Elements of AI - An Online Course Like No Other

A I and machine learning are widely acknowledged as key technologies in the future. A belief that AI is important to business success is increasing. Yet too few people truly understand how AI works.

Free and open to all, well designed Elements of AI is an online course like no other. It explains what artificial intelligence is, what it can do and what it can’t, and how it affects our lives – all in easy-to-grasp terms, with no programming or complicated math. This course, which is available in all official EU languages, lowers the trouble to learn the basics of AI.

In Finland, the Elements of AI website and articles written about it have been shared online tens of thousands of times. The online course itself has been by far the most popular Helsinki University has ever been organised. Hundreds of Finnish companies have signed up for the #AIchallenge to educate their employees about AI. Globally, over half a million people have signed up for the Elements of AI online courses.

Unleashing the potential of AI the access to data and proper computing capacity are the keys. The Digital Transformation outlines the strategy for the country with the aim to digitize and make the full use of public administration data. Increasing the computing capacity, make it available for the students, scholars and entrepreneurs and supporting to create innovation ecosystems are all central pillars of any successful digital strategy. Economic growth will be established with increased work, labour productivity and new investments, as well as the ability of both companies and the public sector to utilise new technologies.

Information and communication technology (ICT) is the most significant single technology on which the improvement of growth and productivity can be built. Artificial intelligence (AI) is like a turbocharger in an ICT engine.

AI increases the efficiency how things are done. AI generates new products and services. The economy will also benefit from the diffusion of innovations, which will affect different sectors and create new revenue streams. Entire industries are challenged by new technology-backed brands. The impacts are changing not only the economy but the society as a whole.

In summary, governments should weight AI as heavily as other economic and social improvements.

Factors such as investment in research, development and innovations, tech literacy and computing capacity are key to ensuring economic growth and wellbeing of people.

In order to avoid issues such as accuracy, human control, transparency, bias and privacy challenges, its use needs to be carefully and ethically managed.

AI can be used to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making and to improve lives through new services. It can be used to solve some of the thorny policy problems of healthcare, infrastructure and climate change. the governments have to find ways to build AI expertise and understanding, both within the public sector but also within the wider community.

Leaders in all industries need to be thinking whether how and where they should be investing in AI technologies. They also should understand that AI has the potential to disrupt their businesses in case they do not take the chance.

The course explains the implications of AI in everyday situations with interactive exercises, so that the students can make informed decisions as workers, voters, media and product consumers.

The Elements of AI course has been prominently featured in over 500 global media outlets, won multiple international awards, and global acclaim.

Now with over 760,000 students and best user ratings around the world, Elements of AI is the benchmark for making complex issues easily understandable and fun to learn.

AFTER TAKING THE COURSE, STUDENTS CAN: • Understand some of the major implications of AI • Think critically about AI news and claims • Define and discuss what AI is • Explain the methods that make AI possible 250+ companies

Like us, the State of Finland believes in the value of education. As a gift marking the end of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Finland will extend free access to the Elements of AI course in all EU languages during 2020/2021.

“During Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in

2019 (the beginning of July until the end of December 2019),

many initiatives were introduced including Elements of AI.

In Finland, the Elements of AI website and articles written about it have been shared online tens of thousands of times. The online course itself has been by far the most popular Helsinki University has ever been organised. Hundreds of Finnish companies have signed up for the #AIchallenge to educate their employees about AI.

Globally, over half a million people have signed up for the Elements of AI online courses.

The language translations for the initiative have been provided by the European Commission, more specifically by the Directorate-General for Translation in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology.

In addition, the initiative was supported by the Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation.”

The Elements of AI (https://www. elementsofai.com/) is a series of free online courses created by Reaktor and the University of Helsinki aiming to encourage as broad a group of people as possible to learn what AI is, what can (and can’t) be done with AI, and how to start creating AI methods. The courses, which can be done in all the official EU languages.