Introduction to AI

What You'll Learn

This foundational course demystifies AI and gives you the confidence to use it safely and effectively. You'll understand how AI works, learn best practices for everyday tasks, and develop critical thinking skills for evaluating AI outputs.

Week 1: AI Foundations

• What is AI? Understanding large language models and their capabilities
• Key concepts: tokens, context, hallucinations, and limitations
• Hands-on lab: Your first conversations with AI
• Safety principles and responsible AI use

Week 2: Effective Prompting

• The anatomy of a good prompt
• Common prompt patterns: instruction, role-playing, chain-of-thought
• Practical applications for your work
• Ethics and bias awareness

Week 3: AI Tools & Workflows

• Beyond ChatGPT: exploring AI tools landscape
• Document analysis and content creation
• Mini-project: Solve a real work challenge with AI
• Collaboration etiquette when using AI

Week 4: Evaluation & Next Steps

• How to evaluate and fact-check AI outputs
• Recognizing when AI is and isn't appropriate
• Capstone: Present your mini-project
• Your AI learning roadmap going forward

Who Should Attend

• Complete beginners to AI and large language models
• Office workers, administrators, and support staff
• Anyone wanting to understand AI basics before diving deeper
• Professionals seeking to boost productivity with AI
• Those curious about AI but unsure where to start

What's Included

• 4 × 1-hour face-to-face sessions in Oxford
• Comprehensive course handbook and cheat sheets (PDF)
• Hands-on labs and real-world exercises
• Personal project feedback from instructor
• Certificate of completion
• Access to private Discord community
• Office hours for questions between sessions

Prerequisites

None! This course assumes no prior AI knowledge. You just need:

• A laptop or tablet (bring to each session)
• Basic computer literacy
• Curiosity and willingness to experiment

Course Format

Duration: 4 weeks, one evening per week
Time: 18:30 - 19:30
Location: Oxford (venue confirmed upon booking)
Cohort size: 10 students (max 12)

Pricing & Refunds

Standard: £149 per person
Early bird: £129 (book ≥14 days before start)
Buddy discount: 10% off when you book with a colleague

Refund policy: Full refund if cancelled ≥7 days before start; 50% refund 3-6 days before; transfers allowed within 72 hours if a waitlist exists.