How to use this course

This course teaches you how to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to human resources (HR) work. It assumes you are new to both fields. It starts with the basics of each, then follows a five-module framework: strategy, content, assistants, data storytelling and automation. Each module ends with a hands-on “playbook assignment”. By the end you will have five finished work products that together form a personal AI-in-HR playbook.

How each module is organised

• Learning objectives tell you what you should be able to do at the end.
• Lessons explain the concepts in plain language, with worked examples.
• A case study shows the ideas in a realistic situation. Some cases are real and cited; others use a fictional company and are labelled as fictional.
• Exercises give you short practice tasks. Do them; reading alone will not build the skill.
• A playbook assignment is the main deliverable for the module.
• A quiz checks your understanding. Answers with explanations are in Appendix F.

What you need

• An AI chat assistant. The framework names ChatGPT, and the examples work there, but every technique also works in comparable tools such as Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot. A free account is enough for most of Modules 1, 2 and 4.
• A spreadsheet tool (Excel or Google Sheets) for Module 4.
• A Zapier account for Module 5. The free plan is enough to learn the concepts and build a simple two-step automation; the full walkthrough uses features that need a paid plan or trial.
• About 25 to 35 hours in total. Appendix G gives a six-week schedule.

The practice company To let you practise without touching real employee data, the course uses a fictional company throughout: Brightwater Logistics, a 400-person distribution business with four departments (Warehouse Operations, Customer Support, Transportation and Corporate). Every name, number and policy attributed to Brightwater is invented for teaching.

• This is education, not legal advice. Employment and AI law differs by country, state and city, and it is changing quickly. Where the course describes a law, it gives the position as of 2 October 2026 and links to sources. Check the current position and involve qualified counsel before acting.

• Tools change faster than courses. Menus, plan limits and even whole product features change. Where a detail is likely to move, the course says so and links to the vendor’s own documentation.
• Never practise with real personal data. Do not paste real names, performance information, health details, pay data or candidate records into any AI tool unless your employer has approved that tool for that data. Use the fictional data provided.

NOTE Things that changed recently (and that older material gets wrong)

• EU AI Act timing. The obligations for “high-risk” AI in employment were due to apply from 2 August 2026. An amending regulation that entered into force on 27 July 2026 moved that date to 2 December 2027. Other duties, including transparency and AI literacy, were not postponed. See Lesson 1.3.
• Custom GPTs are being retired. OpenAI announced in September 2026 that custom GPTs are scheduled to retire on 11 December 2026 and be replaced by “plugins”. The framework for Module 3 mentions building a custom GPT, so that module teaches the durable skills and shows which tools you can use instead. See Lesson 3.3.
• US state rules keep moving. Colorado replaced its 2024 AI law in May 2026, and California’s governor signed the “No Robo Bosses Act” on 30 September 2026. See Lesson 1.3.