Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNETLong before ChatGPT blasted onto the scene and sucked all the air out of the room, there was IBM Watson. Watson itself rose to fame when, in 2011, it beat reigning champion Ken Jennings on the TV game show Jeopardy. Fun fact: ZDNET’s own Steven J. Vaughn-Nichols was once a clue on Jeopardy. Also: The best free AI coursesAnyway, back to our story. My point is that IBM has a long history with AI and has not been sitting still. Its generative AI solution, Watsonx, focuses on enabling businesses to deploy and manage both traditional machine learning and generative AI, tailored to their unique needs. I’m telling you this because if any company has the cred to offer a credential on AI fundamentals, it’s IBM.IBM’s AI Fundamentals program is available on its SkillsBuild learning portal. The credential takes about 10 hours to complete, across six courses. Because I have long had an interest in AI ethics (I did a thesis on AI ethics way back in the day), I took the AI ethics class. It was good. Also: 6 ways to write better ChatGPT prompts – and get the results you want fasterIt discussed the challenge of balancing technology with ethical responsibility. Key topics included the five pillars of AI ethics, the importance of fairness and avoiding bias, and the need for AI systems to be transparent, explainable, and robust against attacks. The session also emphasized governance, the protection of personal data, and the significance of privacy through data minimization and differential privacy.I subsequently took all the courses in the credential program. Note: To get started, create a free account on IBM’s SkillsBuild learning portal. All the following links to IBM’s free AI courses require you to have created an account and be logged in before you can use them. IBM’s free AI coursesArtificial Intelligence Fundamentals Learning Plan: You’ll explore AI’s history, and then see how it can change the world. Along the way, you’ll dive deep into ways that AI makes predictions, understands language and images, and learns using circuits inspired by the human brain. After a hands-on simulation in which you build and test a machine learning model, you’ll finish with tips on how to find your career in AI. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (1 hour and 15 minutes): Less than a century old, AI has already undergone three waves of transformative development. Today it gives humanity the most powerful tools for analyzing complex data, not only to find meaning but also to learn without human intervention. In this course, you’ll survey AI’s history and explore ways that it can shed light on unstructured data. Natural Language Processing and Computer Vision (1 hour and 30 minutes): You might already know that some AI systems can understand human language, identify visual images, and even create original art. But do you know how these systems do it? In this course, you’ll explore the theory of natural language and vision processing and learn how these technologies drive real-world mechanisms such as chatbots and photo analysis. Machine Learning and Deep Learning (2 hours): In this course, you’ll see how machines can learn and make amazing, evidence-based predictions. Explore the logic behind computers’ ability to learn, then investigate new ways that AI systems inspired by neurons in the human brain can solve difficult problems. Run AI Models with IBM Watson Studio (1 hour and 45 minutes): In this course, you’ll practice creating a machine learning model in a series of simulations, using IBM Watson Studio. This is hands-on time that can help you do actual work with AI. AI Ethics (1 hour and 45 minutes): You might have heard about problems that arise when AI systems misinterpret data or propose solutions that reflect human prejudice. This is the course I talked about above. Through real-world examples, you’ll learn about AI ethics, how they are implemented, and why AI ethics are so important in building trustworthy AI systems. Your Future in AI: The Job Landscape (1 hour): Are you considering a career in AI? In this course, learn about the AI job market’s rapid growth and the skills needed for success in this exciting field. You’ll hear how real professionals got their start, and find resources and learning opportunities that could help you work alongside them. More
