OpenAI Academy is OpenAI’s newest attempt at organizing its growing library of tutorials, guides, and beginner-focused training resources. This platform offers a minimalist, ad-free learning experience where learners can watch short videos or read practical articles on how to use ChatGPT across different sectors. In this review, I take a closer look at the platform through the lens of one of its beginner courses: ChatGPT 101: Introduction to ChatGPT for Small Businesses. This 30-minute crash course aims to give entrepreneurs a fast, approachable introduction to using ChatGPT in their day-to-day work.

OpenAI Academy succeeds in delivering quick, hands-on guidance—but remains a barebones platform that lacks many of the features we have come to expect. Below, we explore the strengths and limitations of both the platform and the course.

What OpenAI Academy Is (and Isn’t)

OpenAI Academy feels less like a MOOC platform and more like an organized help center with video walkthroughs. The interface is clean and minimalist, with a left-hand menu that lets users navigate content by sector, including Work, Education, Small Biz, Nonprofits, and Government. The platform also hosts occasional livestream events lasting around an hour.

Where Academy differs from more mature platforms is in its feature set—or lack thereof. There are no quizzes, no exercises, no bookmarking, and no progress tracking. A course cannot be saved for later, and there’s no “mark as complete” button. While this keeps the experience hassle-free, it also limits its usefulness.

Despite these gaps, its content is practical and hands-on, and most importantly, there are no ads or paywall to access their material.

A Look Inside ChatGPT 101: Introduction to ChatGPT for Small Businesses

Course Format

ChatGPT 101 consists of a single 30-minute video divided into bite-sized chapters. There are no quizzes or exercises, but each segment links to an accompanying article that expands on the concept shown in the video. This also includes ready-to-use prompts that open directly in ChatGPT.

Audience & Accessibility

The course is tailored to absolute beginners, specifically small business owners starting to learn how to use ChatGPT. Captions are available in English and Spanish, and the short modular format makes it easy to complete in one sitting. Unfortunately, the transcript isn’t available yet (even though there is an empty section called “Transcript” under the video).

Instructor & Delivery Style

The instructor’s tone is conversational and natural, making the material easy to watch in one go. While the video quality is acceptable, the overall production feels closer to a polished YouTube tutorial than a professional online course. Learners with some familiarity can probably watch at 1.5x or even 2x speed.

What the Course Covers

The course aims to give small business owners a practical toolkit of ChatGPT skills they can apply immediately. Topics include:

• Navigating the ChatGPT interface
• Using voice mode and dictation
• Writing effective beginner-friendly prompts

Common small business use cases such as:

• Brainstorming marketing ideas
• Writing customer messages
• Creating operational checklists
• Generating images
• Conducting basic data analysis
• Using Canvas for structured outputs
• Searching the web through ChatGPT

While the range of features is impressive for a short tutorial, the pacing can feel rushed. Each topic is introduced briefly before the instructor moves to the next feature.

The written resources are one of the most helpful parts of the course. Each article explains the concept in more detail and provides example prompts that learners can immediately test. This model compensates for the lack of exercises and makes the course more practical.

Strengths of ChatGPT 101

• Highly practical, focusing on real tasks small business owners face
• Short and accessible—easy to complete in a single session
• Conversational teaching style helps absolute beginners feel at ease
• Accompanying articles and prompt lists encourage hands-on experimentation

Limitations of the Course

• The audio and video quality could be better
• The course feels rushed at times due to the number of features covered
• No exercises or challenges, and only a few real-world business scenarios
• Lacks the depth and polish found in courses on larger learning platforms.

How OpenAI Academy Compares to Other Providers

Compared to platforms like Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and DeepLearning.AI, OpenAI Academy feels like a minimum viable learning platform, as it lacks many of the basic pedagogical features expected by most learners. That said, a more appropriate comparison is with platform-centric learning experiences offered by companies like HubSpot or Semrush, where the goal is to help users quickly understand and adopt a specific tool.

In that sense, for users who prefer short tutorials, webinars, or lightweight guides, OpenAI Academy is well aligned with that format. Its ad-free, focused environment contrasts positively with YouTube, where the closest equivalent content typically lives.

Recommendations & Ideal Learners

Ideal for:

• Small business owners with no prior AI experience
• Learners who prefer short, tutorial-style instruction
• Users looking for quick guidance rather than structured courses

Not ideal for:

• Those who want assessments or certificates
• Intermediate learners seeking in-depth training
• Students who expect platform features like bookmarking, tracking, or interactive practice

Suggestions for Improvement

• Add bookmarking and “mark complete” functionality
• Provide transcripts for all videos
• Include more real-world business examples
• Offer optional practice challenges
• Expand the course catalog with multi-part sequences

Conclusion

OpenAI Academy delivers a convenient entry point for absolute beginners who want fast, practical tutorials to ChatGPT. ChatGPT 101 for Small Businesses succeeds as a crash course, showing entrepreneurs how to use ChatGPT to simplify tasks like writing messages, analyzing data, or generating creative ideas. However, as a learning platform, OpenAI Academy remains minimal and lacks many of the features that we are used to.

For learners seeking structured, trackable courses, platforms such as Coursera, edX, or Udemy will still be more appealing. But for anyone who wants a quick, no-friction content about ChatGPT, OpenAI Academy offers an effective starting point.