How to sign up for Amazon’s FREE AI course this week

Amazon has today unveiled a suite of training courses for businesses to access free learning on generative artificial intelligence (AI). Dubbed “AI Ready”, the program is a significant lifeline for UK workforces currently grappling with a widening AI skills gap.

The global ecommerce company claims the initiative will provide the tools and knowledge for SME owners to stay up-to-date with rapidly-developing AI technologies. It is targeting training up to two million people globally by 2025.

The announcement comes after Amazon became the latest tech giant to announce an AI-powered chatbot. The tool, named ‘Q’, was unveiled on the eve of ChatGPT’s first birthday. Its arrival signals the huge impact that AI has already had on businesses.

AI Ready courses

Amazon’s cloud-technology unit, Amazon Web Services (AWS) already offers 80+ low-cost courses and resources for AI. However, the new AI Ready program will give access to a range of beginner courses to aid and upskill technical workers and business professionals.

The eight online learning courses will focus on developing the most sought-after AI abilities, such as prompt writing and coding. Applicants can choose from a variety of skill levels that cater for various education, career, and technical backgrounds.

For business users:

1. Generative AI Learning Plan for Decision Makers teaches participants how to plan a generative AI project.
2. Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence introduces the topic of generative AI, including its applications and need-to-know concepts.
3. Introduction to Amazon CodeWhisperer teaches participants how to use Amazon’s AI code generator.

For developers:

1. Amazon Transcribe Getting Started teaches participants how to use Amazon Transcribe, an AI tool that converts speech to text.
2. Building Generative AI Applications Using Amazon Bedrock teaches participants how to use Amazon Bedrock to build generative AI applications.
3. Building Language Models on AWS teaches participants how to use Amazon SageMaker’s to build language models
4. Foundations of Prompt Engineering teaches participants to write effective prompts.
5. Low-Code Machine Learning on AWS teaches participants with minimal coding skills how to train and deploy machine learning models.

Josh Boer is Director at tech consultancy firm VeUP. Reviewing the AI Ready course list, Boer commented: “Building workforces that are technically skilled in areas such as AI will play a central role in capitalising for fast-growing businesses, so it is great to see large corporations such as Amazon prioritise accessible training.

“As tech-powered businesses continue to grow and organisations focus on their digital transformations, funding, training and educating opportunities must be kept top of mind.”

How to sign up to AI Ready

Each of the AI Ready courses will be available to learners on the AWS Educate platform. There are zero entry requirements; AWS Educate is open to individuals of all ages and backgrounds and does not require any prior experience with cloud computing.

Applying for AWS Educate is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few minutes. To apply, follow these steps:

Step 1. Sign up to the AWS Educate website: Visit the AWS Educate website and click on the “Sign Up” button.

Step 2. Create an account: Click on the “Create an AWS Account” button and follow the prompts to create an account, such as entering your personal information and creating a password.

Step 3. Verify email: Once you’ve created an AWS account, you’ll need to verify your email address. Check your email for a message from AWS and click on the verification link.

Step 4. Complete your profile: Once verified, the application will ask you to enter your name, institution (if applicable), and your role.

Step 5. Select your learning course: Select the free AI training course or tutorial that is most relevant to your interests and experience.

Need for businesses

12 months ago, a worker’s understanding of AI would have had very little impact on their employability unless they were in a technical or scientific role. In a post-ChatGPT world, however, the rapid rollout of generative AI tools has caught many owners off guard.

Businesses across all sectors are now seeking relevant talent faster than employees can master it. Coupled with rising wages, many firms have been left feeling short-changed. Senior leaders are being forced to fork out for salary increases, while at the same time struggling with a widening skills deficit.

These AI anxieties are trickling down to affect employee satisfaction. 56% of HR managers agreed that the necessity to develop new machine learning and automation skills is contributing to increased worker stress.

Combined, these struggles signal an opportunity for employers to invest in AI training and workshops to generate dual benefits for company and colleagues.

Dr Marc Warner, is CEO of Faculty, a tech consultancy firm. Commenting on Amazon’s entry into the artificial intelligence game, Warner tells Startups: “AI is the defining technology of our generation.

“The news of Amazon launching its own chatbot to rival Google and Microsoft has cemented the fact – if there was any doubt remaining – that generative AI is here to stay.”