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AI Foundations: Understanding Today's AI Tools

AI Foundations: Understanding Today's AI Tools is a self-paced AIvanced Academy course (12 lessons, 3h 26m).

Learn how AI chat tools like ChatGPT and Copilot work, write clear prompts, keep private information out, and check AI's work before you use it.

Length: 3h 26m
12 lessons in 3 modules
Level: Beginner
Certificate of completion
Price: $19.99 one-time, lifetime access

Also included with Academy Membership ($29.99/month or $249.99/year) and with a Teams plan. See pricing

About this course

For anyone who has tried ChatGPT a few times and wants to use AI with more confidence. No tech background is needed.

You'll follow Lena, the office coordinator at Fernhill Property Services, a made-up company that manages apartment buildings. Step by step, you'll learn to:

Understand how AI chat tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and Claude write their answers, and why they can sound sure and still be wrong
Write clear prompts with a simple recipe: task, material, shape, rules
Pick the right kind of AI tool for a job, or choose no AI
Keep private information out of AI tools
Ask AI to fix a weak draft
Spot made-up claims and check facts before you use them

You'll finish by turning meeting notes into a checked update and planning, prompting and checking a real-world notice from start to finish.

What you need: any AI chat tool. A free account is fine. Every exercise uses made-up details, and every exercise can also be done by writing it yourself. One exercise offers an optional practice AI built into the course.

Time: about 3 hours 25 minutes, across 12 lessons. Most lessons take 10 to 20 minutes; the Final Practice takes about 35. The first two lessons are free to preview.

Certificate: complete every lesson, submit the Final Practice, and score at least 75% (6 of 8) on the Final Knowledge Check.

Topics: ai basics, chatgpt, copilot, prompts, fact-checking, privacy, choosing an ai tool, hallucinations

What you'll learn

Explain how AI chat tools write their answers and why a confident answer can still be wrong
Write a clear prompt using task, material, shape and rules
Choose the right kind of AI tool for a task, or decide that a person should do it without AI
Keep passwords, private details and company information out of the wrong AI tools by using placeholders
Write a follow-up that fixes a weak AI draft without adding new claims
Spot made-up claims and decide whether to prove, soften or cut them
Check an AI draft against its source for names, dates and numbers, promises and audience before it's approved

A Try It exercise called "Your first prompt": a short scenario about moving a team meeting from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., then numbered steps to send a prompt in ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or Claude, paste the reply, and note one thing to keep or change. — From AI Foundations, Lesson 1, a free preview. You do the task in your own AI tool, then a quick check explains the answer. Try this lesson free

A quick check question about an AI tool that confidently states a rent late fee. The answer "It may be a guess, because the tool can't see Fernhill's leases" is marked correct, with an explanation of why asking again proves nothing and the fact should be checked in the lease. — From AI Foundations, Lesson 1, a free preview. You do the task in your own AI tool, then a quick check explains the answer. Try this lesson free

Course outline

Understand AI Tools

What AI Chat Tools Are and How They Write (free preview)
What AI Does Well, and Where It Goes Wrong (free preview)
Your First Good Prompt
Pick the Right AI Tool
Guided Check: Match the Tool to the Task

Work Safely and Check Results

Keep Private Information Out
Ask AI to Fix Its Draft (Try It Live If You Like)
Guided Check: Spot the Made-Up Claim
Check AI's Work Before You Use It

Put It All Together

Structured Simulation: Turn Meeting Notes into a Checked Update
Final Practice: Plan an AI-Assisted Task
Final Knowledge Check

Start with the free preview lessons, no account required. Questions about buying