With AI enjoying unprecedented prominence across the globe, the need for material on how it exactly works has shot up remarkably. The good news is, the access to such courses has never been more open.
Several universities have shot to the top of the leaderboard in terms of offering courses in AI and data science. Nearly 75 universities figured in the 2024 QS World University Rankings for data science and artificial intelligence, compared to barely 20 in 2023.
This spells an increased interest not only in learning about AI but also in teaching it. But what does this spell for you?
Even if you’re already taking a course and are interested in further widening your horizons, there is an endless supply of online courses that you could take to upskill yourself. This would prove helpful especially with most jobs moving towards using AI in their daily functioning.
However, finding the perfect course that is both informative and affordable may be difficult. So, here is a rundown of some of the best courses on AI being offered for free right now.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT has made available Patrick Winston’s 6.034 Artificial Intelligence course on its website. The course runs through the basics of knowledge presentation, problem-solving and learning methods for AI.
It includes lectures from Prof Winston, as well as access to all assignments, examinations, readings, tutorials and demonstrations needed to complete the course. The course itself is self-paced and completely free.
Learn more about it here.
University of California, Davis
UCD is currently offering a course on ‘Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethics’ through Coursera. The course goes through opportunities available in big data, and how exactly AI works. It also advertises opportunities to interact with IBM Watson and a focus on understanding natural language processing.
Learn more about the course here.
Harvard University
Harvard offers several free courses on artificial intelligence, ranging from the basics of AI to its implications for business and policy. There are a total of seven courses available, with courses on data science, machine learning, Python and even the fundamentals of TinyML.
Learn more about the courses here.
Stanford University
Stanford University Online offers a course titled ‘Machine Learning Specialisation’ from the Stanford School of Engineering. The self-paced course is being offered through Coursera, where interested applicants can learn about all things ML from Andrew Ng.
The course includes modules on multi-linear progression, logistic regression, neural networks, and clustering among others.
Learn more about the course here.
University of Washington
The University of Washington is offering a course on ‘Machine Learning Foundations: A Case Study Approach’ through Coursera. The self-paced 18-hour course covers machine learning and deep learning concepts, as well as a rundown on Python programming.
Learn more about the course here.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech offers a short free course on artificial intelligence. Taught by Thad Starner, famous for his work on wearable computing, the two-hour course goes through the fundamentals of classical search, machine learning, pattern learning and probability. The course is currently being offered through Udacity.
Learn more about the course here.
If you’d prefer learning from the big leaguers themselves, several big-tech companies also offer free courses in the fundamentals of AI and machine learning.
Google maintains a short ‘Google AI for Anyone’ course. The two-hour-long self-paced course talks about the fundamentals of AI, data learning and machine learning, and their relationships with each other.
It also takes the student through the understanding of neural networks, AI ethics, applications and implications of poor data.
Learn more about the course here.
Intel
Intel offers an eight-week long course on ‘Introduction to AI’. The course is thorough and goes through the history of AI to its usage in current times. However, the course requires a prior understanding of Python programming.
The course is aimed specifically at students, industry professionals from other science fields and developers.
Learn more about the course here.
IBM
IBM offers an AI foundations course in partnership with Coursera. The course runs through the fundamentals of AI, with a special focus on generative AI and the usage of chatbots.
Interestingly, it also offers a module on building AI-backed chatbots without programming. Like the UCD course, it also provides access to IBM Watson and is easily accessible to those with next to no knowledge of AI.
Learn more about the course here.
Amazon Web Services
AWS offers a free machine learning and AI course, complete with a learning plan. The ten-hour self-paced course is aimed at beginners. It offers input on the fundamentals of machine learning, terminologies and its use in businesses.
The course also includes an introduction to Amazon SageMaker, their own machine-learning platform.
Learn more about the course here.
