In case you’ve been living under a rock, artificial intelligence (AI) is the hottest buzzword in technology today. Even though it's seemingly all the rage, so to speak, there are a lot of misconceptions and fears about the emerging technology. Some misconceptions include that AI will replace all human jobs, AI will become self-aware, AI will be a magic solution for any problem, and AI will be too complicated and complex for a broad audience. To dispel these misconceptions, Google has created the Google AI Essentials certificate. The certificate, hosted on Coursera, gives a general view of what AI is and how it can be used for productivity. While this course is not intended to teach you to become a data scientist or machine learning engineer, it covers the essentials of what artificial intelligence is.
Course Overview
If you are familiar with Coursera, then you are no stranger to Google professional certificates. Google currently has certificates in cyber security, UX design, data analytics, IT support, digital marketing / eCommerce, and project management. The AI Essentials certificate consists of five modules: Introduction to AI, Maximize Productivity with AI Tools, Discover the Art of Prompt Engineering, Use AI Responsibly, and Stay Ahead of the AI Curve. The course is self-paced and designed to help people across many roles and industries get essential AI skills to boost their productivity. Like other Google courses, the course is taught by subject matter experts and leaders at Google.
Cost
Like other Google certificates, the AI Essentials costs $49 per month on the Coursera platform. You can also access AI Essentials with a Coursera Plus membership for $59 a month. If you are interested in different courses on Coursera including the previously mentioned Goolge certificates as well as college credit eligible courses, Coursera Plus is a great deal as you can access many courses as part of the membership.
Time to Completion
Google recommends around 10 hours to complete the course. If you view the modules occasionally throughout the day, you should be able to complete the course in a month or two. If you are hyper focused and eager to learn you can complete the entire course in a weekend.
Demand for Skills
There is a lot of hype on the internet about the actual demand for AI and AI-related skills. Some will say AI is wildly in demand, and others will say AI is in a bubble that's about to burst as companies are investing in AI without a clear idea of what it really is.
That said, perhaps the most reliable way to determine demand is from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS reports that data scientists' careers are projected to grow 35 percent from 2022 - 2032, with a salary of around $108,000 per year or around $52 per hour. So, despite the conflicting expectations, AI-related careers will be in very good demand these next few years.
Overall Value
As previously mentioned, this course is not intended to prepare you to apply for an AI engineer or data scientist job. If that is your goal, your time would be better spent elsewhere. This certificate is intended to help you better understand AI and the common uses of AI tools. Some topics you will learn about in addition to AI include prompt engineering, large language models (LLMs), and generative AI.
Regardless of what career you currently have or are pursuing, the information in this certificate is highly valuable and beneficial. By the end of the course, you will be able to draft emails, generate images, research information, and perform many other tasks with the assistance of AI.
Highly recommended.
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