AI is everywhere today.

The algorithms that drive your Netflix and Spotify recommendations use AI to figure out what you’ll like based on what you’ve already consumed. Every chatbot you’ve ever spoken to, targeted ad you’ve seen, and even the more fanciful ideas floating around (self-driving cars, anyone?) use AI to some degree.

Given that so many businesses use AI already, it stands to reason that taking online courses on the subject will help you get ahead. But for the budget-conscious among you, a course that costs thousands of euros isn’t the route you want to go down. You want a free AI course.

That’s where this article comes in. But let’s get something clear immediately, a free AI course won’t go into as much depth as a paid one. Nor will it give you a qualification that’s as prestigious as one from a formal educational institution. But what it will give you is foundational knowledge, often backed by a certification, which is why we’re looking at four of the best AI courses you can study for free in this article.

Top Artificial Intelligence Course Online Free With Certificate – Four Great Options

Is it really possible to find an artificial intelligence free course with certificate that shows you have actually learned something useful? It is, and these four courses are great examples.

Course 1 – Elements of AI (University of Helsinki)

With over 950,000 students already to its name, the Elements of AI course is all about lifting the veil on the mysterious concept of AI. It includes two modules, the first giving you an introduction to the “whats” and “wherefores” of AI, with the second digging into building your own AI models. It’s set up to run in 170 countries and is ideal for those who want a basic grasp on AI that they can build on with other courses.

Key Topics Covered

  • The theory of AI, including what is and isn’t possible with the tech
  • Development of basic AI algorithms
  • An introduction (and exploration) of using Python to create AI models
  • Practical exercises that you can take at your own pace to see how AI applies in real-world scenarios

Certificate Details

The certification you get from this free AI course comes directly from the University of Helsinki, which is a recognized and authoritative European institution. But it’s important to note that the certificate is not a degree. Instead, it’s both a demonstration of your grasp of basic AI concepts and a statement of your intent to dig deeper into the topic.

Course 2 – Machine Learning With Python: A Practical Introduction (IBM)

There are three things you want from your AI course – online, free, and practical. IBM’s offering delivers all three, with the focus being on how you can apply machine learning (with Python programs underpinning your models) to the real world. The content is created and delivered by Saeed Aghabozorgi, who’s a senior data scientist at IBM, meaning it comes direct from somebody who understands precisely how machine learning is applied in practical terms.

Key Topics Covered

  • Python programming in the context of creating machine learning models
  • The theory and application of both supervised and unsupervised learning
  • An introduction to the most common machine learning algorithms
  • Real-world examples of how machine learning is already impacting society

Certificate Details

In return for five weeks of your time (estimated study – four to five hours per week) you’ll earn an IBM “skill badge.” This online credential verifies that you’ve completed the course and can be shared on social media profiles. The course is also part of IBM’s Data Science Professional Certificate Program, making it a piece of a larger jigsaw puzzle of free AI courses that you can complete over the course of a year to get an IBM certificate.

Course 3 – Supervised Machine Learning: Regression and Classification (DeepLearning.AI via Coursera)

You’re getting into specialization territory with this course, which serves as the first of several that make up DeepLearning.AI’s Machine Learning Specialization certificate. It’s a completely online course that allows you to reset deadlines to suit your schedule and takes about 33 hours of studying to complete. Sadly, it’s only available in English (at the time of writing), which may make it less accessible to non-English speakers.

Key Topics Covered

  • A wide-spanning introduction to the various types of machine learning
  • Explanations of the best practices for AI implementation currently used in major Silicon Valley companies
  • Several mathematical and statistical concepts, such as linear regression
  • Practical examples and project work for building predictive machine learning models

Certificate Details

Coursera provides its own shareable certificates to anybody who completes this course, with those certificates being shareable on social media and printable for your CV. It’s also worth noting that this course is part of a wider three-course program. Combine it with DeepLearning.AI’s Advanced Learning Algorithms and Unsupervised Learning and Recommender Systems to get two more course-specific certificates and a certificate for completing all three courses.

Course 4 – Learn With Google AI (Google)

Learn with Google AI is less a dedicated course and more a collection of different modules (and even competitions) designed to help you get to grips with AI. Think of it like a resource bank, only it incorporates practical exercises as well as theoretical information. Beyond the courses themselves, you’ll find a useful glossary and some guides for how AI can apply to environmental and social courses.

Key Topics Covered

  • Theoretical modules covering machine learning, neural networks, and the ethics behind AI
  • Hands-on tutorials that give you practical experience with the course content
  • Real-world examples of how Google incorporates AI into what it does
  • Competitions that allow you to test your skills against other participants

Certificate Details

Learn with Google AI isn’t a traditionally structured course, and that’s reflected in the lack of certification for completing the courses in this resource bank. It’s better to think of these courses as free primers that equip you with the knowledge you need to ace other free (or paid) AI courses.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an AI Course

The price is certainly right with a free AI course, but you’re still investing valuable time into whichever program you choose. Think about the following to ensure you spend that time wisely:

  • Course content – Though many artificial intelligence free course will cover the basic concepts underpinning AI, you want to know that you’re going somewhere with what you learn. Think about why you’re studying AI and whether the course will move you closer to your goals.
  • Course duration and flexibility – Online courses come with a key advantage over traditional programs – you control your studying. That flexibility allows you to fit your studies around your life, though you still have deliverables (and sometimes tests) you need to complete.
  • Instructor credentials – With free courses, the certification you get isn’t as immediately prestigious as one you’d receive from a paid course. A respected instructor can add that prestige. Research the background of whoever creates and delivers the course, specifically checking their reputation as a teacher and experiences in the AI industry.
  • Community support and resources – Given that most free AI courses focus on self-learning, you need to know that there are people (or resources) around to help when you get stuck. No learner is an island. If there are other students and instructors around to offer guidance, you have a course that you’re more likely to pass.
  • Certificate value – As touched upon earlier, the value of your certificate plays a role in your decision, with specific attention being paid to how employers will see that certificate on your CV. A respected instructor or a course delivered by a major brand (think Google or IBM) adds credibility compared to courses delivered by nameless and faceless individuals.

Tips for Successfully Completing an AI Course Online

No athlete gets a gold medal for running half a race, and the same applies to students who don’t complete the courses they start. Use these tips to see you through when the going gets tough:

  • Set clear goals for yourself, which inform the course you choose and help to motivate you if you start feeling discouraged when struggling with the material.
  • Dedicate time to learning both in the context of your course and by parsing out personal time for practice.
  • Engage with the community that’s evolved around the course to learn directly from peers and qualified professionals.
  • Never be afraid of seeking help when needed, as you’re learning some complex concepts that are all too easy to misinterpret.
  • Take every opportunity you can find to apply the theoretical concepts you learn in real-world scenarios.

Study AI Courses Free Online

A free AI course is never going to be a direct substitute for a paid course delivered by a recognized institution. But it doesn’t have to be. Free courses can set you up with general skills that you can apply in your existing workplace, in addition to helping you lay a foundation for future study. And in some cases (such as with courses offered directly by major AI players) you’ll get a certification that actually means something to employers.

AI is going to be so much more than a part of future technology. It’ll be the bedrock on which everything to come is built. Your efforts to expand your knowledge in the field will help you become one of the people who lay that bedrock. The sooner you start learning (and applying) AI, the better your position will be when the AI revolution truly takes hold.

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Metro: Is the AI bubble about to burst after Bank of England warns of dot-com crash repeat?
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Oct 15, 2025 5 min read

Source:

  • Metro, published on October 09th, 2025

The Bank of England is ringing the bell over an ‘AI bubble’ that could burst at any moment – or maybe not, some experts told Metro.

By Josh Milton

After ChatGPT came on the scene in 2022, the tech industry quickly began comparing the arrival of AI to the dawn of the internet in the 1990s.

Back then, dot-com whizzes were minting easy millions only for the bubble to burst in 2000 when interest rates were hiked. Investors sold off their holdings, companies went bust and people lost their jobs.

Now central bank officials are worried that the AI industry may see a similar boom and bust.

record of the Financial Policy Committee’s October 2 meeting shows officials saying financial market evaluations of AI ‘appear stretched’.

‘This, when combined with increasing concentration within market indices, leaves equity markets particularly exposed should expectations around the impact of AI become less optimistic,’ they added.

AI-focused stocks are mainly in US markets but as so many investors across the world have bought into it, a fallout would be felt globally.

ChatGPT creator OpenAI, chip-maker Nvidia and cloud service firm Oracle are among the AI poster companies being priced big this year.

Earnings are ‘comparable to the peak of the dot-com bubble’, committee members said.

Factors like limited resources – think power-hungry data centres, utilities and software that companies are spending billions on – and the unpredictability of the world’s politics could lead to a drop in stock prices, called a ‘correction’.

In other words, the committee said, investors may be ignoring how risky AI technology is.

Metro spoke with nearly a dozen financial analysts, AI experts and stock researchers about whether AI will suffer a similar fate. There were mixed feelings.

‘Every bubble starts with a story people want to believe,’ says Dat Ngo, of the trading guide, Vetted Prop Firms.

‘In the late 90s, it was the internet. Today, it’s artificial intelligence. The parallels are hard to ignore: skyrocketing stock prices, endless hype and companies investing billions before fully proving their business models.

‘The Bank of England’s warning isn’t alarmist – it’s realistic. When too much capital chases the same dream, expectations outpace results and corrections follow.’

Dr Alessia Paccagnini, an associate Professor from the University College Dublin’s Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, says that companies are spending £300billion annually on AI infrastructure, while shoppers are spending $12billion. That’s a big difference.

Tech firms listed in the US now represent 30% of New York’s stock index, S&P 500 Index, the highest proportion in 50 years.

‘As a worst-case scenario, if the bubble does burst, the immediate consequences would be severe – a sharp market correction could wipe trillions from stock valuations, hitting retirement accounts and pension funds hard,’ Dr Paccagnini adds.

‘In my opinion, we should be worried, but being prepared could help us avoid the worst outcomes.’

One reason a correction would be so bad is because of how tangled-up the AI world is, says George Sweeney, an investing expert at the personal finance website site Finder.

‘If it fails to meet the lofty expectations, we could see an almighty unravelling of the AI hype that spooks markets, leading to a serious correction,’ he says.

Despite scepticism, AI feels like it’s everywhere these days, from dog bowls and fridges to toothbrushes and bird feeders.

And it might continue that way for a while, even if not as enthusiastically as before, says Professor Filip Bialy, who specialises in computer science and AI ethics at the at Open Institute of Technology.

‘TAI hype – an overly optimistic view of the technological and economic potential of the current paradigm of AI – contributes to the growth of the bubble,’ he says.

‘However, the hype may end not with the burst of the bubble but rather with a more mature understanding of the technology.’

Some stock researchers worry that the AI boom could lose steam when the companies spending billions on the tech see profits dip.

The AI analytic company Qlik found that only one in 10 business say their AI initiatives are seeing sizeable returns.

Qlik’s chief strategy officer, James Fisher, says this doesn’t show that the hype for AI is bursting, ‘but how businesses look at AI is changing’.

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Everything You Need to Know to Join OPIT
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Oct 13, 2025 6 min read

OPIT – Open Institute of Technology offers an innovative and exciting way to learn about technology. It offers a range of bachelor’s and master’s programs, plus a Foundation Year program for those taking the first steps towards higher education. Through its blend of instruction-based and independent learning, it empowers ambitious minds with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.

This guide covers all you need to know to join OPIT and start your educational journey.

Introducing the Open Institute of Technology

Before we dig into the nitty-gritty of the OPIT application process, here’s a brief introduction to OPIT.

OPIT is a fully accredited Higher Education Institution under the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and the MFHEA Authority. It offers exclusively online education in English to an international community of students. With a winning team of top professors and a specific focus on computer science, it trains the technology leaders of tomorrow.

Some of the unique elements that characterize OPIT’s approach include:

  • No final exams. Instead, students undergo progressive assessments over time
  • A job-oriented, practical focus on the courses
  • 24/7 support, including AI assistance and student communities, so everyone feels supported
  • A strong network of company connections, unlocking doors for graduates

Reasons to Join OPIT

There are many reasons for ambitious students and aspiring tech professionals to study with OPIT.

Firstly, since all the study takes place online, it’s a very flexible and pleasant way to learn. Students don’t feel the usual pressures or suffer the same constraints they would at a physical college or university. They can attend from anywhere, including their own homes, and study at a pace that suits them.

OPIT is also a specialist in the technology field. It only offers courses focused on tech and computer science, with a team of professors and tutors who lead the way in these topics. This ensures that students get high-caliber learning opportunities in this specific sector.

Learning at OPIT is also hands-on and applicable to real-world situations, despite taking place online. Students are not just taught core skills and knowledge, but are also shown how to apply those skills and knowledge in their future careers.

In addition, OPIT strives to make technology education as accessible, inclusive, and affordable as possible. Entry requirements are relatively relaxed, fees are fair, and students from around the world are welcome here.

What You Need to Know About Joining OPIT

Now you know why it’s worth joining OPIT, let’s take a closer look at how to go about it. The following sections will cover how to apply to OPIT, entry requirements, and fees.

The OPIT Application Process

Unsurprisingly for an online-only institution, the application process for OPIT is all online, too. Users can submit the relevant documents and information on their computers from the comfort of their homes.

  1. Visit the official OPIT site and click the “Apply now” button to get started, filling out the relevant forms.
  2. Upload your supporting documents. These can include your CV, as well as certificates to prove your past educational accomplishments and level of English.
  3. Take part in an interview. This should last no more than 30 minutes. It’s a chance for you to talk about your ambitions and background, and to ask questions you might have about OPIT.

That’s it. Once you complete the above steps, you will be admitted to your chosen course and can start enjoying OPIT education once the first term begins. You’ll need to sign your admissions contract and pay the relevant fees, then begin classes.

Entry Requirements for OPIT Courses

OPIT offers a small curated collection of courses, each with its own requirements. You can consult the relevant pages on the official OPIT site to find out the exact details.

For the Foundation Program, for example, you simply need an MQF/EQF Level 3 or equivalent qualification. You also need to demonstrate a minimum B2 level of English comprehension.

For the BSc in Digital Business, applicants should have a higher secondary school leaving certificate, plus B2-level English comprehension. You can also support your application with a credit transfer from previous studies or relevant work experience.

Overall, the requirements are simple, and it’s most important for applicants to be ambitious and eager to build successful careers in the world of technology. Those who are driven and committed will get the best from OPIT’s instruction.

Fees and Flexible Payments at OPIT

As mentioned above, OPIT makes technological education accessible and affordable for all. Its tuition fees cover all relevant teaching materials, and there are no hidden costs or extras. The institute also offers flexible payment options for those with different budgets.

Again, exact fees vary depending on which course you want to take, so it’s important to consult the specific info for each one. You can pay in advance to enjoy 10% off the final cost, or refer a friend to also obtain a discount.

In addition to this, OPIT offers need-based and merit-based scholarships. Successful candidates can obtain discounts of up to 40% on bachelor’s and master’s tuition fees. This can substantially bring the term cost of each program down, making OPIT education even more accessible.

Credit Transfers and Experience

Those who are entering OPIT with pre-existing work experience or relevant academic achievements can benefit from the credit transfer program. This allows you to potentially skip certain modules or even entire semesters if you already have relevant experience in those fields.

OPIT is flexible and fair in terms of recognizing prior learning. So, as long as you can prove your credentials and experience, this could be a beneficial option for you. The easiest way to find out more and get started is to email the OPIT team directly.

Join OPIT Today

Overall, the process to join OPIT is designed to be as easy and stress-free as possible. Everything from the initial application forms to the interview and admission process is straightforward. Requirements and fees are flexible, so people in different situations and from different backgrounds can get the education they want. Reach out to OPIT today to take your first steps to tech success.

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