Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword. It is the engine powering innovations across every industry, from healthcare and finance to marketing and software development. Whether you’re a student, developer, or professional looking to pivot into the world of AI, now is the perfect time to start learning.
The best part? You don’t need to break the bank to gain valuable skills. We’ve curated a list of top-tier free AI courses from some of the world’s leading institutions and platforms to help you get started on your AI journey, at zero cost.
Whether you’re looking to understand the basics of machine learning or dive into deep learning and large language models, this list has something for everyone. Let’s explore the opportunities waiting for you.
Fundamentals of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Fundamentals of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence is a comprehensive course designed to help you grasp the core concepts behind modern AI technologies. You’ll explore the relationships and differences between AI, machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI. The course covers essential terminology, the types of data used to train models, and learning methods such as supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning. You’ll also gain an understanding of neural networks, the lifecycle of foundation models (FMs), and the three main types: large language models, diffusion models, and multimodal models. Additionally, the course highlights how AWS services can support and streamline your AI development efforts, from experimentation to deployment.
Introduction to Generative AI
Learn the basics of Generative AI through a short and simple course that takes just 45 minutes to complete. You’ll explore how AI works and discover how to build your AI-powered apps using easy-to-use Google tools — no advanced background needed!
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/536
https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/courses/17176/introduction-to-generative-ai-art-of-the-possible
Introduction to Large Language Models
Join this quick 45-minute course to gain a clear understanding of large language models (LLMs), where they’re most useful, and how they can be improved. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge and tools to start building your AI-powered applications with confidence.
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/539
Introduction to Responsible AI
This introductory microlearning course explores how Google applies responsible AI practices across its products, while also introducing you to Google’s 7 core AI principles. It’s a great starting point for anyone interested in ethical and trustworthy AI development.
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/554
Generative AI for Executives
Generative AI Fundamentals is a beginner-friendly learning path that covers the basics of generative AI, including how it works, where it’s used, and how to build simple AI applications using tools like large language models and Google’s AI technology. Ideal for anyone curious about AI or looking to get hands-on quickly!
https://skillbuilder.aws/learn/9EBNY921AD/generative-ai-for-executives/YF6GW2BT1E
Introduction to Image Generation
Introduction to Image Generation is a beginner-level course that teaches you how AI can create realistic and artistic images from text prompts. You’ll learn the basics of image generation models, how they work, and explore tools that let you experiment with generating your AI-powered visuals.
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/541
Encoder-Decoder Architecture
Encoder-Decoder Architecture is a focused course that introduces you to one of the foundational AI model designs used in tasks like machine translation, text summarization, and more. You’ll learn how encoders and decoders work together to process and generate meaningful language outputs.
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/543
Attention Mechanism
Attention Mechanism is a quick 45-minute course that introduces the concept of attention in neural networks — a powerful technique that enables models to focus on the most relevant parts of an input sequence. It’s essential for understanding how modern AI models like Transformers process language effectively.
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/537
Transformer Models and BERT Model
This is a foundational course that explores how transformer-based architectures power advanced AI models like BERT. You’ll learn how these models work, why they’re so effective for natural language processing, and earn a digital badge upon completion to showcase your achievement.
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/538
Create Image Captioning Models
Create Image Captioning Models is a practical course that guides you through building an image captioning model using deep learning techniques. You’ll learn how to combine computer vision and natural language processing to generate accurate captions for images — a powerful skill in modern AI development.
https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/542
Planning a Generative AI Project
Planning a Generative AI Project is a beginner-level course that helps you build a solid understanding of the technical foundations and key terminology of generative AI. You’ll learn how to effectively plan a generative AI project from start to finish and explore common risks along with strategies to mitigate them. Ideal for business and technical decision makers looking to implement AI responsibly and strategically.
https://skillbuilder.aws/learn/HU1FQRGDDZ/planning-a-generative-ai-project/SYR3SCPSHC
Generative AI in Action: Real-World Use Cases
This explores how generative AI is being applied across industries to drive innovation and efficiency. You’ll learn about four key objectives of generative AI: enhancing customer experiences with tools like conversational AI and personalization, increasing employee productivity with AI-powered assistants and automated workflows, optimizing business processes, and boosting creativity in content generation. The course also introduces real-world use cases from various sectors and offers a glimpse into the high-level architectures behind functional prototypes, helping you connect the technology with tangible business outcomes.
https://skillbuilder.aws/learn/19P1JWGVN7/generative-ai-in-action-realworld-use-cases/3AA3EJ68HZ
Conclusion
These courses have been carefully selected and curated to help anyone get started with the concepts of fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and GenAI. The courses range from the basics of Machine Learning and artificial intelligence to how generative AI works, to concepts and building blocks of Generative AI, and how to plan a Generative AI project. After going through these courses you are sure to come out smarter and understand all the fundamentals you need to start or build a career in AI.
