Automation thoughts

Top AI Training Programs for Employees in 2024

By
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Things are changing so fast, right? I mean, Artificial Intelligence (AI) wasn't even a thing a few years ago, and now it has taken over the world! It's surprising how quickly AI evolved within such a short time and is still evolving. To stay relevant, teams have to constantly learn how to use AI to be more productive and of course, keep their jobs! This means teams must follow the AI trends or be left miles far behind. But hey, learning AI isn't the same as building an AI company. That's a whole different ballgame for the management and other C-level executives to figure out.

Why Your Company’s Employees Should Learn AI

It is no longer news that AI is reshaping the modus operandi of several teams. From generating content ideas for the marketing team to distributing sales copy and generating leads for the Sales team, the list of examples is endless. There is also an ongoing conversation about AI taking over jobs. This can be possible if teams refuse to move with the trend by learning AI, especially the AI Tools needed for their team operations. To key into this, every team must learn about the AI tools that can be used in their teams to streamline manual and repetitive tasks. Why should a team still send out emails to prospects manually when AI can be integrated with an automation tool that can send broadcasts to the prospects at once provided it is fed with the emails?

  • Technical Employees

Tech Employees are at the starting point of the learning curve for learning AI. This is because a lot of the issues they encounter can be solved with the knowledge of AI. Teams like IT, Software Development, etc are expected to know about AI. Remember the days of sleepless nights trying to debug a source code or trying to recouple a broken feature? But now, With tools like Github Co-pilot installed on the team’s development environment, debugging is a lot less stressful. No wonder, the knowledge of AI is now often listed as a requirement for job openings. Also, Technical Employees must learn AI because it broadens their critical thinking ability. A company’s IT team recently encountered an issue with setting up network protocols. They queried ChatGPT with the error message thrown in your source code, the reply contained various aspects of the error that weren’t noticed initially. The team had to go back to rethink, restrategize and come up with better solutions. Imagine if the team did not know ChatGPT which of course, is an AI Tool.

  • Non-Technical Employees

When AI is mentioned, it is often mistaken for a “Tech Thing” but AI is no longer just for techies. In fact, non-technical employees use AI more than their technical counterparts. I mean, Marketers use AI to create and publish ads. They also go further to monitor the progress of these ads using an integration of automation tools and AI. Other non-technical teams like HR have embraced the use of AI because it provides valuable insights from employees' data, thereby helping HR managers make informed choices based on facts, not just intuition.

Top 5 AI Training Programs for 2024

IBM: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

This is a beginner's course that introduces AI to learners. At the end of the course, the learner would have gained insights into the impact of AI on transforming businesses and careers.

  • Platform: The course is a virtual one and can be found on Coursera

  • Price: It is free

  • Certification/Certificate: This course comes with a certificate of completion by IBM. This certificate or badge can be displayed on your social media profile such as LinkedIn

NVIDIA: Generative AI Explained

This is a technical beginner’s course that focuses on Generative AI and describes the technologies that are used to generate new content based on a variety of inputs. At the end of the course, learners will understand Generative AI and use the GenAI tools effectively.

  • Platform: The course can be taken online at NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute

  • Price: It is free

  • Certification/Certificate: There’s a certification for this course

Data Camp: Introduction to ChatGPT

This course is part of a learning module that offers certification after learning. The focuses on everything you need to know to begin using ChatGPT effectively and responsibly. It is for non-technical people and helps learners gain practical knowledge and usage of ChatGPT upon completion.

  • Platform: DataCamp’s website or mobile App

  • Price: It is free

  • Certification/Certificate: There’s a certificate on completion after taking the course

Google Cloud: Introduction to Generative AI

This course is a beginner’s level course that explains GenAI. It details how GenAI is used and how it differs from other machine learning methods.

  • Platform: This course can be taken online on Google Cloud Skills Boost

  • Price: It is free

  • Certification/Certificate: A badge of completion is assigned to the learner upon completion

Microsoft: AI for Beginners

This is a technical program to teach the basics of AI to beginners. From the way AI is modelled to how it works and how it can be applied for several use cases. At the end of the program, learners should be able to apply AI to solve problems in their teams.

  • Platform: This program can be taken online on Microsoft’s Learning Path

  • Price: It is free

  • Certification/Certificate: There is a certificate of completion issued by Microsoft to the learner.

How To Start Learning AI As A Team

Now that the team understands the importance of learning AI, the next question that comes up is how do we learn AI? Learning as a team requires collective efforts and the team should:

First of all, assess skill levels and identify learning needs. This means evaluating the skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced…etc) of the team members and identifying the areas where training is needed. The outcome of the assessment and needs identification is what will determine the learning goal set by the team. Remember that goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

The next thing to do is pick up learning resources. When the learning goal is set, picking up learning resources becomes easy. From virtual to on-site training, there are several training programs available to help teams get conversant with AI. Also, the training can be books, tutorials, videos, workshops, hackathons, boot camps etc, it is up to your team to select a preferred one bearing in mind the time.

Then create a learning path. Simply put, outline a roadmap for consuming the selected learning resources. This roadmap should include relevant topics and milestones with the adequately allocated time as agreed by the team. Don’t forget to start with the basics, include hands-on practicals and of course, encourage collaboration.