OpenAI is creating a jobs platform with an AI focus to take on LinkedIn, and expanding the ways AI users can verify their skills for employers.

Fidji Simo, the CEO of applications at OpenAI and former leader of Instacart, shared in a blog post on Thursday that the creator of ChatGPT is collaborating with companies such as Walmart and Boston Consulting Group to create AI solutions tailored for businesses. Notably, Walmart stands as the largest private employer in the United States, with a workforce of 1.6 million across the country.

The first initiative is an OpenAI Jobs Platform, which will connect businesses to candidates and tap into AI to filter through recommendations.

“We’ll use AI to help find the perfect matches between what companies need and what workers can offer,” Simo wrote in the blog post.

As an illustration, she mentioned the Texas Association of Business’s plans to use the platform to connect Texas-based companies with prospective employees who can support their IT modernization initiatives.

An OpenAI spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company is aiming to debut the jobs platform by mid-2026.

^{OpenAI CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, during an interview in September 2024. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

OpenAI also unveiled new certification programs for its OpenAI Academy, a complimentary platform dedicated to assisting individuals in developing AI competencies. The Academy, which has already attracted over two million learners, is broadening its offerings to include certifications in AI. These span from foundational skills in applying AI at work to advanced techniques such as prompt engineering.

The blog detailed OpenAI’s ambition to award 10 million certifications over the next five years. The company informed Bloomberg about its partnership with Walmart to design these certifications, which will initially be offered at no cost to Walmart’s 1.6 million U.S. staff members.

By introducing certifications and a job platform, OpenAI is positioning itself against major players like LinkedIn and Indeed. LinkedIn, boasting over one billion members, is recognized as the largest professional network worldwide. Meanwhile, Indeed remains a formidable force in the job market, with 615 million users and a staggering rate of 27 hires every minute.