Government offers UK adults free AI training for work
The government has introduced a series of free AI trAIning courses AImed at teaching people how to use the technology at work.
The online lessons teach tips on how to encourage chatbots or use them to support admin tasks.
Many of the courses are free, with others subsidised, and the government aims to attract ten million students by 2030, making it the country's most progressive training program since the establishment of the Open University in 1971.
However, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has warned that employees will need to know more than just how to start a chatbot
as the workforce shifts to AI advancements.
Roa Powell, senior research fellow at the IPPR.Skills for the era of AI can't be reduced to short technical courses alone,
"Workers also need assistance in developing judgment, critical thinking, physical fitness, leadership, and the confidence to use these devices safely.
Amazon, Google, and Microsoft all contributed to the creation of the AI skills trAIning courses, with 14 courses giving students a virtual badge.
The step, according to technology minister Liz Kendall, was designed to help people feel comfortable using the technology in the workplace.
she sAId.We want AI to work for BritAIn, and that means ensuring Britons can work with AI,
"Change is inevitable, but the consequences of change are not. We'll shield people from the dangers of AI while still ensuring that everyone participates in the benefits of the software.
Some courses are free, but others are paid, and lessons, which are open to every adult in the United Kingdom, can be long or short, with some lasting 20 minutes and others lasting several hours.
Those that have pledged to urging their employees and members to register are the NHS, the British Chambers of Commerce, and the Local Government Association.
Sharron Gunn, the Chartered InstITute for IT, welcomed the change, but sAId the onus should not only be on employees to adapt to AI.
she sAId.All enterprises, whether you're looking for a specialized AI expert, or digital apprenticeships, need to have a benchmarked level of AI skills,
"We also need to see much more at board level, so those involved in company administration, who are often giving their time unpaid, have the skills and confidence to scrutinize executive decisions.
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