Are You AI Ready?
Are You AI Ready is a 6-week programme designed to help you build confidence in understanding what AI is and how it can help you. Participants will embark on a beginner-friendly Cisco Networking Academy course, connect with AI experts from industry and academia, and have the opportunity to compete for exciting prizes.
Tell me more!
What will I be doing in the programme?
Over the course of 6-weeks, you will complete a 6-hour Introduction to AI course with the Cisco Networking Academy. The course is online and self-paced so you can complete in your own time, at your own pace. There will also be weekly webinars delivered by AI experts from industry and academia, designed to showcase real-life AI applications and provide an insight into working in this exciting field.
Who can take part?
The programme is open to any learner over 13 years old. It is beginner-friendly and a good fit for anyone wanting to build their foundational AI knowledge and skills. The programme is free to all participants and online.
What will I get out of the programme?
You will receive a Digital Badge when completing the Introduction to AI course and passing the final assessment. This is a fantastic way of demonstrating your foundational AI skills and can be added to your LinkedIn profile and CV. You will build confidence in understanding what AI is and how you can use it to make everyday tasks easier and boost your productivity.
Sounds great! How do I get started?
Simply click on the following link to enrol. Here, you can start the self-paced Introduction to AI course with the Cisco Networking Academy and will receive follow-up information with instructions to join the weekly webinars and enter the competitions.
What to expect from the course
Introduction to AI
AI chatbots are revolutionizing the way we work and learn. Millions of people worldwide use them to simplify tasks like homework and ideating, writing, editing and even career advice.
If you are new to AI and ready to give it a try, look no further! Introduction to Modern AI is a beginner-friendly course designed to help you learn key AI concepts and get hands-on practice with AI-enabled apps. You will start with an overview of AI. Then you'll explore computer vision using a photo app and machine translation with an online translation tool. Finally, take a deep-dive into chatbots–full of tips for writing better prompts and hands-on practice with 10+ popular chatbots and AI tools, including ChatGPT, Meta AI, Gemini, Google Translate, Claude, Hugging Chat, NotebookLM and more.
Get started today and discover how AI can make everyday tasks easier and boost your productivity!
Course Plan
Week 1 (03/02/25-09/02/25) Course Material: Module 1 (Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Models)
Webinar Topic: Welcome to Are You AI Ready
Webinar Speaker: Pete Rai, Principal Engineer, Cisco
Webinar Date: 05/02/25 at 17:00-18:00
Webinar Link: TBD
Week 2 (10/02/25-16/02/25) Course Material: Module 2 (Computer Vision) and Module 3 (Machine Translation)
Webinar Topic: Computer Vision in Action
Webinar Speaker: Zaheer Merali, Principal Software Engineer, Cisco Webex
Webinar Date: 12/02/25 at 17:00-18:00
Webinar Link: TBD
Week 3 (17/02/25-23/02/25) Course Topic: Module 4 (Chatbots Overview)
Webinar Topic: How Cisco Engineers Use GenAI
Webinar Speaker: Austin Bayley, Software Engineer, Cisco
Webinar Date: 19/02/25 at 17:00-18:00
Webinar Link: TBD
Week 4 (24/02/25-02/03/25) Course Topic: Module 5 (Chatbots Utilisation)
Webinar Topic: AI in Academia
Webinar Speaker: Mike Richards, Senior Academic at the Open University
Webinar Date: 26/02/25 at 17:00-18:00
Webinar Link: TBD
Week 5 (03/03/25-09/03/25) Course Topic: Module 5 (Key Terminology) and Project
Webinar Topic: AI and Cybersecurity
Webinar Speaker: Fred Mpala, International CISO
Webinar Date: 05/03/25 at 17:00-18:00
Webinar Link: TBD
Week 6 (10/03/25-16/03/25) Course Topic: Project Work
Webinar Topic: Project Presentations and Winners Announcement!
Webinar Speaker: TBD
Webinar Date: 14/03/25 at 12:00-13:00
Webinar Link: TBD
Please note that the webinars will be held on Webex. The webinars will be recorded, however you are encouraged to attend live as you will have the opportunity to ask the speakers' questions and engage in live session activities as well as competing for prizes.
Competition
Weekly Competition
Each week, there will be a short quiz at the end of the webinar. The quiz will be based off the topics covered in the Introduction to AI course for that week. Participants must answer the questions as quickly as possible and get as many correct as possible. The winner will receive Cisco merch, delivered to their home or school/college/university address.
Project-Based Competition
At the end of Are You AI Ready, participants will have the opportunity to enter a project-based competition. Participants will receive a project brief and have 2 weeks to prepare a presentation related to the brief. Successful participants will progress to the next stage; a live presentation in front of four judges. The judges will chose their winner based on six criteria: feasibility, scalability, inclusivity, relevance, impact, and presentation skills. The winner will receive additional Cisco merch and a visit to their school/college/university from Cisco, where volunteers will lead an AI-themed activity. Enrol in the programme for additional information closer to the time (March).