Beginner · 5 lessons · about 40 min · free certificate

AI foundations: what it is, how it works, where it fails

A plain-language guide to what modern AI chat tools really are, how they produce text, why they sometimes make things up, and what they are good and bad at. For anyone starting from zero.

For: Adults with no technical background who want to understand AI well enough to use it with confidence and judgment.

Start lesson 1

When you finish

  • You can explain in simple words how a large language model produces an answer.
  • You can spot the situations where AI is likely to make things up, and what to do about it.
  • You can describe how bias gets into AI answers and how to reduce its effect on your work.
  • You can sort a task into good fit, risky fit, or poor fit for AI.
  • You can name the main kinds of AI tools and pick the right kind for a job.

Lessons

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  1. What AI is, and what it is notabout 6 minWhen you finish, you can explain what a chat AI is in a few plain sentences and say what kind of thing it is not.
  2. How a language model produces textabout 6 minWhen you finish, you can describe in plain words how a language model turns your question into an answer.
  3. Why AI makes things up, and how to catch itabout 5 minWhen you finish, you can explain why hallucinations happen and use three habits that catch most of them.
  4. Bias, blind spots and the limits of AIabout 6 minWhen you finish, you can explain how bias gets into AI answers and judge which tasks fit AI well and which do not.
  5. The main kinds of AI tools people useabout 6 minWhen you finish, you can tell the main kinds of AI tools apart and pick a sensible kind for a job.

Final exam and certificate

10 questions. Score 8 or more for a free certificate of completion you can share and add to LinkedIn. Unlimited tries.

Take the final exam

Prompts you can use today

Copy one, replace the [brackets] with your details, and paste it into the AI tool you use. Leave out anything private.

Explain a term simply

Explain [term or concept] to me as if I am a smart adult who has never studied it. Use one everyday example from [my field or hobby]. Keep it under 150 words, then ask me one question to check I understood.

Test for made-up facts

I am going to ask you about [topic]. For every fact you give, tell me how confident you are (high, medium, low) and what I should check elsewhere. If you are not sure something exists, say so instead of guessing.

Find the other side

Here is my opinion on [issue]: [your opinion]. Give me the three strongest arguments from people who disagree, written fairly, the way they would say it themselves.

Check a task for AI fit

I want to use AI for this task: [describe task]. Tell me which parts AI can do well, which parts it might get wrong, and which parts I should do myself. Be honest if AI is a poor fit.

Spot possible bias

Read this text I wrote: [paste text]. Point out any wording, assumptions or examples that might leave out or stereotype a group of people. Suggest neutral alternatives.

Compare two kinds of tools

I need to [goal]. Explain the difference between using a chat assistant, a search tool with AI answers, and a tool built into an app I already use. Which fits best for me and why?

Plain-language summary with limits

Summarize the text below in five bullet points a teenager could follow. Then list anything in the text you were unsure about or that I should verify. Text: [paste text]

Ask the AI tutor

Ask anything about this course, in any language. The tutor is an AI: it can be wrong, and it never needs your personal details.

AI-drafted. Checked by an automated validator and a separate AI reviewer; a person has not read every lesson. Translations and tutor answers are AI-made. Found a mistake? Tell us. Tool facts last checked November 2026; features change, so check the product's own help pages. AI can be wrong. General information, not professional advice. Product names identify the tools taught; no affiliation or endorsement. Current University is not accredited; certificates of completion are not degrees, credit or licenses.