Generative AI Playbook: Tools, Real-World Applications, and Governance

Generative AI Playbook: Tools, Real-World Applications, and Governance is a six-week online program from MIT xPRO designed for professionals who need disciplined, real-world judgment in generative artificial intelligence (gen AI). These technologies, AI and gen AI, are reshaping how organizations create value, enhancing productivity, influencing customer experiences, and redefining operational efficiency across industries. As a result, leaders are increasingly expected to evaluate their potential despite limited visibility into how these systems actually operate. This program builds the clarity required to assess how gen AI functions in practice, where its limits lie, and how responsible deployment should be governed.

The curriculum explores the foundations of generative models, machine learning (ML), and reinforcement learning, applying these concepts to real-world industry contexts. You will examine how large language models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and emerging AI agents, and agent-like workflows can influence modern AI workflows while addressing ethical considerations, AI governance, and responsible AI principles, and long-term societal impact. Through applied case analysis and structured frameworks, you will develop the fluency to evaluate applications of generative AI, engage credibly with technical teams, and design informed, responsible solutions for an evolving landscape.

By the end of the program, you will be able to: 

• Navigate the gen AI landscape and distinguish between generative models, machine learning (ML), and reinforcement learning 

• Apply image and text generative models to real-world business challenges

• Leverage natural language processing (NLP) techniques to extract insights and solve practical problems

• Assess ethical risk, bias, and governance issues in AI systems with confidence

• Identify AI opportunities in areas such as fraud detection or predictive maintenance and develop practical solutions

• Design and present a responsible gen AI solution tailored to a real challenge in your domain

The program is for professionals who want to make the most of gen AI to enhance their impact and effectiveness. As expectations rise for using gen AI at work, many are asked to integrate this technology into decisions and workflows without fully understanding how it functions or where it creates real value. This program equips you with the knowledge to apply gen AI confidently and responsibly in your role. 

A few examples of who could benefit include: 

• Professionals who are being asked to leverage gen AI in their roles and want greater confidence in using it effectively, understanding where it adds value, and applying it responsibly

• Executives and leaders who want to engage with gen AI thoughtfully and confidently, even if their technical knowledge is limited, and who are responsible for evaluating, influencing, or guiding its use in practice

• Consultants and professionals shaping product, operations, strategy, marketing, analytics, or transformation initiatives who want a real-world perspective on applying gen AI effectively

Session 1: LLMs, Agents, and the State of Gen AI Today

Focus on how modern gen AI systems work today, the role of LLMs, their limitations, and how agent-like behaviors are emerging in real-world applications. 

Session 2: Designing Responsible Autonomous Agents for Real-World Applications

Explore how practitioners design agent-based workflows; define goals and constraints; ensure human oversight; and embed fairness, transparency, and trust into AI-driven systems.

The program includes applied assignments that challenge you to evaluate, design, and responsibly integrate gen AI within real-world contexts.

• Designing an AI agent

Conceptualize an AI agent solution to address a real-world challenge in your field, defining its purpose, functionality, information needs, and long-term impact while evaluating ethical considerations and responsible deployment within broader AI systems.

• Incorporating AI-generated images into your workflow

Design an industry-specific use case that applies generative AI models to visual tasks, demonstrating how applied generative AI can enhance creativity, efficiency, and workflow outcomes while improving business processes.

• Developing a gen AI framework

Create and justify a scalable framework that integrates gen AI into industry workflows, outlining clear stages, practical use cases, and measurable benefits compared to traditional approaches, strengthening your generative AI skills and strategic insight.

• Using a GPT to analyze data for your sector

Leverage prompt engineering to apply LLMs to sector-specific data analysis, evaluating model performance, limitations, and the value of insights generated through structured interaction with AI models.

• Designing an autonomous agent persona

Develop an agent persona using the Big Five personality framework and assess its societal, stakeholder, and ethical considerations, examining how responsible design shapes the future of agentic AI applications.

• Building an ethical matrix for a recommender system

Construct an ethical evaluation framework for a recommendation system, identifying risks, bias, and governance trade-offs while applying responsible AI principles to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in real-world machine learning models.

• Designing a Responsible Generative AI Solution

The program culminates in a final assignment that challenges you to address a consequential problem or opportunity within your domain and determine whether gen AI is an appropriate and valuable approach. You will design a solution that articulates how the system operates, how users interact with it, and how value is realized in practice while rigorously evaluating ethical risks and bias. By proposing clear governance and design safeguards, you will produce a disciplined, executive-ready proposal that reflects strategic judgment and responsible deployment of gen AI.

Climb Credit*

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Flexible Payment Options For All

Flexible payment options allow you to pay the program fee in installments. Click here to see payment schedule.

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