Curriculum
The AIMP curriculum: twelve modules, a capstone and a final exam.
Thirty-six topics on managing AI in an organization, each with objectives, a documented case or labeled scenario, a next-day takeaway and a knowledge check. Then a capstone plan for your own organization and a timed exam. Every module cites its sources and was last reviewed on October 15, 2026.
- 1The AI Management Mandate
- 2How Modern AI Works, for Managers
- 3AI Strategy and Value
- 4Agentic AI and Automation
- 5Governance Frameworks: NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001
- 6Law and Regulation
- 7Risk, Safety and Responsible AI
- 8Data, Privacy and Security
- 9Vendor, Model and Platform Selection
- 10Implementation and Change Management
- 11Measuring Performance and ROI
- 12Leading AI Transformation
Course content
Module by module.
OrientationHow the AIMP program works (Module 0, free to read) 15 min
How the program works, how to study it well, the toolkit, the capstone, the exam and renewal.
Module 1The AI Management Mandate 75 min, 3 topics, quiz
- Why managing AI is now a leadership discipline
- The AI management operating model
- The AIMP competency map and your first 90 days
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: The AI management role in 2026: what the job now covers · The “agent boss”: what Microsoft’s Work Trend Index asks of managers
Module 2How Modern AI Works, for Managers 80 min, 3 topics, quiz
- Models, context and the shape of a modern AI system
- Grounding, customization and evaluation
- Limits, failure modes and cost drivers
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: What makes an AI agent an agent, and three questions that expose agent washing · The 2026 AI Index in six numbers a manager can use
Module 3AI Strategy and Value 80 min, 3 topics, quiz
- Where AI value comes from
- Building the use-case portfolio
- Build, buy or partner, and the business case
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: The AI value gap is a management problem · The year in one chart: AI use rose to 88 percent, enterprise impact did not · Klarna’s AI assistant: what the reversal actually reversed
Module 4Agentic AI and Automation 80 min, 3 topics, quiz
- What an AI agent is, and is not
- Designing agent workflows with the right level of autonomy
- Governing agents: identity, permissions, oversight and audit
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: Agents got a foundation and a risk list in the same week · A coding agent deleted a production database. The fix is the oldest control in IT. · Singapore’s framework for agentic AI: four commitments worth copying
Module 5Governance Frameworks: NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001 80 min, 3 topics, quiz
- The NIST AI Risk Management Framework
- ISO/IEC 42001 and the AI management system
- Building your governance operating model and AIMO
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: The NIST AI RMF in two pages: how to profile one system · ISO/IEC 42001: build the management system first, certify second · ISO/IEC 42006 and how to choose who certifies your AI management system
Module 6Law and Regulation 90 min, 3 topics, quiz
- The EU AI Act
- The United States: federal posture and state laws
- Sector rules and a compliance operating rhythm
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: The EU AI Act after the Digital Omnibus: what applies now, and what moved · US AI law in 2026: no federal statute, a patchwork of state rules, one compliance standard · The EU rules for general-purpose AI models are in force: what deployers should ask their providers · Executive Order 14365: what it does to state AI laws, and what it cannot do
Module 7Risk, Safety and Responsible AI 80 min, 3 topics, quiz
- Bias, fairness and the duty to explain
- Running an AI risk assessment
- Testing, red teaming, monitoring and incident response
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: Three documented AI failures, and the control that would have stopped each · Rite Aid’s facial recognition ban: the order every AI deployer should read · Fairness testing for AI decisions: start with the four-fifths rule, do not stop there · Mobley v. Workday and the question every buyer of AI hiring tools should ask
Module 8Data, Privacy and Security 80 min, 3 topics, quiz
- Data governance for AI
- Privacy law and AI: GDPR, CCPA and automated decisions
- Securing AI systems: the OWASP Top 10 for LLM and agentic applications
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: EchoLeak and the new security perimeter: the two OWASP lists every AI owner should know · The Samsung leak and the policy that actually stops shadow AI · AI-ready data is a management decision before it is a technical one · Why enterprise AI assistants overshare, and the control that stops it
Module 9Vendor, Model and Platform Selection 75 min, 3 topics, quiz
- Choosing models and platforms
- Evaluating vendors: the scorecard
- Contracts, total cost and exit
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: Due diligence on AI vendors: ten dimensions, and what the Builder.ai collapse teaches · What the DeepSeek bans taught about choosing a model · Five clauses that decide whether an AI contract protects you · Deloitte’s refund and the new standard for AI-assisted deliverables
Module 10Implementation and Change Management 80 min, 3 topics, quiz
- From pilot to production: the implementation roadmap
- Workforce adoption and the agent boss
- Operating AI in production
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: What the controlled studies say about AI at work: novices gain most, and the frontier is jagged · How JPMorgan scaled an internal AI assistant to a bank-wide platform · What Duolingo’s “AI-first” memo teaches about announcing AI change · What workers expect from AI, and what that asks of their managers
Module 11Measuring Performance and ROI 75 min, 3 topics, quiz
- The AI metrics stack
- Evaluation, experiments and quality
- ROI, reporting and the board conversation
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: Why your AI productivity numbers are probably wrong, in both directions · The golden set: the one evaluation every AI purchase needs
Module 12Leading AI Transformation 70 min, 3 topics, quiz
- Culture, trust and communication
- Global perspectives and what comes next
- Your AI leadership plan
Each topic ends with a next-day takeaway and a two-question knowledge check; the third topic ends with a scenario lab. Module quiz: six questions with explained answers, 5 of 6 correct to pass, unlimited retakes.
Further reading: Trust in AI is low. That makes it a management skill. · Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index: the organization, not the individual, decides AI impact
CapstoneYour AI Implementation Plan about 10 hrs, reviewed
An AI Implementation Plan for your own organization, submitted as a document and reviewed by IAIM against the published six-criterion rubric, with written feedback six days after you submit and one resubmission included.
Final examAIMP Final Exam 90 min, required to certify
50 questions drawn at random from a bank of 200 covering all twelve modules; 90 minutes; 80 percent to pass; 3 attempts. Your certificate is issued the moment you pass.
Already enrolled? Open the course.
Learning outcomes
What you will be able to do.
- Stand up AI managementBuild and tier an AI inventory, publish an AI use policy and set up an AI Management Office sized to your organization.
- Understand the technologyExplain how modern AI systems work, where they fail and what they cost, well enough to make and defend decisions.
- Build the portfolio and the caseScore use cases with baselines, capture mechanisms and kill criteria, and write a business case finance will sign.
- Govern AI agentsDesign agent workflows with the right level of autonomy, least privilege, approval gates and audit logs.
- Apply the frameworksUse the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and ISO/IEC 42001, and decide whether and when to certify.
- Meet the lawMap the EU AI Act, US federal and state law, privacy law and sector rules to your systems and run a compliance rhythm.
- Control riskRun risk assessments, fairness testing, red teaming, monitoring and incident response.
- Protect data and systemsGovern data for AI, apply GDPR and the California rules, and recognize the OWASP Top 10 risks for LLM and agentic applications.
- Choose and contractSelect models, platforms and vendors on your own evidence, and negotiate the contract, the total cost and the exit.
- Implement and adoptTake a use case from pilot to production, lead workforce adoption and operate AI with a runbook.
- Measure and prove valueMeasure AI with a four-layer metrics stack, run credible experiments, compute ROI with ranges and brief a board.
- Lead the changeClose the trust gap, communicate honestly about jobs and write a twelve-month AI leadership plan.
The toolkit
Seven documents you will use at work the same week.
Branded, editable and tied to the modules that teach them. They come with the course (also in Module 0), they are yours to keep, and the capstone is written with them.
- AI Use Policy Template: A complete acceptable-use and governance policy to adapt and publish.
- AI Risk Assessment Worksheet: Impacts, controls and a residual-risk decision for any AI system.
- Vendor Evaluation Scorecard: Weighted criteria for models, platforms and vendors, with contract and exit terms.
- AI ROI Calculator Worksheet: Baselines, ranges, full costs and the capture mechanism for every use case.
- AI Implementation Roadmap: Five stages with gates, readiness checklist and runbook outline.
- Prompt and Workflow Library: Working prompts and workflow patterns for management tasks.
- Capstone Template and Rubric: The twelve required sections and the six-criterion scoring rubric.
At your own pace
There is no timer and no deadline. Study in the evenings, on the train or in one focused week. Your progress is saved as you go, and the program is designed to be completed in four to eight weeks.
Proof of work
The capstone is an AI Implementation Plan for your own organization, reviewed against the published six-criterion rubric, with written feedback six days after you submit.
A credential at the end
Pass the final exam and your AIMP certificate is issued at once, with a unique ID and QR code anyone can check on our verification page.
Next step
Ready to start Module 1?
Enroll for $695 and the full program opens in the student portal immediately. No timer, no hidden fees, and financial assistance for those who qualify.
Questions? support@iaim.ai, 9:00am to 5:00pm Pacific, Monday to Friday.