A few years ago, not many people were paying attention to AI, which had still seemed like a distant dream. But, following the launch of ChatGPT by US-based OpenAI, an AI race started whose latest update saw the release of Chinese startup DeepSeek's R1 model. R1's release had caused a massive stock rout for technology companies globally.

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With the launch of more and more AI models, the demand for talent trained in AI is also increasing. However, the best part is that you don't need to enroll in colleges or spend lakhs to get trained in AI.

Here's a list of online courses that are being offered for free.

Generative AI Fundamentals by Microsoft

The course is designed for anyone who wishes to learn generative AI, from beginners to experts. Thus, you don't need any prior knowledge or programming expertise for this.

The course, offered by Mcirosoft Learn, includes lessons on fundamental concepts of topics and separate lessons which go over those conceps and show examples made in Python and TypeScript. It has 18 lessons in total.

You can learn how to create generative AI applications with Python and TrueScript, use LLMs and GPTs, learn about agents, fine-tune LLMs, among other things.

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Google Prompting Essentials by Google

This 10-hour course by Google is available on Coursera and will allow users to learn from AI experts and build a library of reusable prompts. It includes videos from Google AI experts, hands-on practice with AI and even assessments.

The course will provide a certificate to the users who complete the course.

According to Google, the average number of words in a successful prompt is 21. However, data shows that user prompts are often shorter, containing nine words or less. This course aims to help users fix that.

Introduction to Generative AI by Google Cloud

Nearly seven lakh people have already enrolled for this course, which is included with Coursera plus. It also requires no prior experience and has a flexible schedule. It includes definitions and workings of generative AI, descriptions of types of generative AI models and applications.

After completing the course, users will get a shareable certificate that can be added to their LinkedIn profile. The course is available in 13 languages including English, Hindi and French and has one assignment.

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Introduction to AI by LinkedIn Learning

This course is designed for project and product managers, directors, executives and students starting a career in AI. However, users who wish to learn basics of AI can also enroll for this free course.

The course will help users learn what it means for a system to display “intelligence”, explore difference between predictive AI and generative AI and give an overview of machine learning algorithms, artificial neural networks, foundation models, and deep learning.

It is a 2 hour and 26 minutes long course taught by Doug Rose.

AI for Everyone by DeepLearning.AI

The course, which has four modules for which over 17 lakh users have already enrolled, is available on Coursera and is recommended for beginners.

It takes about six hours to complete the course and has a shareable certificate which will be given upon completion. It is available in 23 languages and has four assessments. The modules in the course include What is AI?, Building AI Projects, Building AI in your Company and AI and Society.