Adobe and LinkedIn Launch Free AI Courses for Marketing Professionals

Adobe and LinkedIn announced a new "AI Essentials for Marketers" program of free courses on LinkedIn Learning. The courses target marketing professionals and cover digital marketing, content and creative work, social and communications, and data and analytics.

Job postings requiring AI literacy have more than doubled year-over-year on LinkedIn, rising 113 percent. Four percent of marketing professionals globally have added AI skills to their profiles.

Thornton, chief marketing officer for enterprise at Adobe, said many marketers recognize the shift but struggle to apply AI in daily work. Jessica Jensen, LinkedIn's chief marketing officer, said the courses will focus on audience segmentation, message testing, campaign building, creative development, and ROI analytics.

Each learning path is designed to be finished in two to three hours. The companies stated the courses are open to any marketing professional at no cost.

A report from Anthropic found that market research analyst and marketing specialist tasks are 65 percent exposed to AI. Some companies have reduced marketing budgets, and LinkedIn and Adobe have each faced pressure related to AI adoption. Adobe's stock is down more than 35 percent year-to-date.

The company announced in March that its long-time CEO would leave after a successor is named, and its CFO announced his departure last week. Thornton said marketers who adapt to change and experiment with new tools will be best positioned. Jensen said professionals should build real examples of AI use rather than only describing the technology.