I chose the Oxford AI Programme as it is designed for managers and business leaders who wish to learn about the potential and function of Artificial Intelligence (AI), rather than learning about AI from a technical design perspective. Personally I had no desire to learn coding, but I did want to further develop my skills, knowledge and credentials in this area.
Whilst the course isn’t a coding course, technical professionals such as CIOs, IT managers, and business analysts, would also benefit from the Oxford AI programme, as it includes the development of AI Strategy and the implementation of AI into an organisation. The programme would also be useful for people in technical roles who need to better understand the implications and benefits of AI Ethics & AI Governance.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a fast-growing field that impacts all areas of the economy. To grasp the potential of AI and to avoid missed chances that come from a lack of knowledge (or being taken advantage of or deceived), it is essential to acquire knowledge of this quickly evolving general purpose technology (GPT).
The Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme is a six-week online programme from Oxford University, Said Business School, hosted by the GetSmarter.com education platform. Its aim is to give participants a comprehensive understanding of AI’s history, function, potential and ethical issues.
To achieve your AI certification, you are graded on your active participation within forums (specific discussion activities set in each module), your quiz scores and your assignments.
The minimum overall grade to pass the programme is 50%. As a guide, grades are approximately split 9% forum participation, 12% quizzes and 79% assignment submission. Activities are academically graded at an executive education level.
I’m probably similar to many others, in that time is a limited resource that I cannot afford to spend, travelling to and attending ‘on site’ education. I do though want to invest in a high quality education experience. Flexibility throughout the working week was important for me when choosing the programme and the Oxford University AI programme ticked the box for me.
Depending on how much time you are prepared to invest into this self managed programme, will determine how much you will personally get out of it. As a guide Oxford University suggests that the core content in each module is estimated to take 7–10 hours per week. There is however a wealth of additional AI resources that can be accessed for further enrichment and to enhance your final grade.
How much is the Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme? As with everything, fees change. For the current fees and to register for the Oxford AI Programme, please click here.
For convenience there is an interest free instalment plan option. This is useful if you wish to split fees into smaller payments.
The Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme is modular based and includes a blend of online resources (written texts, podcasts, videos, peer forums and quizzes) and live group video sessions. It is broadly structured as follows:
Orientation module – “Welcome to your Online Campus” – great for anyone not familiar with online learning. It explains how the programme will be managed, the resources that you can access as a student, how you can start to network with other members of the programme and how you can access support.
Oxford AI Module 1 – “Artificial intelligence ecosystem” – An opportunity to explore the history and potential of AI within the context of the digital ecosystem.
Oxford AI Module 2 – “AI and machine learning” – Understanding the black box – The mechanics of the three main types of machine learning. Supervised, reinforcement and unsupervised learning are explored.
Oxford AI Module 3 – “Understanding deep learning and neural networks” – Understanding what deep learning is and how it is powering the modern approach to AI.
Oxford AI Module 4 – “Working with intelligent machines” – Exploring the concept of intelligence in machines and the impact of AI in the labour market.
Oxford AI Module 5 – “The ethics of artificial intelligence” – Exploring the hierarchy of ethical and legal considerations around artificial intelligence.
Oxford AI Module 6 – “How to drive AI in your business” – Identifying the potential business opportunities of AI in a specific context.
To understand the quality of the learning, it is useful to highlight the faculty behind the Oxford AI Programme. This certainly differentiated it from other online AI learning opportunities, prom less prestigious universities.
The programmes is led by Professor Matthias Holweg, American Standard Companies Professor of Operations Management, who brings together expert insights with faculty from Oxford Saïd and the wider University of Oxford including …
Andrew Stephen – Deputy Dean for Faculty and Research, L’Oreal Professor of Marketing
Mari Sako – Professor of Management Studies
Tim Morris – Emeritus Professor
Sally Maitlis – Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Leadership
Nir Vulkan – Associate Professor of Business Economics
Throughout the AI programme, all participants receive support as needed from respected members of the programme team. There are many opportunities to connect with the course tutor and mentors via the online portal. Considering the different time zones that participants were from, the portal proved an ideal format to connect.
Yes it did and I was not disappointed. Whilst I’m not going to provide a deep dive into explicit course content, I can confirm that we had the opportunity to gain essential knowledge about Artificial Intelligence. This included…
I particularly found the live video forums with faculty team and other programme members engaging. These proved to be a great source of debate and exploration of the current module themes that we were learning about.
A quote from our course tutor during one of these live sessions resonated with me…
“AI cannot be stopped… AI is a fast moving rollercoaster which humanity cannot get off… We have to learn to enjoy the ride!”
Anyone currently involved in AI can relate to this!
I had the chance to consider each of the module outcomes i.e. the forum discussions and the programme assignments for each AI topic, within personally relevant organisational scenarios (I chose AI in Healthcare & AI in Education).
I also had the opportunity to create a compelling business case for AI’s implementation in an organisation of my choice. This was then assessed and graded. For this I explored the benefits and risks of personal AI driven learning pathways within the education sector.
Unlike previous executive education I’ve undertaken, the use of generative AI was explicitly allowed when writing assignments and for participating in forum discussions.
In computer science, garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) is the idea that inaccurate, biased or low quality ‘garbage’ information or input will lead to a similar ‘garbage’ outcome or output.
This adage emphasises that as with any tools, if you are to gain any benefit by using AI, you have to learn its limitations, as we quickly found out when learning how to use it within the context of the programme.
The Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme benefits included…
Knowledge: Being able to explore the theory from various AI topics to real-world examples, really brought AI into a relevant and understandable context.
Skills: Developing a business case for implementing an AI solution in an organisation of my own choice and then receiving constructive feedback and evaluation of my proposal, helped assure me that I had gained sufficient understanding of the concepts and that I would be able to apply these effectively in the future within the workplace.
Networking: Access to both the official Oxford Executive Education Alumni group on LinkedIn and edX’s Career Engagement Network, has provided some very useful networking opportunities.
Kudos: Gaining an executive level certification from Oxford Univeristy, Said Business School has added a higher level of legitimacy and kudos when pitching professional services to clients.
Post the programme it has also been very inspiring to witness the success of others, from a wide spectrum of careers and industries, benefit from the increased skills and understanding of AI that they gained from the programme.
At the end of the programme and after final grading, you are sent an electronic link to your official online Oxford University credentials page, where you can access your Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme Certificate and also link it to your CV and personal LinkedIn account.
With AI being such a salient topic, many people have asked me about the programme, my experiences and whether or not it is worth the investment of time and money. This is what prompted me to write this Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme review.
In conclusion the Oxford AI Programme is a worthwhile investment for managers and business leaders who wish to gain a comprehensive understanding of AI’s history, function, potential and ethical issues. It also provides you with skills and tools to be able to consider and manage AI in your organisation.
The programme is led by respected faculty members from the University of Oxford, Said Business School and delivers high-quality content, whilst relating AI to the real world.
If you are wanting to lead within the field of artificial intelligence, this AI certification from Oxford University, Said Business School, will certainly enhance your standing. For me it has certainly been a worthwhile investment.
Article written by: Adrian Precious MBA FCMI
You must be logged in to post a comment.