As part of an effort to make AI training more accessible, Google announced on Friday that it is launching a new course that teaches individuals how to utilize artificial intelligence technologies. The company’s philanthropic arm is also contributing $75 million to allow 1 million Americans to take the course for free.
The Google-owned tech company said that its Google AI Essentials course, created and instructed by its own AI experts, teaches employees the fundamentals of using generative AI tools, such OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, and is independent of any particular product.
For $49, you may take the approximately 10-hour course online at Coursera. Upon completion, you will receive a certificate that you can show to potential employers. Neither a degree nor any prior experience are necessary.
Google announced that in addition to being offered by organizations, businesses, and educational institutions, the new AI course would also be made available to students enrolled in Miami Dade College’s AI college degree program.
A $75 million AI Opportunity Fund has also been established by Google’s nonprofit organization, Google.org, to support workforce development and education organizations in providing free AI training to over a million individuals in underserved and rural communities, as well as educators, students, public sector employees, nonprofit executives, and small businesses.
Goodwill, which has provided Google’s digital skills programs since 2017, will be among the first grant beneficiaries from the AI Opportunity Fund, according to Google. These programs have helped about 400,000 Americans get well-paying employment.
“AI offers significant opportunities to accelerate economic growth, particularly if people have access to the right resources and training,” remarked James Manyika, senior vice president for Research, Technology & Society at Google, in a release.
“Google.org’s new AI Opportunity Fund and Google’s AI Essentials Course are important next steps in our commitment to ensure everyone, everywhere can access AI training,” Manyika said.
“No single employer or policymaker will be able to modernize workforce programs on their own — we are committed to collaborating across industry, civil society and government to ensure the opportunities created by new technologies are available to everyone.”