AI has been under development for decades. Recently, AI has taken a hockey stick trajectory into the mainstream with the development of new and ever evolving AI tools. At 67 years old, I have not been the most informed on technology over the years. As I speak with others at our HLSA Networking events I KNOW there are useful and evolving benefits for AI. But many have a self-imposed roadblock on learning new technology.
Whether you are just starting your career or if you are a seasoned executive there will be a place in your toolbox for AI which will enhance your career or just assist you in becoming more efficient and familiar with the technology and its tools.
As a result of my shortcomings in technology I decided to become more familiarized with AI and its current development. I did so by enrolling in a free certificate course from the University of North Florida (UNF). The course is currently free for a limited time thanks to NLP Logix who has sponsored the program.
This program is designed to help professionals, students and lifelong learners understand and apply Artificial Intelligence in practical, everyday contexts – both in the workplace and beyond. The program is fully online and consisted of 8, self-paced modules with an approximate 10-hour duration total timeline.
I started Module 1 on October 23rd and completed Module 8 and received my certificate on November 16th. The Course was facilitated by various experts and leaders in AI development in a number of various platforms.
The introduction to AI was the catalyst for starting the program and was interesting and thought provoking. It fueled my ambition to learn more. The course then moved onto highlighting a number of AI Tools, how to use them and incorporated a demonstration on how these tools can be accessed and utilized for your work or life benefits.
In my opinion, the module on the Art and Science of Prompting was the most valuable as this is the key to getting your desired results from any AI tool. The program then progressed into the rising ethical challenges that AI brings. Narrow AI vs Large Language Models (LLMs) were discussed along with the pitfalls of each. AI is not perfect so there are necessary guidelines you need to know about when engaging with AI tools.
The program then addressed AI in key industries such as Medicine, Law and everyday life and progressed into how AI has and may affect our world as it continuously develops and evolves. The material covered make me think about the possibilities and cemented my decision to take this valuable beginner’s course.
I can enhance my newly gained knowledge further by engaging further with the utilization of AI tools and learning how to make AI enhance my work & everyday life. Jumping in and utilizing various AI tools will ultimately determine the extent of knowledge I will gain. I would suggest that any beginning student or seasoned executive with limited knowledge take a beginner’s course which may possibly inspire you by going into deeper context through the many programs that are developing on the Topic of Artificial Intelligence.
