AI Essentials
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AI Essentials
This course is part of AI Foundations for Business Professionals Specialization
Instructor: Matthias Holweg
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What you'll learn
Understand the core concepts behind machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning.
Identify practical applications and limitations of AI across industries.
Skills you'll gain
- Supervised Learning
- Artificial Intelligence
- Responsible AI
- AI Product Strategy
- Machine Learning
- LLM Application
- AI literacy
- Ethical Standards And Conduct
- Generative AI Agents
- Artificial Neural Networks
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)
- Machine Learning Methods
- Unsupervised Learning
- Reinforcement Learning
- AI Enablement
- Convolutional Neural Networks
- Deep Learning
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
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- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate
There are 5 modules in this course
Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a futuristic concept, it is a present-day force reshaping industries, workflows, and decision-making across the global economy. This course introduces the core ideas, methods, and applications of AI, with a focus on how business professionals can engage with this fast-moving field responsibly and strategically.
You’ll explore the foundations of machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks, and examine how different types of AI systems – from narrow, task-specific models to generative tools – are built and deployed. By connecting technical concepts to real-world use cases, you’ll gain insight into how AI creates value, what risks it introduces, and why ethical and governance frameworks are essential for its safe use. Through accessible explanations, practical examples, and expert insights from the University of Oxford, this course provides the conceptual grounding to understand AI today and prepare for what’s next. Whether you’re a manager, analyst, policymaker, or team leader, you’ll leave equipped to ask better questions, evaluate AI opportunities, and collaborate more effectively with technical teams. This is the first course in the AI Foundations for Business Professionals specialisation. It provides the essential knowledge base you’ll need before progressing to more applied topics in Generative and Agentic AI, and AI Governance.
AI is transforming how decisions are made, insights are generated, and value is created across every industry. In this course, you’ll learn how AI systems work, what makes them different from traditional tools, and where their real power lies. You’ll also explore the ethical risks they pose, and what it takes to lead AI initiatives with clarity and care.
What's included
3 readings
3 readings•Total 21 minutes
- Your Learning Journey•15 minutes
- Digital Notebook (blank)•5 minutes
- Important note about course communication•1 minute
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping industries, redefining how organisations make decisions, create value, and interact with customers. In this module, you'll explore what AI really is, how it works, and why understanding its potential, and its limitations, is essential for responsible leadership.
What's included
3 videos5 readings1 assignment5 plugins
3 videos•Total 8 minutes
- Introduction to the Opportunities of AI •1 minute
- Introduction to the Risks of AI•3 minutes
- Using AI to Generate Value•3 minutes
5 readings•Total 115 minutes
- Defining AI•10 minutes
- AI, Machine Learning, and Generative AI•15 minutes
- Reflect with Generative AI•25 minutes
- AI Thinks Differently Than People Do•50 minutes
- Reflect•15 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Test Your Knowledge•30 minutes
5 plugins•Total 62 minutes
- Your Attitude Towards AI•2 minutes
- Principles of AI Trustworthiness •15 minutes
- Four Dimensions of AI•15 minutes
- Cases of Value Creation•15 minutes
- Continuum of Capability•15 minutes
Artificial intelligence may feel like a modern breakthrough, but its roots stretch back over 80 years. In this module, you’ll trace the intellectual and technical evolution of AI, understanding how each generation of research has influenced today’s capabilities. You’ll also explore why expectations often outpace reality, and how tools like the Gartner Hype Cycle help us think more critically about AI’s path from experimental concept to business-ready solution. With this historical context, you’ll be better equipped to evaluate where AI is going, and what questions we should be asking next.
What's included
1 video4 readings2 assignments5 plugins
1 video•Total 3 minutes
- Sentience, Consciousness, and AGI •3 minutes
4 readings•Total 65 minutes
- Could we? Would we? Should we? •15 minutes
- Compare Your Responses•20 minutes
- Reflecting on Generative AI•15 minutes
- Review and Reflect•15 minutes
2 assignments•Total 45 minutes
- Test Your Knowledge•30 minutes
- Knowledge Check•15 minutes
5 plugins•Total 100 minutes
- The Conceptual Roots of AI•15 minutes
- The Hype Cycle•35 minutes
- Could we? Would we? Should we? •25 minutes
- Narrow AI, General Purpose AI, and AGI•20 minutes
- Is AI conscious? •5 minutes
AI is no longer theoretical; it’s powering tools that detect fraud, recommend products, diagnose diseases, and generate content. In this module, you’ll explore the core types of machine learning, the role of neural networks, and the real-world capabilities and limitations of the AI systems used in business today.
What's included
2 videos4 readings1 assignment2 plugins
2 videos•Total 6 minutes
- How Machines Learn•3 minutes
- How Neural Networks Learn•3 minutes
4 readings•Total 90 minutes
- Introduction•10 minutes
- Further Resources•30 minutes
- Experiment•30 minutes
- Deep Neural Networks•20 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Test Your Knowledge•30 minutes
2 plugins•Total 35 minutes
- Types of Machine Learning•15 minutes
- Deep Neural Networks •20 minutes
This final module consolidates your learning from across the course and invites you to reflect on how AI can be used responsibly and effectively in your own context. You’ll revisit the key themes of prediction, value creation, ethics, and oversight, then apply your knowledge through a peer reviewed assignment that challenges you to create an AI implementation strategy for an insurance company.
What's included
4 readings1 peer review
4 readings•Total 60 minutes
- Key Takeaways and Reflections•20 minutes
- Bibliography and Further Reading •10 minutes
- Written Assignment Information•20 minutes
- Next Steps•10 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
- Turning AI Insight into Strategic Action•120 minutes
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Instructor
Explore more from Leadership and Management
- Status: Free TrialS
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Specialization
- Status: PreviewA
AI CERTs
Course
- Status: Free TrialS
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Course
- Status: Free TrialU
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Course
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Reviewed on Dec 17, 2025
Excellent starter course. I thought it struck a nice balance between basic AI technology and business application.
Reviewed on Apr 4, 2026
Current (4/2026), practical, and just the right information for leaders who need to understand the landscape for safe and effective use of AI. Great course.
Reviewed on Oct 28, 2025
I learned a lot behind "What is AI" and how should we use it and problems can there be if we blindly trust in AI
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