels and the specific needs of various roles (e.g., technical professionals, managers, sales teams). Ensure the programs cover both technical skills and practical applications.
   
   
3. Incorporate Training on Responsible AI: Ensure employees understand the ethical and societal implications of AI by including modules on responsible practices. This helps organizations reduce risks of bias or unintended consequences.
   
   
4. Award Digital Badges: Invest in a digital credentialing platform to award digital badges upon completion of training modules and certifications. This recognition can motivate employees and provide clear evidence of their achievements.
   
   
5. Map Out Progression: Use Credly's Pathways feature to automate badge issuing based on pre-set criteria. By defining a learning journey where earning multiple badges leads to an automatic Completion badge, Pathways motivates employees to advance their skills with clear, achievable milestones.
   
   
6. Measure Impact: Evaluate the impact of upskilling efforts on organizational performance, innovation, and competitive advantage.

By taking these steps, organizations can effectively prepare their workforce for the challenges and opportunities presented by AI, ensuring they remain competitive, innovative, and ethically responsible in their AI endeavors.

Credly is the leading digital credential network, with 140M+ badges issued to over 65M earners. More than nine million AI-themed badges have been issued, helping professionals stay competitive and address the global skills gap. 

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