BCS Foundation Award – How AI can support your organisation
This award sits within the Business innovation area of the AI Foundation Pathway and looks at the impact AI is having in today’s businesses before exploring its potential for the future.
Artificial Intelligence Foundation Courses
This bite-size learning pathway is a practical and convenient way to build your knowledge of AI, enabling you to work confidently, competently and responsibly in and alongside AI development.
About artificial intelligence (AI)
AI is a powerful tool that increasingly supports our way of life, at home and in the workplace. From predicting the weather and monitoring our heating, to collating election results, scanning faces on CCTV and analysing vast amounts of customer data, AI is applied by both businesses and consumers to manage complex activities with speed, efficiency and precision.
In such a fast-moving and complex field, the challenge is in understanding the evolving uses of AI and the far-reaching ethical implications. The reality today is that AI is being implemented by teams and organisations who don’t yet comprehend its potential. By the same token, consumers are adopting AI technology without knowing the true impact it could be having on their lives.
What are the benefits of taking this foundation?
The BCS AI Foundation Pathway enables you to develop a solid understanding of this cutting-edge technology through efficient bite-size learning. The unique approach lets you select the learning that’s relevant to your own career or user journey, as and when you need it, and without having to sit a full certification.
You may be starting out in your AI career looking to build core knowledge, or you work in one of the many business areas impacted by AI – business analysis, software testing, agile, user experience to name just a few – and you need to grasp a better understanding. Maybe you’re a tech consumer simply interested in this exciting and innovative field. Whichever your perspective, the AI Foundation Pathway offers the ideal route for your AI education.
- Bite-size learning is proven as an efficient and highly effective way to develop your knowledge and skills
- You can develop knowledge in your chosen area of AI, without having to invest the time and money you’d need to sit a full certification
- The AI pathway takes a holistic approach encompassing the different ways of working and thinking in the field
- It’s a practical alternative to university study, and a fantastic opportunity to kickstart your AI career
How does the pathway work?
Choose from 9 awards set within four key areas of AI:
- Business innovation
- Ethics
- Data
- Machine learning and other AI techniques
Each of the 9 awards is a qualification in its own right, carrying between 3 and 5 credits.
By taking four awards (20 credits), one in each key area, you’ll gain a Foundation Certificate in AI.
Continuing further along the pathway, by taking eight awards (36 credits) you can achieve a Foundation Diploma in AI.
Artificial Intelligence Foundation Pathway
BCS Foundation Award – How to manage risk
This award sits within the Business innovation area of the AI Foundation Pathway and provides a comprehensive introduction to risk management which you can apply in many business situations.
BCS Foundation Award – Understanding data in your organisation
This award sits within the Data area of the AI Foundation Pathway, providing a valuable overview to the field and a vital education for practitioners in every sector.
BCS Foundation Award – Big Data
This award sits within the Data area of the AI Foundation Pathway, offering a practical understanding of big data, its associated principles and approaches.
BCS Foundation Award – Data visualisation
This award sits within the Data area of the AI Foundation Pathway and can support smarter decision-making at every level across your organisation.
BCS Foundation Award – Understanding the Role of Ethics in the Responsible Use of AI
This award sits within the Ethics area of the AI Foundation Pathway and demonstrates how the societal impact of AI will be controlled by human interaction.
BCS Foundation Award – AI and the Digital Ecosystem
This award sits within the Machine learning and other AI techniques area of the AI Foundation Pathway, providing core understanding of what we mean by AI, how it’s used by organisations now and what it holds for the future.
BCS Foundation Award – Smart Products, Robotics and Automation
This award sits within the Machine learning and other AI techniques area of the AI Foundation Pathway and offers a very accessible introduction to the technology that’s shaping the future.
BCS Foundation Award – Machine Learning
This award sits within the Machine learning and other AI techniques area of the AI Foundation Pathway and offers an essential technical education to support your next career move.