Stop Paying for AI Courses. Here's Your Free 2026 Learning Path.
The best time to learn AI is now.
You don’t need another “Ultimate AI Course.” You need a map.
Free resources exist. Knowing which ones matter is the hard part.
So, let’s start.
Level 1: Master Prompting
Before you learn any tool, learn how to communicate with AI. Prompting is the foundation of everything now.
Since most of you love ChatGPT, let’s start with OpenAI’s free tutorials.
ChatGPT Fundamentals ▰▱▱
↳ https:// academy.openai.com/public/clubs/work-users ynjqu/resources/chatgpt-basics
ChatGPT for Any Role ▰▱▱
↳ https://academy.openai.com/public/clubs/work-users-ynjqu/resources/chatgpt-for-any-role
Prompting Class ▰▰▱
↳ https://academy.openai.com/public/clubs/work-users-ynjqu/resources/prompting
Prompt Engineering - Claude ▰▰▱
↳ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9aRN5JkmL8&t=1s
Prompt Engineering - Google ▰▰▱
↳ https://cloud.google.com/discover/what-is-prompt-engineering
My Tutorials
Level 2- Build No-Code Apps
Now you know how to prompt. So, let’s build apps by just using prompts.
CustomGPT’s ▰▰▱
↳ https://academy.openai.com/home/clubs/work-users-ynjqu/resources/custom-gpts
If you want to check my article, where we’ve built customGPT together, read this one.
Claude Skills ▰▰▱
↳ https://www.learnwithmeai.com/p/3-ai-agents-that-will-transform-your
Claude Code ▰▱▱
↳ https://anthropic.skilljar.com/claude-code-in-action
Gemini Gems ▰▰▱
↳ https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/15235603?hl=en#new_gem
NotebookLM ▰▱▱
↳ https://www.skills.google/course_templates/1422
My Tutorials
CustomGPT, Gemini Gems, and Claude skills in this one. [1,2,4]
Claude's code in this one.[3]
NotebookLM, in this one. [5]
Any feedback? Fill out this form, and each month, I’ll send a free subscription to those who contribute the most.
Level 3: Automation
Automation bridges knowing and applying AI by turning agents into systems that act on your instructions.
Zapier ▰▰▱
→ learn.zapier.com
Make.com ▰▱▱
→https://academy.make.com/
n8n ▰▱▱
→docs.n8n.io/video-courses
Level 4: Go Technical
Now it is time to go deeper.
Harvard
Introduction to AI with Python ▰▰▱
↳ https://pll.harvard.edu/course/cs50s-introduction-artificial-intelligence-python
Building Machine Learning Models ▰▰▰
↳ https://pll.harvard.edu/course/data-science-machine-learning
Machine Learning and AI with Python ▰▰▰
↳ https://pll.harvard.edu/course/machine-learning-and-ai-python
MIT
Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python ▰▰▱
Artificial Intelligence ▰▰▰
↳ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-034-artificial-intelligence-fall-2010/
Introduction to Machine Learning ▰▰▰
↳ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-036-introduction-to-machine-learning-fall-2020/
Introduction to Algorithms ▰▰▰
↳ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-006-introduction-to-algorithms-spring-2020/
Mathematics of Machine Learning ▰▰▰
↳ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/18-657-mathematics-of-machine-learning-fall-2015/
Stanford
Computer Science 101 ▰▱▱
↳ https://www.edx.org/learn/computer-science/stanford-university-computer-science-101
Machine Learning Specialization ▰▰▰
↳ https://www.coursera.org/specializations/machine-learning-introduction
Intro to Artificial Intelligence ▰▰▱
↳ https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-artificial-intelligence--cs271
Introduction to Python Programming ▰▰▱
↳ https://www.udacity.com/course/introduction-to-python--ud1110
Databases: Advanced Topics in SQL ▰▰▰
↳ https://www.edx.org/learn/sql/stanford-university-databases-advanced-topics-in-sql
Level 5: Vibe Coding
Vibe coding lets you build by just using prompts.
Cursor ▰▰▱
Gemini CLI ▰▰▱
↳ https://youtube.com/watch?v=1AF5pFGwRTM&list=PL4cUxeGkcC9h-AKdBSCRpqjD3y6T7Xgrb
Claude Code ▰▰▱
↳ https://youtube.com/watch?v=SUysp3sJHbA&list=PL4cUxeGkcC9g4YJeBqChhFJwKQ9TRiivY
ChatGPT Codex ▰▰▱
↳ https://developers.openai.com/codex
Windsurf ▰▰▱
↳ https://www.deeplearning.ai/short-courses/build-apps-with-windsurfs-ai-coding-agents/
Github Copilot ▰▰▱
↳ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/copilot/
Level 6: Solidify Your Knowledge
Theory without practice is useless. This is where you apply everything.
RAG with LangChain on Coursera ▰▰▱
↳ coursera.org/learn/project-generative-ai-applications-with-rag-and-langchain
Automate Knowledge Graphs for RAG: Building GraphRAG with OpenAI API ▰▰▱
↳ https://academy.openai.com/home/events?tag=RAG-67dc575bf70f9645ce782ded
Building Agentic Systems With PydanticAI ▰▰▰
↳ https://academy.openai.com/home/events/building-agentic-systems-with-pydanticai-fkjk9gtxe2
Built a Streamlit App that Analyzes TikTok and YouTube Trends ▰▰▰
↳ https://www.learnwithmeai.com/p/data-project-16-i-analyzed-48000
Analyzing NYC Real Estates Using Machine Learning
↳ www.learnwithmeai.com/p/data-project-6-i-analyzed-77108-nyc
Built Streamlit App Collecting AI News With n8n
↳ www.learnwithmeai.com/p/stop-paying-for-ai-agents-build-yours
Building a Full AI App with Claude Code, Auth, and Deployment (No-Code)
↳ www.learnwithmeai.com/p/claude-code-build-an-ai-app-in-5
The Paid Shortcut
Everything above is free. It will take time to go through.
If you want to accelerate, the Vault will help you with this.
Prompt library: Stop writing prompts from scratch. Pick a template, add your context, and copy and paste. 15 categories, 172 prompts, all tested.
Prompt Optimizer: Paste your prompt, pick a technique (zero-shot, few-shot, chain of thought), and get an optimized version. One click.
Infographic Hub: Enter your topic, pick a style, and get a professional infographic. Powered by Nano Banana API.
Projects: Access real project files: slides, code, datasets. See how things actually get built. Talk with the project to ask questions.
CustomGPT’s: Tools I built for specific jobs. Research, writing, analysis, automation. Skip the setup, start using.
Final Thoughts
Don’t bookmark this and forget it.
Pick one level. Start with one resource. Apply it today.
The best time to learn AI is now.