While more than one in three companies plan to strengthen their IT teams on automation and AI in 2026, training can become a real signal on a CV, provided you choose it carefully.
According to Robert Half France’s 2026 Salary Guide, more than one in three companies plan to strengthen their IT teams for automation and AI projects in 2026. In this context, the issue of online certifications is a hot topic. In the jungle of training offered, it is not always easy to see clearly. On the market there are academic certifications, such as those from Stanford University and MIT. There are also those from cloud providers, such as AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. We are also dealing with more practical exams, such as those from IBM and DeepLearning.AI. And others, which are aimed more at leaders, managers and consultants, like that of Berkeley.
For Louis Motta, IT recruiter at Alliance4U, professional experience on the subject is often more important to consider. But professional certifications can be interesting for professions linked to artificial intelligence, such as developers or chief data officers. This may concern matching for example. Alongside engineering schools which offer courses for example, online certifications are also commonplace in the developer CVs received by Louis Motta. “I see a lot of it among developers. It’s growing among young people too.”
A market for all tastes
But which online AI certifications are most valuable to recruiters? In fact, for Louis Motta, the Coursera platform is the most complete. “It offers a structured course, which we find with several types of training,” defends Louis Motta. “The “big names”, like Google, IBM or Stanford, provide a guarantee of quality. Then, it allows you to start from zero and go to an advanced level.” The site is appreciated for its courses structured in small units. It involves multimedia elements, experts and practical scenarios. The average price varies from free to 99 euros per individual certification.
For example, it offers the Machine Learning specialization from Stanford University and DeepLearning.AI. This is the “classic” from Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearning.AI, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stanford. It is available on Coursera under the name “Machine Learning Specialization.”
Coursera also provides exam preparation courses that are popular with recruiters. There we find the title of Professional Machine Learning Engineer from Google Cloud. It is a reference to attest to expertise in putting models into production. The AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty for its part is particularly popular for technical profiles, as is the new AWS Certified AI Practitioner for the basics.
DeepLearning.AI and DataCamp: the choice of practice
Louis Motta also highlights two platforms particularly geared towards practice: DeepLearning.AI and DataCamp. “When speaking with developers and “techies”, those who use AI on a daily basis, we often talk about these.” DeepLearning.AI offers professional certificates hosted on the Coursera platform. According to him, they are ideal for prompt engineering techniques or the creation of AI agents. “The sessions are short, more oriented towards practice than OpenClassrooms for example,” breathes Louis Motta. DataCamp generally offers professional certification limited to 2 years. Its mission is to democratize access to skills in data science and AI. It offers a free plan and charges 14 euros per month, billed annually, for access to around 700 courses.
Master the basics of AI step by step
But, before possibly starting one of these training courses, Louis Motta believes that it is important to learn the fundamentals of AI. Namely: how to make a good prompt, frame the need well, actually be a project manager for your needs. For this, no certification is required. Curiosity counts. Just go see articles or videos on YouTube.
“Afterwards, secondly, if we are in the AI profession or if we want, for example, to create AI agents, certification can be interesting,” says Louis Motta. “If we really want to create AI agents with connections, then, yes, there are certifications to go further.” It also sounds the alarm on training deemed too expensive. “I think there are a lot of certifiers who are taking advantage of this to make money and increase their turnover,” without further details. And he believes that some certifications are not secure enough to prevent cheating.
Ultimately, pursuing a certification aligned with your career aspirations and market needs, keeping in mind that hands-on experience and continued learning can be worth the effort. According to the PwC 2025 Barometer, globally, workers with AI skills enjoy an average wage premium of 56%. This figure more than doubled compared to the previous year. In France, this bonus is estimated at around +21% for roles exposed to AI.
