AI tools have arrived in most Canadian workplaces faster than the training to use them well; in response, our entry-level courses offer a coordinated, stackable, and complete AI literacy foundation to help Canadians learn, adapt, and succeed with AI. This page lists every beginner course we’ve published, along with their relevant details.
This page covers the beginner AI courses CAIAI publishes on its own learning platform. It is written for people learning on their own time: professionals adding AI to work they already do, students, and anyone who wants a grounding before going further. Every course listed is online and self-paced, and none of them require prior study. The page does not cover the workshops and custom training CAIAI runs for organizations and institutions, which are linked further down.
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence is the Canadian AI Advancement Institute’s full course and the foundation behind our beginner course offerings. This course spans five modules and is supported by the 16-chapter Introduction to Artificial Intelligence textbook, which guides you through the basics of AI ethics, AI security, machine learning, model training, prompt engineering, the practical applications of generative AI, and the customization of no-code AI tools.
This text is supported by educational experts from across Canada, the United States, and Europe, who share their AI insights to bring you relevant, valuable knowledge. This course was developed with their guidance and in consultation with public- and private-sector stakeholders.
This AI Ethics course is Module 1 of CAIAI’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course, which is available individually for learners who want to take a deeper look at the subject rather than in a condensed offering. It covers foundational principles of AI ethics, the frameworks that put them into practice, and how ethical failures show up in industry.
This is Module 2 of CAIAI’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course, available as an individual module covers the safety concerns that come with AI systems across different use cases, with a focus on data protection, privacy and governance. It also covers the technical and ethical side of hallucinations and deepfakes, and how to build strategies that identify and mitigate those risks.
This is Module 3 of CAIAI’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course, available as an individual module, and it goes into concepts such as the types of machine learning, the importance of data selection and preprocessing, the ethics attached to data use, a Machine Learning Methodology you can apply to plan and deploy a project, and prompt engineering to optimize generative AI outputs.
This is Module 4 of CAIAI’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course, available as an individual module, and it focuses on the applications of generative AI, giving learners hands-on experience applying generative AI across different contexts.
This is Module 5 of CAIAI’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course, available as an individual module, and offers a hands-on approach to customizing generative AI models for specific tasks, industries, and individual use cases. It also introduces the no-code platforms that make this possible, such as OpenAI’s GPTs and Gemini’s Gems, covering customizing, testing, and deploying these models ethically, safely, and effectively.
Introduction to AI Ethics and Security is a short online course from the Canadian AI Advancement Institute for learners who may already be using AI tools or are AI-curious. It is especially helpful for those looking to implement AI without creating problems for their employer, clients, or themselves, and it takes under five hours on average.
Introduction to Machine Learning is a short online course from the Canadian AI Advancement Institute that introduces machine learning for AI-curious learners who want to learn the basics. Ideal learners also include managers, analysts, educators and business owners who keep encountering machine learning in decisions and want to stop nodding along.
Effective Prompting for Generative AI Models is a short online course from the Canadian AI Advancement Institute. It is a prompt engineering course for learners who want to implement generative tools in their daily workflows and are seeking strategies and tools to do so effectively.
In approximately five hours, you will have a basic understanding of the main AI models, a working knowledge of the available generative tools, and a set of prompting methods you can apply in your generative AI sessions.
Practical Applications and Customization Features of Generative AI Tools is an online generative AI course for beginners. It is a launchpad for learners putting generative tools into their daily workflows, in the workplace or in everyday life, and it is one of the most hands-on and practical courses in our beginner catalogue.
The Generative AI Beginner Course Bundle focuses on the ethical, safe and effective use of AI, with a particular emphasis on generative AI tools. It combines Introduction to AI Ethics and Security with Effective Prompting for Generative AI Models. It is an effective launchpad for learners who want to ethically, safely and effectively implement generative AI tools into their daily workflows and are seeking the strategies and tools to do so.
These courses are the self-serve route, but not the only one. Some learners need the fee covered, some want the credential that sits on top of the full course, and some are here on behalf of an employer who would rather train a whole team at once. Each of those has its own page.
Each of these posts covers ground from one of the courses above, and they are a reasonable way to test whether a subject is the one you need.
Learners or employers are usually unaware of opportunities to pay for their learning. We have shared resources to help you identify available funding opportunities, including scholarships for individuals and grant programs for individuals and employers.
Apply for a scholarship through our Canadian AI scholarships page. In addition, visit our Canadian AI grant funding page to see what individuals or employers can apply for.
Tell us what you do and how you want to implement AI, and we will point you to the right course and confirm whether you qualify for a scholarship. There’s no cost to ask, and we’re happy to help.
Our mission is to help Canadians learn, adapt and succeed with AI. Beginner courses are where most of that work starts, which is why we publish the hours, the cost and the requirements for every one of them rather than leaving people to find out after they have paid. Learning well begins with knowing what you are signing up for.
