Do you want to learn more about Artificial Intelligence? University of Stavanger (UiS) now offer two new courses about this topic.
UiS now offers the flexible and full online course Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The course provides you with the foundations to understand and be critical about AI technologies and its use for your idea, business, studies or job.
– It's for everyone, the lecturer for the course, Alvaro Fernandez Quilez says. He is an associate professor in Artificial Intelligence at UiS.
– A realistic perspective on AI
The content in this course ranges from understanding what AI and some of the most common terminology in the domain (for example, deep learning) is, considerations before adopting AI for the problem at hand, what is generative AI, available generative AI tools, and ethical/legal implications when you use AI.
– I think people should take this course because it will give them a realistic perspective on AI, and why it's a really hot topic. I personally believe that it's something people will need in the future.
He tells that the course will be about stuff in the daily life, that will make people get the most out of AI in their jobs or at their study.
The course will have four big blocks, Quilez explains:
- The first one will be about what Artificial Intelligence is, and what it's not. The definition of every "buzz word" that probably everyone hear about nowadays.
- The second part will be about which considerations to take if you embrace AI in your business, in your work, and when it's the right time to do so.
- The third part is about generative AI, including ChatGPT, and how to use some of these tools.
- The fourth one is about the ethics. Like «If I use AI, should I be concerned about something?» or «Can I have legal issues?»
A course for both students and people in different professional fields
Quilez says that the course will fit for anyone who doesn't have a lot knowledge about Artificial Intelligence.
– It can be useful for both teachers and students. Maybe it can be useful for parents that are worried about their kids using AI. It can also be useful for university professors, who may not be so updated when it comes to AI.
Since the course is teached fully online, it will be a good fit for people who are working. The exam will be a project.
– I think the project will be interesting for a lot of people, because we move away from the traditional exams with questions. It's a hands-on project where you are forced to use AI. You will work on a problem that you think will be relevant in the workplace or at home. And you need to propose a solution using AI tools that you've been learning in this course, Quilez explains.
– What do you want to say to those who are sceptical to AI?
– They should take this course, to find out that it's not the case. It's good that you're asking that, because the course is actually intended for those who are very sceptical. The course is bringing a realistic perspective on AI. It's not really about how magnificent AI is, it's more like «AI is really good at this, but also really bad at that,» he says.
AI course for engineers
Do you already know quite a lot about Artificial Intelligence? If you have a background in engineering, you're welcome to apply the new course Artificial Intelligence for Engineers, which is also a full online course.
– This course is intended for people who know how to program. So I think it's a logical step. Maybe you want to dive into a bit more technicalities of AI, Quilez says.
Tom Ryen at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UiS, says it means a lot for UiS to get these new courses in Artificial Intelligence.
– For UiS it's very important to be able to fill a need that many people have right now, both at UiS and in the society, which is about learning what AI is, and how to use AI in a good way. More knowledge is important to utilize the technology better, and at the same time be aware of the challenges that comes with AI. That makes us more robust, both as an individual and as a society.
Quilez really hopes UiS will have more online courses:
– I think it's going to be a trend. That's how students nowadays are working. If I have some free time, and want to learn something, I'd like to have the freedom of joining online. I really hope that UiS will have more online and flexible courses.
You can apply for the courses Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Artificial Intelligence for Engineers until the 1st of September.
