You would have come across the phrase “AI is going to replace us in our jobs”, well that’s not entirely true, AI is going to replace those who don’t learn to use it. Whether you’re a doctor, an engineer, an artist, a student or just someone trying to keep up with your tech-savvy friends. Learning AI feels like a must in 2025, because one day the question is going to be of survival. Where do you start? Additionally, who wants to spend hundreds of dollars? Don’t worry I’ve got you covered. I’ve made a starter pack of courses that are of free of cost and won’t take much time. Pick one that fits your pace and start learning before you talk yourself out of it.
Moreover, these AI learning online courses don’t just teach you theory. They’ll help you build real skills you can use and apply right away. After taking these courses, you can train AI models and understand how tools like ChatGPT work. Additionally, even create smart content without writing a single line of code. No matter your background, you can take charge of your learning and grow with the technology.
If You Only Have 2 Hours a Week, Take This
1. AI for Everyone by Andrew Ng (Coursera)
- Time : Around 4 hours
- Best For: Beginners, non-coders, and business folks who want to understand and learn AI without the tech jargon.
- Course Details: It includes 4 modules- 1) What is AI, 2) Building AI Projects, 3) Building AI in your company, 4) AI and Society.
- What You’ll Learn: The basics of how AI works, what it can and can’t do, and how it affects jobs, companies, and society.
- Certificate: Yes (but it’s paid)
- Skills you’ll get: Business ethics, data ethics, market opportunities, AL/ML, machine learning, data science.
- You can take the course here.
If You’re a Creative or Marketer, Try This
2. Introduction to Generative AI (Google Cloud)
- Time: 45 minutes
- Best for: Creatives, marketers, content creators, or curious people who keep hearing “generative AI” but haven’t tried it yet or who just don’t know how to
- Course Details: The course will start off with a introductory video on Generative AI which is self paced. Then there’s a reading session, followed by a quiz.
- Certificate: You’ll earn a google badge! Which can be seen in your profile page
- Skills you’ll get: Artificial Intelligence, data science, image generation.
- Jump here to take the course.
If You Want to Sound Smart in Meetings, Take That
3. Elements of AI (University of Helsinki & MinnaLearn)
- Time: About 6 weeks, self-paced
- Best For: Curious minds, lifelong learners, and professionals who want a well-rounded understanding of AI
- What You’ll Learn: Machine learning, neural networks, ethics, and how AI shapes the world
- Course Details: It has 2 parts- 1) Introduction to AI, 2) Building AI. The goal is to demystify AI
- Certificate: Yes (free)
- Skills you’ll get: Artificial Intelligence, python programming
- You can click here to take the course.
If You’re a Developer or Want to Become One, Dive Into This
4. Practical Deep Learning for Coders (fast.ai)
- Time: Around 7 weeks, self-paced
- Best For: people with some coding experience and who want to learn how to apply deep learning and machine learning to practical problems.
- What you’ll learn: How to build and train real deep learning models from scratch
- Course Details: It has two parts- 1) gets you started with deployment, NLP, collaborative filters, CNNs etc.(Has a total of 8 chapters). 2) covers topics such as stable diffusion, matrix multiplication. (Has a total of 17 chapters)
- Certificate: No (but it’s very respected)
- Skills you’ll get: Deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing, PyTorch, model deployment, model interpretation, data preprocessing, transfer learning, Jupyter notebooks, AI problem-solving.
- Click here to get started
If You Care About Ethics and Fairness, Explore This
5. AI Governance and Ethics (Alison)
- Time: Around 3 to 4 hours
- Best for: Policy folks, business leaders, and anyone worried about AI being misused
- What you’ll learn: How to spot bias, understand fairness, and build AI systems responsibly
- Course Details: It has two modules- 1) Overview of AI Governance, 2) Course Assessment
- Certificate: Yes (free)
- Skills & knowledge you’ll get: Compliance, artificial intelligence, data security and law
- Click here to start learning
Conclusion
You don’t need hundreds of dollars to stay ahead in the race. If you’re a beginner and don’t know where to start I’d recommend taking AI for Everyone by Andrew Ng first. These free courses can help you build real skills and will boost your resume. Moreover, they will also help you understand how this technology works, whether you’re using it for your job, your side hustle, or just pure curiosity.
Additionally, the key is to just start somewhere. Choose one course that fits your pace, stick with it, and see where it takes you.
As you dive into these AI courses and spend more time online, it’s also important to stay mindful of your well-being. Learn how prolonged screen time and digital activity can affect your body and brain in this helpful read on how digital burnout affects your body and health.
