Best AI Courses for Beginners on Coursera (2023)
In our previous post on Feisworld, we talked about What Jobs Will AI Replace and What To Do About It (2023) and touched upon the importance of upskill and reskill. Anyone, not just programmers and data scientists, can learn more about AI and even consider a future career in AI. Before you spend thousands or more on courses and certifications, we’d like to point out some of the best AI courses for beginners on Coursera.
ps. check our review on Coursera Plus here.
New to Coursera? Here’s what you should know.
If you are new to Coursera, a frequently asked question is: Is Coursera free or not?
Turns out, most Coursera courses are free to audit. To find them, you can look for the word “Audit” after you select the Enroll For Free button. You should know that Audit does not include assessment items or a certificate, but lecture videos, course readings, and discussion forums are usually available for free.
If you want to complete graded assignments or get a course certificate, you have to pay the Coursera Plus subscription, which includes access to over 7,000 online courses, specializations, and professional certificate programs.
Benefits of using Coursera for Learning AI and Getting Certified
Did you know that you can add Coursera certificates to your LinkedIn profile? While AI professional certifications are relatively new, tihs feature can hep you stand out from the crowd. Unlike other online course platforms often taught by non-academic experts and teachers, Coursera offers a wide range of online courses and certifications from reputable institutions and universities.
To add your Coursera certificate to LinkedIn, you can:
- Select Background.
- Click the “+” icon next to Licenses and Certificates.
- Scroll down to the Licenses & Certifications section.
- Click on the “+” icon to add a new certificate.
You can also add any courses you have completed to the Courses Section of your LinkedIn Profile. You can add courses that are relevant to your career or business, or that show professional growth.
Although Coursera doesn’t send you a paper certification, you can share your Course Certificate online on your LinkedIn profile or using a secure Coursera URL.
How We Evaluated Best AI Courses for Beginners
Our first rule is that beginner courses for AI should not require learners to have any programming, data analysis or engineering experience. However, if you are interested in learning how to code or design AI systems, you certainly can find courses on Coursera for these topics as well.
Another criteria we have is the ability to complete the course within 4 weeks (with one exception for the AI for Product Management course). Lucikly, Coursera had this in mind and we were able to find and explore many courses that can be managed within our busy schedules.
Best AI Courses on Coursera (2023)
1. AI for Everyone by Andrew Ng from DeepLearning.AI
This is one of the most popular and most talked-about AI courses today. It’s great for beginners because Andrew Ng believes “AI is not only for engineers. If you want your organization to become better at using AI, this is the course to tell everyone–especially your non-technical colleagues–to take.” So you see yourself in a non-technical function, this course is it!
You will learn:
- The meaning behind common AI terminology, including neural networks, machine learning, deep learning, and data science
- What AI realistically can–and cannot–do
- How to spot opportunities to apply AI to problems in your own organization
- What it feels like to build machine learning and data science projects
- How to work with an AI team and build an AI strategy in your company
- How to navigate ethical and societal discussions surrounding AI Though this course is largely non-technical, engineers can also take this course to learn the business aspects of AI.
Rating: 4.8 star (39K reviews)
Length of study: about 10 hours total (that’s 3 hours a week for 3 weeks)
2. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) taught by Rav Ahuja from IBM
This course does not require any programming or computer science expertise and is designed to introduce the basics of AI to anyone whether you have a technical background or not. Our favorite part of this course is the ability to get advice from experts in the field, as well as practicing your learnings on a small project.
You will learn:
- What Artificial Intelligence (AI) is
- Explore use cases and applications of AI
- Understand AI concepts and terms like machine learning, deep learning and neural networks.
- Be exposed to various issues and concerns surrounding AI such as ethics and bias, & jobs
- Get advice from experts about learning and starting a career in AI.
- Demonstrate AI in action with a mini project.
Rating: 4.7 (11K reviews)
Length of study: about 9 hours total (that’s 3 hours a week for 3 weeks)
3. Introduction to Generative AI by Google
This is an introductory level microlearning course aimed at explaining what Generative AI is, how it is used, and how it differs from traditional machine learning methods. It also covers Google Tools to help you develop your own Gen AI apps. We find this course to have low or no barriers and can be picked up by ANY learner.
You will learn:
- Define Generative AI
- Describe Generative AI model types
- Explain how Generative AI works
- Describe Generative AI Applications
Rating: 4.6 (1200 reviews)
Length of study: 1-2 hours
4. Machine Learning for All by Prof Marco Gillies (University of London)
Machine Learning (ML), synonymous with Artificial Intelligence (AI), is a rapidly evolving tech domain. From facial recognition to self-driving cars and interactive computer conversations, ML’s transformative potential is vast. This course caters to a broad audience, from those seeking a technical ML career to non-technical professionals like managers in firms exploring ML. Regardless of your background or motivation, this course aims is to demystify ML for you.
Note: This course introduces ML without delving into programming-focused tools like Python and TensorFlow.
You will:
- Understand the basic of how modern machine learning technologies work
- Be able to explain and predict how data affects the results of machine learning
- Use a non-programming based platform train a machine learning module using a dataset
- Form an informed opinion on the benefits and dangers of machine learning to society
Rating: 4.7 (3200 reviews)
Length of study: 21 hours to complete (3 weeks at 7 hours a week)
5. AI Product Management Specializaiton by Jon Reifschneider (Duke University)
This course will teach you how to manage the design & development of ML products. We find this course to be necessary and essential for professionals with prior experience in product, program and project management. There are many facets of AI careers outside of programming and data science as discussed in Most Common AI Functions and Roles (2023)
You will:
- Understand how machine learning works and when and how it can be applied to solve problems.
- Learn to apply the data science process and best practices to lead machine learning projects, and how to develop human-centered AI products which ensure privacy and ethical standards.
Rating: 4.7 (200+ reviews)
Length of study: 4 months at 5 hours a week (you can learn at your pace)
6. Artificial Intelligence: Ethics & Societal Challenges
Given the popularity of AI in nearly every industry since its debut, there have been constant conversation around ethics. We feel it’s necessary to include this course. Artificial Intelligence: Ethics & Societal Challenges is a four-week course that explores ethical and societal aspects of the increasing use of artificial intelligent technologies (AI). The aim of the course is to raise awareness of ethical and societal aspects of AI and to stimulate reflection and discussion upon implications of the use of AI in society.
You will learn:
- Basic understanding of the AI bias phenomenon and the role of AI in surveillance
- Basic understanding of the importance of democracy in relation to AI and acquaintance with common issues with democracy in relation to AI
- Understanding of the complexity of the concepts ‘intelligence’ and ‘consciousness’ and acquaintance with common approaches to creating artificial consciousness
- Ability to discuss and reflect upon the ethical and societal aspects of these issues.
Rating: 4.6 (67 reviews)
Length of study: about 13 hours to complete (3 weeks at 4 hours a week)
Conclusion: Best AI Courses for Beginners on Coursera
Many people are taking online courses for AI as beginner and intermediate learners. Given AI careers are relatively new, employers are more willing to accept online course learning experiences and certifications. From this point of view, it’s worthwhile to explore and consider courses for AI.
Coursera AI courses are well-reviewed and high quality. The teachers and content are also diversified as they are created by organizations as well as individual teachers and professors from world-class institutions.
Lastly the cost of entry is low. You can audit many courses for free. Coursera Pro costs $59/month and under $1000 a year, compared to most certification programs that can cost well over 5-10K for a single program. But for Coursera, you can pivot and change to another course easily if the content or instructor isn’t resonating with you.
Please let me know how you like Coursera, and if you have a favorite AI course that’s not listed above. I’d love to know in the comments below.
You might also like…
- Coursera Plus: Everything You Need To Know (2023)
- AI Career Coaching
- Your Guide to Finding Entry-Level AI Jobs (2023)