More than 500 professionals came through the programs I founded and taught

We had a shrinking comms team in light of the nation-wide squeeze on the industry but our workload was not shrinking. We wanted to see what tools might be available to help us tackle some of the more mundane or routine projects that took up our time. This course allowed us to unlock new tools to help track, monitor, and start the thinking process for strategic outputs. Small things that are important on communications like formatting, and spelling and adhering to internal style guides are now addressed in seconds rather than hours. We really were able to learn how to reinforce a strong human team, with some generated thinking to push things forward!

In the white‑knuckle ride that is AI, Peter and Kris locked us into a thoroughly entertaining and educational journey. We dove into market leading generative AI tools and emerging technologies, gaining not just a clear sense of what’s possible, but making those possibilities real ourselves. Eye opening, enlightening, and genuinely enjoyable.

Whether you're just beginning or a regular user of AI, this course is perfect for the comms professional looking to bolster your knowledge and use of AI in your career. Highly recommend!

Journalists don't need AI to do their writing; but they can use AI tools to deepen their research, reveal thoughtful angles, and find valuable stories in complex data. The AI Upgrade for Journalists course introduces the best of these tools, and teaches the best ways to embed them into the reporting process.

It was an absolute pleasure to partake in the AI Fundamentals Course and receive AI Coaching, both expertly crafted and delivered by Peter. The course was comprehensive, insightful, and incredibly well-structured, making complex concepts accessible and engaging. I even managed to build a new GPT that I am now using daily for work!

Top-class course exploring the intersection of AI, media, and journalism. Peter, Pete, and Kris were outstanding coaches who guided the team through a deep dive into the world of AI and fresh conceptual thinking. I came in as a fairly advanced AI user, but the course gave me a far broader grounding in new tools and approaches. I successfully developed an AI-driven audience analysis dashboard and a video provenance authenticator. The course exceeded all expectations — I’d thoroughly recommend it.

AI can seem overwhelming and even tedious but with this course I found it to be not only manageable but useful, and even fun. I signed up for the course to build my confidence with AI, to experiment with people who can give real guidance and to turn some of my ideas into reality. Over the course of the 6 weeks I found fellow students who had a lot of same doubts and questions and as a group we were able to resolve. I now know so much more about what AI can do (and not do) and what AI tools are best for which tasks. I walked away knowing that no one knows everything and your greatest strength lies in testing, trying and enjoying the process in pursuit of the outcomes you want.

Before the course, I had tinkered with MS Copilot for research and Napkin AI to convert text into visuals, but the process felt unfocused and mostly guesswork. I didn’t know how to use AI in ways to support journalism without compromising ethics, accuracy or editorial voice. Now I have a structured approach. I can use AI to streamline sourcing, produce citation-rich briefings, and build interactive story dashboards, while maintaining editorial control. I’ve even built a custom GPT for headline optimization. The tools no longer feel vague or overwhelming. From Week 1 to Week 6, everything shifted. I went from experimenting to integrating AI into workflows. The course came at a pivotal moment in my career, giving me the AI literacy and confidence to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: AI Upgrade for Creative Professionals from The AI Upgrade! This course was SO incredibly informative and really built my confidence to be able to create my own AI assistants and agents. I have so many ideas now for how to incorporate AI into my workflow and life. I also appreciated that they made room to discuss the ethical and environmental implications for generative AI use, and there is much to consider in that regard too. Highly recommend this course - there will be future cohorts!

Before the course, I was only using AI to make my work faster. I saw it as a tool for writing and summarizing news, but I didn’t really know how to use it in creative ways. From week one to week six, everything changed. I learned how to use AI to actually build something useful for journalism. Each session helped me understand how to move from simple prompts to creating full projects that tell stories in new ways. By the end of the program, I created a Daily Scanner/Radio, a tool that uses AI to write and read short daily news updates. I built it with NotebookLM and Lovable.dev, turning news summaries into both text and audio for readers. What changed for me is how I see AI now. It is no longer just a shortcut for writing. It’s a real partner that can help journalists make the news more engaging, accessible, and modern.

Before the course, I was experimenting with AI tools but without a clear structure. Over the six weeks, that shifted. I moved from simply using AI to designing systems around it. For my capstone, I built a personal AI assistant to support my daily work. The coaching sessions and capstone milestones kept me focused and helped turn scattered ideas into a working tool.

I loved this course and recommend it to any PR/Comms pro who wants more hands-on experience with the various AI tools and technologies available today. I've found that most classes and courses are either too basic and generic, too lecture-based, or just simply not applicable to our day-to-day jobs. This course stands out because it forces you to actually experiment and play with the tools, AND you are surrounded by other Communications practitioners trying to solve the same problems as you.

I attended the inaugural AUTM “The Future of Tech Transfer: Leveraging AI.” D’vorah and Peter did a wonderful job of sharing their knowledge and passion for AI. You could tell the amount of time they put into the preparation. D’vorah was available for lots of questions. It was just what was needed to get me started on the Tech Transfer AI journey.

I wholeheartedly recommend Peter as an outstanding educator and expert in the realm of LLMs (Large Language Models). His depth of knowledge spans content and image creation, while also delving into crucial topics such as privacy concerns, ethical considerations, and potential copyright implications associated with these emerging technologies. I believe anyone involved in crafting communication stands to gain immensely from his instruction.

This class didn’t just teach me how to use AI — it reshaped my perspective on what AI is and what it can do, changing how I work and sparking curiosity and creativity across my life. Huge thanks to Peter and Kris for their energy, generosity, and expertise.

This class didn’t just teach me how to use AI—it completely reshaped my perspective on what AI is and what it can do. It changed the way I approach my work and sparked my curiosity and creativity across so many areas of my life. I can’t thank Peter and Kris enough for their energy, generosity, and exceptional expertise.

This course was an inspiring and practical deep dive into the future of creativity and the workplace. Peter and Kris brought a thoughtful blend of expertise, experimentation, and encouragement that made AI feel both accessible and exciting. I left with a sharper understanding of how to integrate AI into my work in communications and storytelling, along with a renewed sense of creative possibility. The capstone project was a true highlight, bringing everything together into something tangible and forward-looking. I highly recommend this course to any creative professional looking to stay ahead of the curve.

Peter and Kris are just founts of information and ideas! I knew nothing about using AI before starting the class and now I am very comfortable using it for writing and planning projects. I highly recommend this course for all levels of prospective students.

This was a very mind-blowing and eye-opening experience! Thank you for this fantastic overview of the possibilities and ethics of AI. I hope I have a solid foundation I can build upon and explore more opportunities how AIU can help me with my professional and personal life!

This class provided great overviews and use-cases for various tools that can help with sales. The instructors do a great job of showing real world examples of GPTs and other tools to help streamline the sales process—from discovery through close. For someone like me who did not use AI tools regularly, I was able to identify a few solutions that will help make our small team more efficient while also leveraging actionable information to drive better results.

I usually find sales courses impractical, but this one was a standout. It delivered actionable strategies I could implement solo, with AI doing the heavy lifting.

I started the AI Upgrade course with limited experience and left feeling confident and creatively empowered. The sessions were thoughtfully designed and easy to engage with, making the learning process enjoyable. I especially loved exploring image generation and gaining insights from a diverse, multidisciplinary cohort.

Before attending the AI Upgrade course, I thought I knew a lot about AI and tech, but I had barely scratched the surface. The course not only helped me to better understand the potential for AI, but how I could use it in my day to day work and multiply my productivity.

The AI Upgrade course has truly broadened my perspective on integrating AI in the workplace, equipping me with practical tools to enhance efficiency. These skills will help me streamline processes and identify opportunities to achieve more effective outcomes in my role.

It was a fun and very informative course. I was introduced to many super helpful AI tools that I will be using throughout my career. The instructors were engaging and willing to help. Thank you!

As a PR rep with more than 15 years of experience and a super busy schedule, I have to be very selective about any course professional development course that I take. I followed Media Copilot and researched the course ahead of signing up, and I'm so glad I did. Media Copilot’s AI for PR and Communicators certification earned an easy 5 stars from me. The vibe coding framework permanently changed the way I approach brainstorming, content development and reporting. I also made meaningful connections with colleagues in the course, who opened my eyes to all kinds of new possibilities. The coaching element was especially productive and helpful, allowing me to workshop real client scenarios in a thoughtful, supportive setting. If you are a communicator who is interested in truly leveraging AI as a permanent staple and thought partner in your work, this course is a great choice for you. Also, I used the brand voice guide and personal agent I created in this course to write this review. Thanks, Peter, Pete and KK!

Came into this course having done nothing more than simple ChatGPT prompts. Came out with a functional chain of custom GPT's and AI agents on other platforms to complete sales tasks ranging from discovering leads, proposal generators, report generators, and lead categorization. This course has done a fantastic job at teaching me how to use AI in a very approachable way.

Before this course, I was only using one tool and in a very elementary way, i.e. ask a question, get an answer. Now, I have an understanding of a range of tools and their applications to my work and see so many ways it can take work off my plate. Not the thinking and strategic work - that's still mine. But the labor-intensive information gathering and organizing.

This course has kindled a desire to learn more and use AI more. It was such an eye opener that I could use AI for more than finding the best prepared scallops in Vancouver or answering technical questions for work. As the course progressed I started to understand that I could create specific tools to assist my efforts and work and home and not just use generic apps. Eventually, I realized as i was working on my GPT, that I was essentially programming, with no knowledge of how to program. The last programming course I took was in grade 11 using an Apple IIe and DOS. The AI guided me through steps and set up and when there was issues, it provided solutions and gave me instructions on what and how to do it. learning that the base of each app one wants to make was simply great concise instructions and subject data was an eye opener. This was probably the biggest motivator to me at that point. Understanding, that even though I was just learning this, I could create tools that would stream line work, was exciting. I can now show my team some basic uses of AI that would be able to help from technical answers, to creating a whole marketing Linkedin campaign. Great Course

Before taking this course, I had only used AI tools to edit texts for my small business’s social media posts — mostly for polishing captions and improving clarity. I didn’t realize how much more potential these tools had to help me grow my business and bring long-time ideas to life. Through the course, I learned practical ways to integrate AI into creative and strategic tasks. It opened my eyes to how I can use AI not just for small edits, but for developing full-scale projects — like creating brand books, designing websites, and producing social media assets. I’ve had several business ideas sitting on the back burner for years because I didn’t have the time or resources to make them a reality. Now, I feel empowered and equipped to finally bring those ideas to life with the help of AI. This course has been a game-changer for me, and I’m excited to keep exploring what’s possible.

This was a great experience -- having a framework of weekly meetings and topics to discuss was helpful. I put my team on 2 different tracks and we collaborated to create a capstone that was beyond my expectations. The AI Upgrade folks not only share wisdom and current information on AI but can be used to facilitate a hackathon mindset to motivate you and your staff to try and build something new and adventurous. Beyond learning AI skills, there is a creativity and innovation element to this experience I highly recommend.

The AI Upgrade for Creative Professionals was exactly what I needed. Over six weeks, I rediscovered the joy of learning in community, with real people, real feedback, and real momentum. Kris Krüg and Peter Bittner created a space that was equal parts playground and pressure cooker: safe enough to experiment, bold enough to push us forward. What changed for me? For one, I started seeing AI as a creative partner. Two, I met brilliant minds who challenged my thinking and generously shared their own. And most importantly, I dusted off a business idea I’d shelved since 2019, and now, it’s on track to become a viable startup. This wasn’t just a course. It was a catalyst. If you’re a creative professional wondering how to stay relevant, future-proof your toolkit, or just get unstuck, this is your sign. Join the next cohort. You’ll walk away with more than skills. You’ll walk away with clarity, confidence, and community. Thank you, Peter and Kris, for the upgrade. I’m better for it.

I've moved from the stone age to the digital age in my use of AI tools.

It's a good course focused on solving real business problems in sales development rather than going over technical tools. I do not trust AI. But this course equips me with means to reduce risk of using AI, and it pushes my boundary to think about problems in sales in a different way and learn how to use new tools to solve those problems.

Before the course, I used AI mostly for quick ideas or automation, but not strategically. The course opened my mind to using AI as a true collaborator, especially as a developer dealing with design challenges. Now I see AI as a creative partner that helps me explore, prototype, and refine ideas faster and more effectively.

I started the course with limited AI experience. The class was straightforward, organized, and provided invaluable insight, useful materials, and open access to professors — highly recommended for PR pros.

If you’re a journalist wanting to harness AI without losing credibility, tone, or voice, I highly recommend this class. You’ll use the latest tools with guidance from three top AI teachers and practitioners.

If you are a journalist who wants to harness AI tools and workflows without sacrificing credibility, tone and voice, I highly recommend this class. You will get your hands on the latest tools, with instruction from three of the best AI teachers and practitioners in the business.

Wow, what an eye-opening experience! This AI for Sales Leaders course truly hammered home that AI is not just 'here to stay,' it's already a fundamental part of our future. Learning how to harness its power is absolutely essential for anyone in a leadership role. The sessions on creating custom GPTs and Gems were incredibly useful and immediately actionable. Kris, Peter, and Shane are clearly at the cutting edge of AI, and their leadership in the field combined with their deep sales expertise makes for an incredibly powerful learning environment. This course provided truly actionable insights, demonstrating how to manipulate and customize AI to create efficient workflows, generate valuable insights, and ultimately build the foundation of an 'AI-first' mindset. It's a must for all leaders looking to become AI-native users and stay ahead of the curve.

Peter and Kris are the dynamic duo that everyone dreams about collaborating with. They are incredibly thoughtful, engaging and make all the students feel comfortable with participating in class discussions. My background is in web development, and they provided tools for me to create websites in 20 minutes that used to take years to produce. My mind has been blown away at what I’ve been able to takeaway from this course and it’s empowered me to go full-time as my own boss for my own company. These guys care more about what students learn and the direct applicability of what’s being covered. I’ve been able to use these tools for both personal and professional projects, and I’m so appreciative of what I’ve learned from taking this course.

This course was a game-changer for me. I learned how to use multiple AI tools for content creation, PR, and marketing in a thoughtful, ethical, and practical way. The level of instruction is outstanding, with three experts on the cutting edge of AI who understand how to translate that knowledge in an accessible and transparent way. Based on what I learned in each session, I dramatically changed my workflow and strategies. In addition to the group classes, where you get valuable lessons from peers, you get two one-on-one coaching sessions to dive deeper into areas of interest and answer questions. If you are a busy professional who feels left behind by AI because you don't have time to understand it, this class is for you.

Like most of us, I walked into this course having "played around with ChatGPT." I left knowing how to think differently about my work, profession, how I can lean into AI to better help my clients. The use of tools is important; but what Peter, Kris and Pete truly taught us was how to lean into AI for business solutions. Awesome course!

I went into the course with very limited experience using AI tools. Knowing how quickly the world of AI is evolving, I wanted a crash course on the most recent trends and tools and how PR professionals are using them. This class provided invaluable and creative insight into different AI tools and use cases as well as how to get the most out of them. As someone with a lot of client work on their plate, I appreciated how straightforward and organized the class was, the library of materials we were provided, as well as the open access to the professors. I highly recommend this course for PR professionals!

The AI Upgrade helped open my eyes (and ears) to the wider world of AI, beyond just ChatGPT, and some of the ways in which it can make things faster and more efficient for me and my team at Grand Communications, ultimately benefitting our clients. The three coaches each brought a different skill set, perspective, and vibe to the mix helping to demystify the technology and various platforms and their best uses in the "real world."

Before I would mainly just use AI as a generic search engine and I only really used chatgpt. Through the course I learned that choosing the right AI for the task makes a big difference, and that refining outputs through system prompts and knowledge bases are helpful!

I had only a basic level of experience of AI before I started with Peter and Kris. This course opened my eyes to the power tool that generative AI has become. There is no going back now and with their help I was able to understand how to have AI work for me with lead generation, prospect gap analysis, discovery cheat sheets (shout out Shane!). With these new skills I'll be able to streamline my sales funnel with an agentic lens. I wouldn't just recommend this course but insist that you're behind in the world of sales if you don't take it.

This course was so helpful as both an introduction to the various AI models and a practical exploration of their capabilities. The instructors are knowledgeable, personable and available and the support and materials are abundant and robust. I learned so much in just six weeks that I know I'll return to time and time again.

As someone who is new to AI but eager to learn how to integrate it into my communications practices, I found this course to be an incredibly helpful primer for navigating AI in a rapidly shifting communications landscape. Well worth the professional dev budget!

I was a complete AI luddite before taking the course and had barely even used ChatGPT to help me find a restaurant. After six weeks I had a new vocabulary to use when talking about AI, a list of tools to play around with, and a better understanding of how AI is reshaping how we live and work. The class helped me make a personal website using "vibe coding" and I now frequently turn to AI to help me brainstorm and do research in ways I never did before.

I found this course extremely useful for its practical, hands-on guidance on how to prepare foundational documents that help AI platforms understand what you are trying to accomplish. I had already worked with generative image tools and LLMs in creative contexts, but I had not yet spent enough time thinking through how to structure materials for productivity and personalization-focused uses. Kris and Peter offer grounded, tactical approaches that make these processes much more legible. They help clarify the underlying mental shifts needed to work effectively with AI, particularly when building an “external brain” or assistant to support different aspects of one’s work. While the exercises and feedback are highly applied, the real strength of the course lies in how it changes your understanding of what productive collaboration with AI can look like.

Taking the AI Upgrade for Creative Professionals was truly transformative. I came in with only a basic understanding of AI — and left feeling like an AI-empowered creator. Kris and Peter built such a safe, warm, and experimental space where curiosity and creativity could flourish. I looked forward to each week as I layered on new skills — from prompt craft to visual storytelling — but what stood out most was the human-centered approach. This course didn’t just teach me tools; it re-framed how I think about my personal creativity and future self. My capstone combined pollinator education and AI storytelling in a way that finally felt like me. AI Upgrade reminded me that technology can deepen connection, not replace it. I can’t recommend AI for Creatives enough! Kris and Peter’s class is for anyone ready to evolve their creative practice and expand their AI skills.”

What Changed for Me Before the Course: Throwing Resumes Into the Void I was applying to tons of jobs and getting nowhere. I'd send out application after application, spending hours customizing each resume, and hear nothing back. My callback rate was basically zero. I knew my resume wasn't telling the right story. I had solid experience—operations at State Street, customer support at a fintech startup, marketing at Prodigi—but I couldn't figure out how to connect those dots for the roles I actually wanted. The gaps weren't being filled in my resume. I felt like I was spending so much time on revisions and not getting the real results I needed. So I'd turn to ChatGPT and ask it to "review my resume" or "make this better." And it would give me... generic advice. It was helpful, but it wasn't giving back what I needed. It was just giving me help on my already-updated bullet points, not asking in-depth questions or providing real answers. It would suggest tweaks to bullet points I'd already rewritten five times. It wasn't digging deeper. It wasn't helping me see what I was missing. I didn't realize it at the time, but the problem wasn't the AI. The problem was that AI had no idea who I actually was. To a certain degree, I just didn't know the power it truly held or how much it could really help me. Week 1: The Documentation Breakthrough The first major shift happened in Week 1 when I learned that it's not just about the prompt—it's about what you feed the AI. I had been treating ChatGPT like a magic wand. Just paste my resume, ask for help, hope for the best. But the course showed me that AI needs context. It needs documentation. It needs to understand your full story, not just a bulleted list of job titles. I realized that transcriptions and the more information the AI has, the better the result. I didn't realize it's not only the prompt itself, but also what documentation you're feeding it. From the start of the first week, I didn't even know the power of the documentation and the importance of that. But now I fully understand. So I tried something different: I started talking. Here's the thing about me—my brain doesn't work effectively with writing, but I can talk and voice myself. I'm not a strong writer. I struggle to put my thoughts on paper in a way that feels right. But when I talk? I can explain exactly what I did, why I did it, and what I learned. So I self-interviewed myself. I asked myself the questions I'd get in a real interview: "Walk me through your role at State Street—what did you actually do every day?" "Tell me about a time you solved a problem at Ustocktrade." "What made your work at Prodigi different from what anyone else was doing?" I recorded my answers. I transcribed them. And suddenly, I had documentation that actually captured who I was—not just what I'd done, but how I thought, how I worked, and what I cared about. Then I fed all of that to ChatGPT. The "Holy Shit" Moment The first time I gave ChatGPT my full documentation and asked it to help with my resume, everything changed. My holy shit moment was when it actually was able to take questions that I had and answer them effectively in the tone of voice that I wanted it to. It wasn't giving me surface-level edits anymore. It was drawing parallels between the jobs I wanted to apply to and what I actually did—parallels I hadn't even seen myself. It could take my customer support experience at Ustocktrade and connect it to "product training and enablement" for a Product Specialist role. It could take my process automation work at State Street and frame it as "scalable systems thinking" for ops roles. It could take my manager training at Prodigi and position it as "cross-functional collaboration and knowledge transfer." It gave me viewpoints I didn't even think were possible on how to angle certain resume bullet points. And I even self-interviewed myself so that way I could get the most effective answers. And I think that was the bottom line where I saw the answers change drastically and give me viewpoints on how to angle certain resume bullet points and all that. That was really, really awesome. And here's the kicker: It was doing all of this in my tone of voice. Because I'd given it my actual words—how I naturally explain things—it could write bullet points that sounded like me, not like a generic resume template. I think the more documentation you have on yourself, the more it's able to learn. And that's the bottom line I found: the more input, the better the output. That was really the best aha moment. What's Different Now Before: I'd spend hours rewriting each resume from scratch, trying to figure out how to position my experience for different roles. I'd second-guess every bullet point. I'd send it out and pray. Now: I have a system. I have documentation that captures my full story. When I see a job posting, I can feed ChatGPT the job description, reference my documentation, and it helps me draw connections I might miss. It shows me how to angle my experience in a way that makes sense for that specific role. I did feel way more confident when I did send these out because it was so much more effective in targeting what I needed to. A thing I struggled with was truly understanding how I can convey myself in the most effective way. And I never was super great at writing. So that was the bottom line for me on what really helped—I could really show off my best characteristics and really project it onto the document. And that was the biggest thing. My brain does not work effectively with writing, but I can talk and voice myself, and I was able to take those voice transcriptions and turn it into something special. And I really love that. But here's the bigger thing: I learned how to articulate my own value. Going through the process of self-interviewing, documenting my experience, and then seeing how AI could reframe it—that taught me how to see myself differently. I stopped thinking "I'm just an operations guy trying to break into something else" and started thinking "I have a unique combination of skills that makes me valuable for X, Y, and Z roles." That's not just a better resume. That's a better understanding of who I am professionally. The Process That Works Here's what I actually do now: I talk. I record myself explaining my work, my projects, my wins, the messy parts. I use voice memos or just talk directly to ChatGPT. I transcribe. I turn those recordings into documentation—stories, examples, context about what I did and why it mattered. I feed it to AI. Now ChatGPT understands me. It has my full context. It knows my tone of voice. The Real Takeaway I stopped trying to write my resume and started talking it into existence. For someone like me—who thinks better out loud than on paper—this was the unlock. I wasn't fighting my brain anymore. I was working with it. And the bigger lesson? AI is only as good as the context you give it. If you treat it like a magic wand, it'll give you magic wand results—generic, surface-level, forgettable. But if you feed it your full story, your real voice, and your actual experience? It becomes a tool that helps you see yourself more clearly and articulate your value in ways you didn't think were possible. That's what changed for me. Not just my resume. My entire approach to understanding and communicating what I bring to the table. The more documentation you have, the more information the AI has, the better the result. And that was something I truly didn't utilize before this AI course—I didn't understand the potential it has until I learned that it's not only the prompt itself, but what documentation you're feeding it.

This 6-week AI course was a game-changer — it leveled up my podcast, startups, and even let me co-host an AI event. It completely changed how I approach content, marketing, and business strategy.

Take this course! It helped me get out of the ‘AI is scary’ quicksand. I learned practical tools for media monitoring. I highly recommend it.

I’m a journalist and lecturer, and this course was highly relevant as AI has become essential for writers. It goes beyond simple prompts, focusing on real-life examples, why things work, and how to adapt in a fast-changing field — a valuable guide to “learning how to learn” better AI solutions.

Fantastic course with great pacing and a perfect mix of instructors — one taught while the others engaged in chat. Well organized, packed with resources, and helped me build a Custom GPT for JournalistsToolbox.ai and discover new ways to use Notebook LM.

Take this course! It helped me get out of the ‘AI is scary’ quicksand and actually start using it in my work—not just talking about how I should. I learned practical tools for media monitoring, sentiment analysis, content development, research, and more. If you're in PR or comms and want to use AI to be more strategic, efficient, and productive, I highly recommend it.

Taking this 6 week AI course was a game-changer for me. Everything I learned has helped me so much with my podcast and my startups, it gained me enough AI knowledge to co-host an AI event! I never realized how much AI could do beyond just automation, it’s completely changed the way I approach content creation, marketing, and business strategy.

I'm a journalist and lecturer at a small university, where I teach non-creative writing workshops. This course is highly relevant—AI has become an essential skill for writers. It was very positive. The course focuses on real-life examples and techniques, but it's not as simple as "use this prompt" or "try this function". In a field that changes quickly, it's important to understand why things work the way they do and to learn how to adapt. Thank you again for the insightful course, which helped me very much in 'learning how to learn' better AI solutions.

Fantastic course. Good pacing and perfect mix of instructors. Each took their turn while the other two engaged with us in the chat window. Very well organized and resources galore! Helpful in many ways. I link to many of their tools off JournalistsToolbox.ai. They taught me how to build a Custom GPT for the site, too. I'm going to incorporate that into my undergrad AI Journalism class at UIC in the fall. Also showed me some new things to do with Notebook LM, which I had been using for a while, but not to its full potential

When I came into the course I had a very narrow view of what AI would mean to me, I am leaving working in a whole new world. For my career I have been running a rev-ops team of 2 and sometimes only myself. This meant being the soul bread winner for strapped agencies that refused to believe that you need to spend money (and time) to make money. My days/weeks were full handling the full sales and project cycles of both clients and partners. From lesson one of this incredible program, I learned there is a better way (and that I wouldn't instantly be replaced by robots). I could create an AI sales and marketing team that would take away the time consuming components of my role, letting me focus on the most important part—the customer. This information being conveyed by respected people in the industry, not just some basement CEO trying to get you to sign up for a AI prompt created over the weekend—this team wants you to succeed through learning and doing. I can't recommend this course enough.

I didn't know anything about AI prior to this course, and now I'm familiar with the latest emerging tools. Peter and Kris were super knowledgeable and generous with their time.

The course was an eye-opener in terms of integrating AI into my work. As a UX and web designer, my work requires a deep understanding of human interaction and user needs, and I initially struggled to see how AI could fit into that process. This course helped me recognize that AI isn’t just a technical tool—it’s a powerful asset in creative industries that can enhance, rather than replace, human-centered design. I learned how AI can be leveraged to streamline workflows, generate ideas, and improve user experiences, ultimately making my work more efficient and impactful. I really enjoyed the AI Upgrade for Creative Pros course. It was incredibly in-depth and forward-thinking, offering fresh perspectives on creativity in the AI era. Peter and Kris fostered an encouraging environment, pushing students to explore new ideas and embrace innovative ways of being creative. Their enthusiasm and support made the learning experience both engaging and inspiring. Peter and Kris were extremely knowledgable about the course material. They obviously spend a large amount of time learning and keeping up with trends themselves. They are on the very cutting edge of what's possible with this tool. The 1:1 consulting aspect of the course had a profound impact on my career direction, providing clarity and strategic insights that I hadn’t fully considered before. It was an invaluable opportunity to tailor the program to my specific goals, making the learning experience even more relevant and actionable. Having dedicated time to discuss my unique challenges and aspirations helped me refine my approach to integrating AI into my work, giving me a clearer vision for the future and a stronger sense of direction in my career.

I found the course very relevant and up-to-date with all the main tools, techniques and trends. I was particularly interested in the creative use of AI as Kris has a lot of depth and practical experience where as Peter drove the pace and rigor of the course and kept us all moving forward. The banter between the two and constant updating of their shared knowledge was refreshing!

This was enlightening and educational. Just what I needed to get ramped up to understanding and working with AI. Cool cohort experience! It was amazing to see how other people were using AI in their work, ways that I wouldn't even think about and it was really educational to see how AI has been able to contribute to each unique person's needs.

This course was great! I learned a LOT! It was well organized: I like how each week covered a different aspect of AI tools or issues. Good class size and awesome cohort. Liked having two instructors, especially since Kris and Peter have different styles and areas of mastery - this was a great choice!

Expert. Unique. Highly informed. Good Communicators. Kris and Peter were the perfect ying-yang teaching team. Their combined expertise was able to give 360 insights to the possibilities of AI driven workflow and creativity. Full of ideas, but also, they get right down in the weeds and figure things out. The 1:1 consulting was a safe place to ask beginner questions. But more importantly it was a time to focus on personal direction for the Capstone project.

I should have joined this course long ago! It has given me an overview of what is possible, what is coming and what it means to us all. Most importantly, it galvanized me to catch up!

Great course: fast learning, organized and collaborative! Cohort was fantastic and a huge plus. Kris and Peter were super knowledgeable and knew the space inside the bot and out. Or GPT. They are not just in the curve but ahead of it, and how they pivot from each AI and its SWOT is impressive. You learn a lot, fast, and how to make it work for and with you and your system.

The Upgrade's AI Course for Marketers and Communicators helped boost my experience, knowledge and understanding of how AI technologies and tools will impact the marketing and communications profession. Not only do you receive a primer on the basics of AI tools and hands-on instruction, but the course also dives into the ethics and implications these tools could have on the media, advertising and online content industry. Peter's deep knowledge and approachable style make it easy to learn.

Peter's course on AI Fundamentals was eye opening! It was a privilege to be a part of the the first cohort of students and attend his lectures for six weeks. Peter brings not only in depth knowledge of the industry, but immense passion for each topic and for his students. Through some 1on1 coaching sessions, he was able to help me optimize some workflows that I now use almost every day! I can't thank Peter enough for the opportunity and would recommend his class to anyone interested in AI.

Peter is incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to AI. As a small business owner, I do a lot of time-consuming writing. Peter expanded my understanding of the power of ChatGPT and helped me streamline my workflow in ways that will save me so much time. I'd highly recommend Peter's consulting services.

I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: AI for PR & Media Professionals from The AI Upgrade! I can't say enough good things about the course leaders, Pete Pachal, Peter Bittner, & Kris Krüg. True AI luminaries and phenomenal mentors. The past six weeks were so inspiring! I also treasure the camaraderie with other PR professionals who were part of the training cohort.

I've completed an advanced AI for Media and PR Professionals course with three tech whizzes Pete Pachal Peter Bittner Kris Krüg. This six-week course took my AI skills to the next level, and I'm excited to share these in future AI workshops. Among many things, I can now simulate a journalist interview for media training purposes by creating a custom GPT, do super speedy media monitoring, create vetted influencer databases, turn articles into engaging infographics, podcasts, all sorts...! It was also great to meet talented media professionals from around the world to share and create new skills. Thank you!

✅ New certification unlocked: AI for PR & Media Professionals from The AI Upgrade! Huge thank you to Peter Bittner, Pete Pachal, and Kris Krüg for their work developing and teaching this course. Very excited for what's ahead and would highly recommend it for anyone working in PR & Comms. It was a game-changer.

You might notice a little addition to my Linkedin profile today. I am thrilled to say I buckled down and got my AI for Media and PR Professionals Credential. This 6-week intensive University-level AI course is led by a trifecta of tech whizzes in 3 different cities who made the course work both challenging and enjoyable. In my cohort were top comms executives from companies such as Walmart and PayPal--a real power-house of a new network. Among other things, I can now comfortably use a new arsenal of AI tools to: 1. Create a custom GPT of a real journalist and simulate an Interview for a client as media training, with customized talking points and feedback on any topic and in any tone. 2. Do lightning-speed media monitoring 24-7. 3. Create cited White Papers with custom infographics on any topic in any format quickly and professionally. 4. Create vetted influencer databases for any client anywhere. 5. Turn an article I have written into a highly-engaging podcast in minutes. I highly recommend this adventure in up-skilling led by Kris Krüg, Peter Bittner and Pete Pachal. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/djcTWWS9

I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: AI for PR & Media Professionals from The AI Upgrade! Thanks for all the great info Pete Pachal Peter Bittner Kris Krüg

I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: AI Upgrade for Creative Professionals from The Upgrade! I would highly recommend this course for any creative person who might be intimidated by AI. Peter Bittner and Kris Krüg have created an excellent, practical curriculum that will blow your mind.

I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: AI Upgrade for Creative Professionals from The Upgrade! During my 6-week course with Peter and Kris, I feel that I've gained solid insight on a wide variety of touch points to what is a complex topic. I'm feeling inspired to use my learnings to guide our in-house creatives and vendors. AI isn't going away–and like computer programs vs handset typography, we need to work towards learning new technology with eyes open. This year, I will be working to integrate innovative tools thoughtfully—balancing creativity with responsible ethics, and working with leadership teams on how to do the same.