Indiana University made its AI skills course fully free and open to the public, removing application and tuition requirements. The university says the course—GenAI 101—now issues an AI skills badge upon completion from the Kelley School of Business. The decision marks a shift from monetized executive education or credentialing models toward broad workforce-readiness access. IU’s rationale links the course to rapid corporate and public-sector demand for AI literacy, citing major industry surveys on growing AI investment and labor transformation expectations. For higher education leaders building up-to-date AI curriculum, the GenAI 101 move positions a flagship public-university platform as an “anyone, anywhere” model—potentially reducing disparities in who can obtain foundational AI training.