Top 10 Free (or Low Cost) Generative AI Courses

Generative AI is no longer just a buzzword but a tool businesses are actively looking to deploy to raise productivity, spark creativity, enhance efficiency, analyze more rapidly and assist in decision-making.

But the knowhow to leverage the technology is not always there. Some 65% of senior IT leaders say they are not prepared to implement generative AI right now, according to research from Salesforce.

AI Business presents our top 10 free generative AI courses, curated to cater to the diverse needs of businesses.

1. For beginners: Introduction to Generative AI

This free course from Google Cloud offers introductory-level resources for generative AI.

Learn what generative AI is, how it is used, and how it differs from traditional machine learning.

The course also outlines Google tools that learners can use to develop their own generative AI apps.

It is short too - with learners able to complete the course in an afternoon.

Access: Google Cloud’s intro to generative AI: https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/536

2. For different age groups: IBM SkillsBuild

IBM SkillsBuild offers free coursework in AI fundamentals, chatbots and topics like AI ethics.

The recently launched generative AI course covers prompt writing, improving customer service with AI and generative AI in action.

The generative AI courses are free and available globally. There are three age groups (high school, college, adults) to which course content is tailored, so you can pick courses suitable for your education level. Upon completion, participants can earn IBM-branded digital credentials.

Access IBM SkillsBuild: https://skillsbuild.org/learners

3. Generative AI for Everyone

Taught by AI luminary Andrew Ng, the cofounder of Google Brain and an adjunct professor at Stanford University, the course will explain what is generative AI and how it works, describe common use cases and what the technology can and cannot do.

Ng also will walk students through the lifecycle of a generative AI project, from conception to launch, including building effective prompts. Students will learn about generative AI tools, large language models, AI strategy and AI productivity.

Access Generative AI for Everyone: https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/generative-ai-for-everyone/

There is a companion AI for Everyone course as well: https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/ai-for-everyone/

4. For the business-minded: AI For Business Specialization

This business-oriented course from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania mixes the fundamentals of AI with strategy considerations.

The course covers four main topics:

It is available in eight languages and requires no prior experience to enrol. It is a flexible course that takes around one month to complete at 10 hours a week. At the end, you will earn a certificate that you can add to your LinkedIn profile and resume. The fee is $39.

Access the AI For Business Specialization: https://platform.onlinelearning.upenn.edu/offering/ai-for-business-specialization-a0Q2E00000MTwrmUAD

5. A longer in-depth course: Google’s Generative AI Learning Path

With 10 courses to try, Google's Generative AI Learning Path is among the larger courses on this list. It is designed to cater to people at different stages of knowledge - including the basic ‘what is’ style sessions that lead up to more conceptual considerations, like responsible AI and ethics.

Each lesson is around eight hours long, with learners able to break up their time, completing parts before coming back when convenient, so you can balance it around your work schedule.

Access Google’s Generative AI Learning Path: https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/paths/118

6. ChatGPT Prompt Engineering Course

Learning the right prompt is just as important as the generative AI model you are using. Learn to become an effective prompt engineer using techniques to get the best results.

Access ChatGPT Prompt Engineering Course: https://www.classcentral.com/classroom/youtube-chatgpt-prompt-engineering-course-146290

7. Generative AI with Large Language Models

For a deeper dive, Ng’s startup Deeplearning.ai also offers a course that will let you gain practical skills and a functional understanding of how generative AI works.

The course is taught by AWS AI practitioners who are building and deploying AI in businesses today. The 16-hour course is free to audit. But to get a certificate, the cost is $49.

Access Generative AI with Large Language Models: https://www.coursera.org/learn/generative-ai-with-llms

8. Learn PyTorch

Meta’s now non-profit PyTorch is among the most popular deep learning frameworks. It is used in some big-name software stacks, including Tesla’s AutoPilot and Hugging Face's Transformers.

This LinkedIn Learning course teaches you the basics of deep learning using PyTorch, explaining how-tos and troubleshooting. This course focuses on an image recognition model, but the learnings can be applied to other areas of AI.

Given PyTorth’s alignment with Python and having integrations with major cloud platforms including Google Cloud and Amazon SageMaker, this is one to try out for those looking to get a bit more technical.

Access PyTorch Essential Training: Deep Learning: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/pytorch-essential-training-deep-learning/welcome?u=2278082

9. Responsible AI - Bias Mitigation & Fairness Criteria

With generative AI’s tendency to hallucinate, a responsible AI course becomes necessary education. Amazon's Machine Learning University (MLU) is offering a free 30-part course designed to impart knowledge on fairness criteria and bias mitigation.

Put together by data scientists and MLU instructors, the course provides information on different fairness criteria, bias measurements and bias mitigation techniques. Learn about model monitoring, logic regression considerations and model evaluation metrics.

It is entirely hosted on YouTube - so it’s free and you can pick up and pause whenever you want. And all code showcased in lessons is available via GitHub.

Access Responsible AI - Bias Mitigation & Fairness Criteria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utRsidz8TJM&list=PL8P_Z6C4GcuVMxhwT9JO_nKuW0QMSJ-cZ

10. Improve your images: Master Stable Diffusion

AI image generation tools like Midjourney and DALL-E 3 are exciting tools to aid marketers and creative professionals. This one-hour course will get you up and running with Stable Diffusion and teach you the fundamentals for generating high-quality AI images that you can use in your marketing materials.

Access Stable Diffusion - Master AI Course: https://chamferzone.gumroad.com/l/StableDiffusionMasterAICourse