Best Free AI Training Courses for Generative AI
Here, we’ve compiled a list of the best free AI training courses that focus on generative AI and how you can harness it, as well as foundational concepts in artificial intelligence. A lot of these courses are designed to be introductory sessions and geared toward beginners.
- Google’s Generative AI Learning Path (10 Courses)
- Microsoft’s “Transform Your Business With AI” Course
- LinkedIn’s “Career Essentials In Generative AI” Training Course
- “IBM: AI Foundations for Everyone” Training Course
- Digital Partner’s “Fundamentals of ChatGPT” Training Course
- Phil Ebner’s AI Crash Course (Udemy)
1. Google’s Generative AI Learning Path (10 Courses)
One of the more generous courses available in terms of actual hours of learning, Google’s Generative AI Learning path has 10 courses on it. All courses take one day to complete.
Seven of the courses are classified as introductory, including “Introduction to Generative AI”, “Introduction to Large Language Models” and “Generative AI Fundamentals”. There are three courses within the learning path described as intermediate, including “Encoder-Decoder Architecture” and “Attention Mechanism: Overview”.
The first two introductory courses cover a lot of immediately applicable content, such as how to use prompt tuning to get the best out of large language models. There’s also a course on the responsible usage of AI.
Although there’s no official qualification, you will be awarded a completion badge that you can attach to your digital resume.
2. Microsoft’s “Transform Your Business With AI” course
This Microsoft learning path is designed, as the tech giant says, to help businesspeople acquire “the knowledge and resources to adopt AI in their organizations”, and explores “planning, strategizing, and scaling AI projects in a responsible way.”
Microsoft says the objectives for this course are to become familiar with existing AI tools, understand basic AI terminology and practices, and use prebuilt AI to build intelligent applications.
To enroll in this course, which is 2 hours and 40 minutes long, Microsoft says you’ll need a “basic understanding” of IT and business concepts. Modules included in the pathway are:
- Leverage AI tools and resources for your business (55 mins)
- Create business value from AI (21 min)
- Embrace responsible AI principles and practices (48 mins)
- Scale AI in your organization (36 mins)
3. Linkedin’s “Career Essentials In Generative AI” training course
Linkedin’s AI Career Essentials Course is made up of five different videos, with a total run time of around four hours. Each video is hosted by a different AI expert, covering a range of core concepts and ethical considerations relating to AI models.
One of the videos provides a detailed explanation of how to streamline your work with Microsoft Bing Chat, while another discusses the key differences between search engines and reasoning engines. Although there’s no accreditation or certification, completing this course will earn you a badge of completion from LinkedIn, which can be displayed on your profile.
The fifth video in the series, entitled “an introduction to artificial intelligence” is an hour and a half long and provides a simplified overview of the best AI tools for businesses, which is handy for those who haven’t taken the plunge yet and implemented a tool in work.
4. IBM’s “AI Foundations for Everyone” training course
IBM offers a course entitled “AI Foundations for Everyone” through Coursera, of which over 19,000 people have already enrolled in. You can audit the course for free, which will give you access to all of the materials and some of the assignments, but you won’t be graded or get a certificate at the end.
It’s geared toward beginners and you don’t need prior experience to enroll, and the schedule is flexible so you can learn at your own pace. Along with AI fundamentals, the course will also ensure you’re familiar with IBM’s own AI services, which help businesses integrate artificial intelligence into their existing infrastructure.
IBM says that, by the end of the course, participants will have had “hands-on interactions with several AI environments and applications”.
The course has three modules: “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence”, “Getting Started with AI using IBM Watson”, and “Building AI-Powered Chatbots Without Programming”. Each module takes between nine and eleven hours to complete.
5. Digital Partner’s “The Fundamentals of ChatGPT” training course
Digital Partner’s course entitled “The fundamentals of ChatGPT” is a great option for anyone who wants to take a free, accredited course that covers the basics of Generative AI.
During the course, you’ll spend time learning about OpenAI’s role in global AI development, and be able to learn about how ChatGPT works, its advantages and limitations. There’s also a variety of examples included within the course that will show you how to leverage ChatGPT for different tasks, and you’ll learn more about the difference between ChatGPT and ChatGPT Plus.
Modules include “Working With ChatGPT”, “ChatGPT and Its Shortcomings” and “Training a GPT Model”.
This free course is available on Alison.com, and is published by a digital marketing firm called Digital Partner. The course is CPD accredited and a certificate will be awarded upon completion of a small assessment at the end of the 1.5-3 hour program.
6. Phil Ebner’s ChatGPT, Midjourney, Firefly, Bard, DALL-E” AI crash course
While there are some good courses on Udemy that will guide you through the ins and outs of MidJourney and other AI generation tools, this instructor covers the most ground, and almost 12,000 students have already enrolled in the course, which has a 4.6/5 rating on Udemy.
The course is almost two hours long and also includes content that will help you better use tools like ChatGPT to generate text responses as well as images.
The “AI for Visual Creativity” section, however, will show you how to use both MidJourney and Dall-E to create “photorealistic images, illustrations, and digital art in a variety of styles.”
On Udemy, you don’t receive certificates of completion for free courses, but if you’re just looking to upskill yourself free of charge, this course is definitely worth a look.
