AI for Decision Makers from Coursera

This course on AI for Decision Makers explores the growing use of AI across disciplines and its potential benefits and challenges. The course covers necessary context, such as discussing what AI is, how it works, Ethical considerations, and policy considerations. Through exploring the many AI possibilities at your fingertips, you will build leadership skills for helping your business, lab, organization, or community work more efficiently, creatively, and ethically.

Unique Features of this Course

- Explanation of AI with minimal jargon

- Beginner friendly for those who want to get started learning how to leverage generative AI

- Focus on the application for busy workplace leaders

- Emphasis on responsible and ethical use of AI

- Useful ideas for how to leverage tools to make your work better and more efficient

- A fun and playful approach to learning

Key Words

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Data Science, Technology Leadership, Technology-driven Workplace

Intended Audience

- Professionals looking to understand AI at a strategic level

- Industry and non-profit leaders and decision makers

- Anyone curious about how AI can be harnessed for technology

Learning Objectives

- Identify common technologies and whether or not they are AI

- Explain the essential "behind the scenes" technology of how AI works

- Identify possibilities for using AI while understanding its limitations

- Describe key ethical concerns for using AI tools

- Recognize real-world examples of AI usage that has resulted in ethical debate

- Identify possible mitigation strategies for major ethical concerns with regard to the algorithms underlying AI tools

- Describe components of LLMs and other AI models and how training data is critical to their accuracy

- Identify what kinds of customizations and staffing needs your AI project requires

- Discuss a variety of low to high investment strategies for meeting customized knowledge needs

- Identify the key elements of a good AI policy

- Identify key legal categories relevant to AI use, including intellectual property, data privacy, and liability

- Identify strategies for building flexible and adaptable AI policies, such as living documents and separate best practices guidelines

Accessibility

We are committed to making our content accessible and available to all. We welcome any feedback you might have at https://forms.gle/3sTZpctxzYyhj74NA. Questions related to accessibility accommodations should be directed to https://studentserviceportal.force.com/s/.

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction to AI for Decision Makers

This course is made up of four minicourses and describes key information regarding AI for decision makers. This first module explains the structure of the content and the motivation.

Exploring AI Possibilities

This minicourse on Exploring AI Possibilities for Decision Makers explores the growing use of AI across disciplines and its potential benefits and challenges.

Avoiding AI Harm

This minicourse is intended to introduce some of the major ethical issues related to using and developing AI tools, as well as possible general mitigation strategies for those in decision making positions. It also introduces real-world examples of situations that revealed troubling ethical concerns. The course is not meant to replace legal or ethical counsel, but rather to introduce topics to help such discussions.

Determining AI Needs

This minicourse is designed to equip participants with resource and project considerations when undertaking any AI project. Participants will gain an understanding of the decision-making process between adopting pre-built AI products and constructing custom models, taking into account project complexity and customization requirements.

Developing AI Policy

This minicourse is intended to equip you with the knowledge you need to develop an effective AI policy for your organization.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores AI possibilities for decision makers, providing practical knowledge for busy leaders

Suitable for professionals and leaders seeking to understand AI at a strategic level

Covers ethical considerations, helping decision makers navigate AI's impact responsibly

Led by experienced instructors from Stanford University, providing credibility and expertise in AI

Emphasizes customization and resource considerations, equipping learners for practical AI implementation

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in AI for Decision Makers with these activities:

Organize or participate in a study group with other students to discuss course material and work on projects together

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Collaborate with your peers to reinforce your understanding and gain different perspectives.

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Find a group of students who are interested in forming a study group.
Decide on a regular meeting time and place.
Set goals for each study session.
Take turns leading the discussion and presenting on different topics.
Work on projects and assignments together.
Provide feedback and support to each other.

Review 'AI for Everyone' by Marr, Bernard

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Learn about the basics of AI, including its history, different types, and applications.

View Generative AI in Practice on Amazon

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Read the book 'AI for Everyone' by Bernard Marr.
Take notes on the key concepts and ideas presented in the book.
Summarize the main points of each chapter.
Reflect on how the concepts in the book relate to your own experiences with AI.
Discuss the book with a friend or colleague.

Volunteer your time to mentor other students in the course who are struggling with the material

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Enhance your understanding of the material by helping others.

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Identify a student who is struggling with the course material.
Offer your help and support.
Meet with the student regularly to review the material and answer their questions.
Provide feedback and encouragement.
Celebrate the student's successes.

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Practice using different AI tools and techniques through online tutorials

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Gain hands-on experience with AI by practicing on a variety of tasks.

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Identify a specific AI task that you want to practice.
Find an online tutorial that teaches you how to perform the task in the AI platform or programming language of your choice.
Follow the steps in the tutorial to complete the task, taking notes on any difficulties you encounter.
Repeat the process for additional AI tasks, gradually increasing the complexity of the tasks.
Share your experiences and learnings with other students in the course.

Follow online tutorials to learn about specific AI algorithms and models

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Deepen your understanding of the inner workings of AI by exploring specific algorithms and models.

Browse courses on AI Algorithms

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Identify a specific AI algorithm or model that you want to learn about.
Find an online tutorial that provides a clear and concise explanation of the algorithm or model.
Follow the steps in the tutorial to understand the concepts behind the algorithm or model.
Implement the algorithm or model in a programming language of your choice to gain hands-on experience.
Explain the algorithm or model to a friend or colleague to test your understanding.

Create a blog post or article that explains a specific AI concept or application to a non-technical audience

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Develop your communication skills by explaining AI to a broader audience.

Browse courses on AI Concepts

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Choose a specific AI concept or application that you want to explain.
Research the topic thoroughly to gather accurate information.
Write a blog post or article that is clear, concise, and engaging, using non-technical language.
Include examples and real-world applications to make the concept relatable.
Publish your blog post or article online and share it with others.

Develop a project proposal for an AI solution to address a specific business or social problem

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Apply your knowledge of AI to real-world problems by proposing an innovative solution.

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Identify a specific business or social problem that you want to address with AI.
Research the problem to understand its scope and impact.
Develop a project proposal that outlines your proposed AI solution, including its objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.
Present your project proposal to a group of peers or mentors for feedback.
Refine your project proposal based on the feedback received.
Implement your AI solution and evaluate its effectiveness.

Career center

Learners who complete AI for Decision Makers will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

AI Engineer

An AI Engineer builds and maintains AI systems and applications. They collaborate with business stakeholders, data scientists and software engineers to understand business requirements, design and implement AI solutions, and monitor and evaluate their performance. This course will provide you with the technical skills needed to build and deploy AI systems, including cloud computing, big data and distributed systems. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible AI engineering.

See salaries and explore the career path for AI Engineer

AI Developer

An AI Developer designs, develops and implements AI solutions to solve complex business problems. They work with data scientists and engineers to collect, analyze and interpret data to train and deploy AI models. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of AI, including machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible AI development.

See salaries and explore the career path for AI Developer

AI Researcher

An AI Researcher develops new AI algorithms and techniques to solve challenging problems in various fields such as computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics. They work with data scientists and engineers to collect, analyze and interpret data to train and evaluate AI models. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in the theoretical foundations of AI, including machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible AI research.

See salaries and explore the career path for AI Researcher

Machine Learning Engineer

A Machine Learning Engineer builds and deploys machine learning models to solve business problems. They work with data scientists and engineers to collect, analyze and interpret data to train and evaluate machine learning models. This course will provide you with the skills needed to build and deploy machine learning models, including supervised learning, unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible machine learning engineering.

See salaries and explore the career path for Machine Learning Engineer

Business Analyst

A Business Analyst uses data and technology to analyze business processes and identify opportunities for improvement. They work with business stakeholders to understand business requirements and develop solutions to meet those requirements. This course will provide you with the skills needed to analyze business processes and identify opportunities for improvement, including data analysis, process modeling and business intelligence. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible business analysis.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Data Scientist

A Data Scientist uses data to extract insights and knowledge to solve business problems. They work with data engineers and business stakeholders to collect, analyze and interpret data to identify trends and patterns. This course will provide you with the skills needed to collect, analyze and interpret data, including statistics, machine learning and data visualization. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible data science.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Product Manager

A Product Manager develops and manages products to meet the needs of users. They work with engineers, designers and marketers to define product requirements, design and implement product features, and launch and market products. This course will provide you with the skills needed to develop and manage products, including product planning, product design and product marketing. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible product management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Project Manager

A Project Manager plans, executes and controls projects to achieve specific goals. They work with project stakeholders to define project scope, develop project plans and execute and control projects to meet those plans. This course will provide you with the skills needed to plan, execute and control projects, including project planning, project scheduling and project risk management. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible project management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Marketing Manager

A Marketing Manager develops and executes marketing campaigns to promote products and services. They work with marketing teams to develop marketing strategies, create marketing content and manage marketing budgets. This course will provide you with the skills needed to develop and execute marketing campaigns, including marketing strategy, marketing communications and marketing analytics. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible marketing management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager

Information Technology Manager

An Information Technology Manager plans, executes and controls information technology functions to achieve specific goals. They work with information technology teams to define information technology scope, develop information technology plans and execute and control information technology functions to meet those plans. This course may provide you with some skills that are useful for information technology management, such as information technology planning and information security. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible information technology management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Information Technology Manager

Human Resources Manager

A Human Resources Manager plans, executes and controls human resources functions to achieve specific goals. They work with human resources teams to define human resources scope, develop human resources plans and execute and control human resources functions to meet those plans. This course may provide you with some skills that are useful for human resources management, such as employee relations and compensation and benefits. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible human resources management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager

Operations Manager

An Operations Manager plans, executes and controls operations to achieve specific goals. They work with operations teams to define operations scope, develop operations plans and execute and control operations to meet those plans. This course may provide you with some skills that are useful for operations management, such as process improvement and supply chain management. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible operations management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Manager

Financial Manager

A Financial Manager plans, executes and controls financial functions to achieve specific goals. They work with financial teams to define financial scope, develop financial plans and execute and control financial functions to meet those plans. This course may provide you with some skills that are useful for financial management, such as financial planning and budgeting. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible financial management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Manager

Sales Manager

A Sales Manager leads and manages sales teams to achieve sales targets. They work with sales teams to develop sales strategies, create sales presentations and close sales deals. This course may provide you with some skills that are useful for sales management, such as communication skills and negotiation skills. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible sales management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Manager

Chief Executive Officer

A Chief Executive Officer plans, executes and controls all aspects of an organization to achieve specific goals. They work with senior management to define organizational scope, develop organizational plans and execute and control organizational functions to meet those plans. This course may provide you with some skills that are useful for chief executive officers, such as strategic planning and leadership. You will also learn about the ethical and policy considerations of using AI, which is essential for responsible chief executive officer management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Executive Officer

AI for Decision Makers

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