A practical AI training and certification program backed by weekly AI updates, teaching teams to work across every major AI platform, not just one
Minnetonka, MN. September 16, 2026.
Businesses are putting AI to work faster than they are training their people to use it. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce found in its 2025 Empowering Small Business report that 58 percent of small businesses now use generative AI, up from 40 percent the year before. At the same time, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy reported that roughly half of small firms using AI have made no investment in it at all, including employee training. Certified AI 360 launched today to close that gap: a new AI training and certification company that keeps trained teams current with weekly AI updates.
Certified AI 360 was co-founded by Sam Richter, a Hall of Fame keynote speaker who has trained hundreds of companies across a career in business and sales. His clients have ranged from Fortune 500 firms to national franchises and leading professional-services organizations, and his focus now is making AI genuinely useful for everyday professionals, no technical background required.
The problem is not a shortage of tools. It is a shortage of structure. AI changes almost weekly, and a course recorded a few months ago is often already behind. Certified AI 360 answers that by pairing a stable core program with weekly AI updates, keeping members current on new tools, features, and best practices well after they finish the foundation.
The program is on demand and self-paced, built around eight core video modules, each with a quiz, plus new modules over time. Most people finish in about eight hours. Once a team completes it, the business earns the Certified AI 360 credential to display on its site and marketing materials.
Two things set the approach apart. It is platform inclusive, teaching teams to work across the major AI platforms rather than tying them to one tool, so skills hold up as the field shifts. And it certifies the whole business rather than a single employee, giving the entire team one shared standard for using AI well.
“I’ve spent years in front of business owners who know AI matters but feel a step behind. Most of them are, because most training is outdated the day it’s published. So we built something that stays current every week and stays genuinely practical. And we certify the whole team, not just the one person who loves new tech,” said Sam Richter, co-founder of Certified AI 360.
Certified AI 360 serves teams at small and midsize businesses. The program is available now at certifiedai360.com.