5 Best FREE AI Courses for Non-Technical & Technical Beginners 2024 | How to learn AI ML | Learn AI

Summary

In this video, the speaker provides an overview of the best online AI courses for beginners and professionals, covering a variety of skill levels and career paths. The courses recommended are evaluated based on their target audience, instructors, and whether they are free or offer trial periods. From introductory courses in AI for non-technical individuals to specialized programs in deep learning for advanced learners, the video emphasizes the importance of getting started in AI now. The speaker encourages staying motivated and consistently learning, regardless of your current skill level.

Takeaways

• 😀 Starting your AI journey early is crucial, as the AI field is rapidly evolving.
• 📚 The best AI courses are targeted at specific audiences—whether beginners, business professionals, or tech experts.
• 👨‍🏫 Learning from well-known instructors, like Andrew Ng and professors from Harvard and University of Pennsylvania, can provide credibility and value.
• 💡 AI for Everyone is a great course for non-technical people to understand AI basics, workflows, and ethical considerations.
• 💼 For business professionals, courses like 'Building Generative AI Skills for Business Professionals' teach how to use AI tools in day-to-day work to improve productivity.
• 💻 Knowing Python is a key prerequisite for diving into more technical AI courses, such as 'AI for Programmers' from Harvard.
• 🔍 Hands-on projects in courses like 'AI for Programmers' can help learners gain practical experience with machine learning and algorithms.
• 🎓 Many of these courses offer free trials (1 month), allowing learners to get a feel for the content before committing.
• 🏆 Certifications, such as those from Microsoft and Coursera, can boost your profile and demonstrate your AI expertise to employers.
• 🌍 AI knowledge is vital not just for technical roles but also for business leaders looking to integrate AI into marketing, finance, and HR operations.

Q & A

What are the three main criteria used to recommend the AI courses in this video?

The three main criteria for recommending the courses are: 1) The target audience for each course, ensuring it's suitable for the learner's background (e.g., beginners, business professionals, or technical individuals). 2) The quality of the instructor and the ratings of the course, emphasizing that learning from a great teacher is important even in a rapidly evolving field. 3) The availability of free trials or free courses, allowing learners to evaluate the course before committing.

What is the key advantage of the 'AI for Everyone' course taught by Andrew Ng?

'AI for Everyone' is aimed at non-technical individuals who want to understand the basics of artificial intelligence. It covers foundational topics such as AI definitions, workflows, and ethical AI. The course is taught by Andrew Ng, a renowned figure in AI, offering credibility and quality, and it has an outstanding track record with over 1 million learners.

What does the course 'Building Generative AI Skills for Business Professionals' focus on?

This course, available on LinkedIn Learning, is focused on teaching business professionals how to use AI tools and prompt engineering in their daily work to improve productivity. It's tailored for non-technical users and helps individuals create AI-generated content, perform research, and create images using tools like MidJourney.

What is the primary focus of the 'AI for Programmers' course offered by Harvard?

The 'AI for Programmers' course, available for free on edX, is designed for individuals who already know Python. It dives into AI concepts, including graph search algorithms, classification, optimization, and machine learning models. It’s perfect for those looking to get hands-on experience and participate in AI hackathons.

Who should take the 'AI for Business Specialization' course, and what will they learn?

This course is aimed at business leaders who want to understand AI and its applications in business contexts. It covers foundational concepts of AI and LLMs, focusing on how to incorporate AI, ML, and Big Data into business strategies, particularly in marketing, finance, and HR operations.

What is unique about the 'Deep Learning Specialization' by Andrew Ng?

The 'Deep Learning Specialization' is a technical course aimed at those who want to specialize in deep learning. It covers topics like neural networks, recurrent and convolutional networks, word embeddings, and Transformer models. It also includes hands-on projects to build practical skills. The course requires a time commitment of about 3 months, as it covers complex technical concepts.

Why is starting to learn AI important, even if the field is still evolving?

The AI field is evolving rapidly, and it's important not to wait for courses to become more refined before starting. Beginning your learning journey now allows you to catch up with others over time, as skills in AI can take a year or more to fully develop. The earlier you start, the more competitive you'll be in the field.

What is the benefit of the free trials provided for many of the courses mentioned in the video?

The free trials allow learners to explore the course content and decide if it's the right fit for them before committing to any payment. Most courses offer a 1-month trial, which gives sufficient time to evaluate the material and decide whether to continue with the course.

What is SquareX, and how does it relate to the AI courses discussed in the video?

SquareX is a sponsor mentioned in the video. It's a free Chrome extension that helps users browse the web securely and privately, offering features like disposable browsers, ad-blocking, and the ability to access blocked websites. While not directly related to AI courses, it’s useful for learners who want to keep their online activities secure while exploring AI topics.

How long does it take to complete the 'AI for Everyone' course, and what is the key learning takeaway?

The 'AI for Everyone' course is estimated to take about 10 hours to complete. The key takeaway is to gain an understanding of AI fundamentals, including how AI is used in different projects, businesses, and industries, as well as how to approach responsible and ethical AI.