Certified AI Manager: Inside the First Cohort at TU Wien Academy
A managing director, a professional photographer, the insolvency lead of a creditor-protection association and the CEO of a technology company – all of them sat in the same room at TU Wien Academy in late June.
On June 25 and 26 2026, the first German-language cohort of the Certified AI Manager programme began, and the opening introductions already made the point: artificial intelligence is no longer a matter for the IT department alone. It is a leadership task across every sector.
The programme runs for 4.5 days (36 hours) across two in-person blocks plus a closing online session in which participants present an AI project of their own. It is designed explicitly for decision-makers without a computer-science background, with one goal: to identify, evaluate and steer AI projects with confidence. Here is what the first group took away from the opening two days.
Who was in the room
The strength of the first cohort was its mix. Manufacturing and trade were represented, alongside mobility and logistics, media and broadcasting, and the technology and IT sector. Added to this was a broad range of public bodies and interest groups – spanning business representation, research funding, insurance and creditor protection.
Founders and self-employed professionals joined too, for example from care technology, innovation consulting and the film and photo field, as did individuals in career transition. Roles ranged from managing directors to heads of finance, IT and marketing, through to project managers and specialist analysts.
Key takeaway: When a group spanning sole proprietors to corporations, and care work to insurance, thinks about AI together, the learning effect goes beyond anything an online course can deliver – the diversity of sectors is part of the curriculum.
Putting the hype in context mattered just as much. According to a widely cited 2020 MIT study, opens an external URL in a new window, around 90 percent of analytics projects fail to deliver significant financial benefit. The cause is rarely the algorithm; it is the wrong question, poor or incomplete data and unclear ownership. The afternoon therefore focused on data quality, data sources and storage architectures – from the data warehouse to the data lake and the data mesh.
Key takeaway: Data literacy comes before algorithms. Collecting the right data at the right quality decides whether an AI project succeeds or fails – garbage in, garbage out.
Using an impact-effort matrix, the group then prioritised their own ideas: which initiatives are quick wins, which are big projects, and which are better left alone?
Key takeaway: An impact-effort matrix and a Data Product Canvas turn a vague pool of ideas into a justified investment decision – exactly the core skill of an AI manager.
During the program sessions, the participants worked in groups to develop initial project ideas and received valuable feedback from one another and from the presenters.
During the program sessions, the participants worked in groups to develop initial project ideas and received valuable feedback from one another and from the presenters.
The session covered the AI Act's risk classes (from prohibited to minimal), the roles along the supply chain, obligations around generative AI, ethics and fairness, the fundamental rights impact assessment (FRIA), AI governance with an AI inventory and AI policy, and liability questions under the new EU product-liability rules.
Key takeaway: Since 2025, AI literacy is no longer optional but a regulatory requirement – and it explicitly includes an understanding of law, ethics and liability.
What comes next
The first German-language group continues with its second block on 3 and 4 September 2026 and the online project presentation on 18 September 2026.
The next opportunity to join is the English-language cohort:
block 1 on 12 and 13 November,
block 2 on 10 and 11 December 2026,
and the online session on 18 December 2026.
Registration is open until 5 November 2026; further dates are available on request.
After the programme, participants can optionally sit the examination for the "AI Manager" personal certificate in accordance with ISO/IEC 17024 at Austrian Standards. The course can also be credited towards the Executive MBA Operational Excellence & AI.
Do I need programming or AI knowledge for this programme? No. It is designed for professionals and managers without a technical background. You learn to evaluate and steer AI projects, not to build models yourself.
How long is the Certified AI Manager programme? It runs for 4.5 days (36 hours): two in-person blocks at TU Wien Academy and a closing online session with a project presentation and expert feedback.
What qualification do I receive? After active participation in both blocks you receive a TU Wien Academy certificate. Optionally, you can sit the exam for the internationally recognised "AI Manager" personal certificate in accordance with ISO/IEC 17024 at Austrian Standards.
What does the EU AI Act have to do with the programme? Since 2 February 2025, Article 4 of the EU AI Act has required a sufficient level of AI literacy within organisations. The programme helps you demonstrably meet this requirement.
Who is the programme for? Managing directors, professionals and managers, project and process managers, IT leads, consultants and founders from every sector.
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