AI x Design Thinking
Early Career Credential
Prepare for an AI-enabled world of work. Earners show employers they can understand people, solve real problems creatively, and use AI with good judgment.
What is this credential?
The AI x Design Thinking Early Career Credential prepares young people ages 14–24 with employer-validated skills for a rapidly changing, AI-enabled economy. It blends human-centered design, a creative problem-solving process that starts with understanding people, with responsible AI fluency.
Credential earners don't just learn about these skills. They apply them to a real-world challenge, and trained industry evaluators review the evidence.
To earn the credential, you will:
- Work on a real-world project
- Build a portfolio that shows your process
- Complete a knowledge check
- Record a short explanation of your work
- Reflect on how you used, or chose not to use, AI
What credential earners can do
The credential is built on four performance standards. Together they show employers that an earner has demonstrated industry-standard capabilities.
Human-centered problem framing
Find meaningful challenges, understand the people affected, make sense of research, and define the right problem to solve.
Creative & iterative solution development
Generate ideas, build prototypes, test with real users, and improve the solution based on what they learn.
Professional communication & application
Explain their work, decisions and trade-offs clearly, and connect their skills to future jobs.
Responsible & effective use of AI
Decide when AI helps and when it doesn't, question its outputs, and keep human judgment in charge.
What you'll learn
- Observe and interview people to understand their needs
- Generate stronger ideas with human-centered and AI-assisted methods
- Build and test prototypes early to reduce risk and increase impact
- Bring AI into creative and analytical work, with good prompting habits
- Use AI responsibly, grounded in collaboration, ethics and human judgment
- Produce real deliverables, like insight reports and product or service prototypes
- Present your work the way professionals do
Who it's for
Young people ages 14–24
Students and early-career learners who want to prove creative problem-solving and AI skills to employers, colleges and programs.
Schools & youth programs
Organizations that want to offer a career-focused, project-based credential to the young people they serve.
Employers
Teams looking for early talent who can understand users, iterate quickly and use AI with judgment.
Get started
There are three ways to get involved, depending on who you are.
Sign up online
Enroll in the online AI x Design Thinking program through IDEO U.
Sign up with IDEO UBring it to your program
Schools, youth programs and organizations: talk to us about offering the credential to your learners.
Email micky@denteducation.orgBaltimore youth, ages 14–24
Interested in earning the credential through Dent Education's paid programs? Let us know.
Join Dent's interest listFrequently asked questions
Do I have to use AI to earn the credential?
No. You're assessed on your judgment, not on how many AI tools you use. A thoughtful, well-explained decision not to use AI can also show responsible AI judgment.
Will I be judged on how polished my presentation is?
No. Evaluators look at your understanding and reasoning. Speaking style, accent, confidence and recording quality don't count against you, and neither do visual polish or perfect grammar.
What if I don't meet a requirement the first time?
If there isn't enough evidence yet, you may be asked for additional evidence or to retake a part of the assessment before a final decision is made. How decisions are made →
Who reviews my work?
Trained evaluators with relevant industry expertise, using shared standards and scoring guidance so every candidate is reviewed consistently.
I need an accommodation. Who do I contact?
See our accommodations page, or email taylor@denteducation.org.