Free course

AI fluency

What is AI, and how can it be a force for positive change in the philanthropic sector? This course demystifies artificial intelligence, guiding you from its core concepts to its practical applications. You'll explore how to harness AI technologies to enhance your charitable work, boost your impact, and address complex social challenges. Whether you're an individual fundraiser or part of a large foundation, you’ll finish with the knowledge and confidence to apply AI strategically.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

TBC

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First Published: 16/10/2025

Updated: 16/10/2025

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Course content

- Introduction
2 pages contain editor comments.
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Welcome to this free course, AI fluency. This course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of AI. It includes sessions that cover various aspects of AI, starting with foundational concepts and progressing to more advanced topics.Each module is tailored to help individuals and organizations apply AI technologies to enhance their philanthropic efforts.After studying this course, you should be able to:Course learning outcomes. TBC
  (1)
- Acknowledgements
  (1)
- Week1Explore AI basics
8 pages contain editor comments.
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Imagine you’re at home, enjoying a relaxing evening. Your robot vacuum cleaner starts its cleaning routine just as you turn on your smart TV, which immediately suggests new shows for you to watch. Curious about one of the shows, you ask your smartphone for its current ratings. Then, with a simple voice command, you use your smartphone to turn on the living room lights. Intrigued by how seamlessly these devices work together, you search for how each functions and discover that they all use AI...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 AI history
  (1)
  - AI development timeline
- 2 What is artificial intelligence
  (2)
- 3 Data everywhere
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- 4 Understand machine learning
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- 5 Deep learning
  (1)
- 6 Natural Language Processing (NLP)
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- 7 AI algorithms
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- 8 AI in action
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- 9 Session assessment
- 10 Summary
- Acknowledgements
- Week2Explore Generative AI
6 pages contain editor comments.
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Imagine you’re on a mission to find the best pizza place in town. You might use a search engine like Bing for this task. But what if there’s a service that can not only identify the best pizza place but also explain why it’s the best based on your preferences? This distinction highlights the difference between a search engine and a reasoning engine.In this session, you examine the functionality of both search and reasoning engines. You explore their processes of crawling the web, indexing ...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 What is generative AI?
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- 2 AI linguistics
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- 3 Visualize with AI from text to image
  (1)
- 4 AI companion in content creation
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- 5 New opportunities with generative AI
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- 6 Create with generative AI
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- 7 Session assessment
- 8 Summary
- Acknowledgements
- Week3Explore internet search and beyond
7 pages contain editor comments.
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Imagine you’re on a mission to find the best pizza place in town. You might use a search engine like Bing for this task. But what if there’s a service that can not only identify the best pizza place but also explain why it’s the best based on your preferences? This distinction highlights the difference between a search engine and a reasoning engine.In this session, you examine the functionality of both search and reasoning engines. You explore their processes of crawling the web, indexing ...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 The evolution of search
  (1)
- 2 How does a search engine work?
  (1)
- 3 Reasoning engines
  (1)
- 4 A new way to search: Microsoft Copilot
  (1)
- 5 Prompt engineering
  (5)
- 6 Critical thinking
  (1)
- 7 Session assessment
- 8 Summary
- Acknowledgements
  (1)
- Week4Explore responsible AI
5 pages contain editor comments.
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Picture scrolling through social media and seeing a celebrity promoting a new product. The video appears genuine, but what if it’s fake? This highlights the need to grasp the ethical implications of AI in our daily lives.In this session, you explore how to critically analyse AI-generated content and cross-verify information from multiple sources to determine its authenticity. You explore the ethical and security concerns associated with deepfakes, examining how they can be misused to spread ...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Using AI responsibly: Best practices
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- 2 Principles of responsible AI
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- 3 Deepfakes and copyright in AI
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- 4 Human-AI interaction and global implications
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- 5 Session assessment
- 6 Summary
- Acknowledgements
  (1)
- Week5Get started with Microsoft Copilot
6 pages contain editor comments.
- Current section:
  Introduction
  This week/session has a lot of step by step guides. Can reviewer spot-check that all main iinstructions are up to date, and still apply.Microsoft Copilot has many capabilities, but figuring out where to start can be overwhelming. You might be curious about how Copilot can draft messages or provide insightful suggestions to problems and tasks you face. This session is designed to bridge that gap, providing you with a guide to get started with Copilot. In addition, you gain a deeper ...
  (1)
- Learning outcomes
- 1 What is Microsoft Copilot?
  (1)
- 2 Navigating Copilot: Setup and account types
  (3)
- 3 Step-by-step guide for navigating Copilot
- 4 Language and accessibility support in Copilot
  (2)
- 5 Tips for engaging conversation with Copilot
  (2)
- 6 Explore GPT technology
- 7 Session assessment
- 8 Summary
- Acknowledgements
  (1)
- Week6Boost your productivity with Microsoft Copilot
8 pages contain editor comments.
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Imagine balancing a busy schedule with school or work, extracurricular activities or projects, and finding time for relaxation. On Monday morning, you’re already feeling the pressure. This is where Microsoft Copilot can help.First, you need to draft an important email, but you’re also figuring out when you can fit in your study group or team meeting. Microsoft Copilot can step in and draft that email for you, so you can focus on getting to your event on time. Next, your calendar is chaotic ...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Bring your ideas to life with Copilot
  (1)
- 2 Get time management assistance with Copilot
  (1)
- 3 Elevate your job search with Copilot
  (1)
- 4 Develop skills with Copilot
  (1)
- 5 Analyse images and documents with Copilot
  (3)
- 6 Get workplace support with Copilot
  (1)
- 7 Boost your productivity with Copilot in Edge
  (1)
- 8 Session assessment
- 9 Summary
- Acknowledgements
  (1)
- Week7Explore AI for All
5 pages contain editor comments.
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Imagine walking through a bustling city using a navigation app that not only provides turn-by-turn directions but also leverages AI to alert you of obstacles in your path. This is just one example of how AI is enhancing accessibility for all.AI has become a powerful tool in removing barriers and offering new opportunities. For instance, speech recognition technology can generate real-time captions, making communication more accessible. Similarly, AI tools are being developed to describe ...
- Learning outcomes
- 1 The impact of AI on accessibility
  (1)
- 2 Impact of AI in job roles
  (1)
- 3 AI as an ally for humanitarian action
  (5)
- 4 Inclusive AI with Copilot
  (1)
- 5 Session assessment
- 6 Summary
- Acknowledgements
  (1)

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