Open Educational Resources for Learning about AI
Authors: Jaana Brinck, Luis Costa and Suvi Toivonen
With the increase in the use of Artificial intelligence (AI), the need for learning about AI—what it is and what can we do with it—has become increasingly important to many of us. Below, we give you a few tips on where to turn to, if you are looking for a practical understanding of AI and the implications it has on your work and life. All of the listed learning resources are free of charge and open for you to study at your own pace. Some of them also provide study credits (ECTS).
Practical AI provides basic information on AI in a clear and practical manner. The content contains the following sections: 1. Defining AI; 2. Introduction to Generative AI: 3. Generative AI as a Daily Assistant; 3. Language Models; 4., Image Models; 5., and Ethical Aspects.
The course requires registration, and it uses Bing Chat in its tasks. You can advance at your own pace and earn 2 ECTS for completing the tasks. Both English and Finnish are supported.
In general, going through the course is not time-consuming, and it is well-suited as a first introduction to AI. The learner is also provided with small tasks to be done with generative AI. Note that there is an undertone of marketing pitching by the companies involved, but if this does not bother you, the course is well-structured and worthwhile taking.
The course has been developed by Microsoft Skills for Jobs, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, and mentor companies. Arrow ECS Finland has been a valued partner in video production. The learning platform, Edukamu, is developed by Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. The course is available both in English and Finnish.
MOOC: AI in Society | Una Europa (una-europa.eu)
AI in Society consists of a compulsory introduction with three modules: Introduction to the Course; AI and Values, and AI in Society. After doing these, you are free to choose from elective modules to complete the course. This enables you to mix and match modules based on your interests and background.
For this course, you need to register in the MOOC online learning environment. You can advance at your own pace and earn 2 ECTS for completing the tasks.
The course is co-developed by University of Helsinki, The University of Edingburgh, and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and it is based on the latest research on Data Science, AI and Social Sciences. It has been funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU. The course is in English.
Elements of AI consists of six chapters that go through the basics of AI: what it is, where and how AI can be applied, along with a few details on the technical details on how AI works. The technical details comprise acquainting yourself with the Bayes rule and the concepts of neural networks and machine learning. The course ends by speculating on the consequences of AI on society.
The course is in Finnish and in English (called Building AI; the course structure seems to differ a little from the Finnish version). You need to register for this course. The course has been created in collaboration with University of Helsinki and MinnaLearn. Over 1 million students have registered for the course.
Ethics of AI goes through the ethical aspects of AI: what ethics in AI means, the questions that ethics raises, and the concepts involved in this context. It discusses things like accountability, transparency, fairness, and how this affects human rights.
You need to register for this course, and 2 ECTS are awarded for the course. The course was created in collaboration with the Helsinki Centre for Data Science; the Mayor of London; the City of Helsinki; University of Helsinki; MOOC.fi; the City of Amsterdam; the Ministry of Finance; and FCAI. Both English and Finnish versions are available.
Accessible AI briefly introduces AI and some of the ways in which it is used to empower people with disabilities. The lectures focus on three cases: 1. Communication and connection, 2. Employment and 3) Daily Life. AI can empower people with disabilities, but there are also concerns regarding diversity, inclusiveness, and accessibility of AI, which are also briefly addressed. This 1 ECTS online course is developed by Tampere University and is provided by FiTech. The language of teaching is English, and it requires registration.
