Skip to Content
View all events

Artificial Intelligence for Everyone

Published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.

Beginner content levelBeginner

What you’ll learn and how you can apply it

  • Explain what AI is, how it works, and where it's showing up in the real world
  • Identify key types of AI, including machine learning, generative models, and autonomous agents
  • Understand how data drives AI systems and why data quality matters
  • Recognize the opportunities and limitations of AI in business and society
  • Engage confidently with AI concepts, tools, and conversations in your field

Course description

Explore how AI is shaping industries, work, and our lives. This beginner-friendly course unpacks the what, how, and why of AI, demystifying the tech behind the headlines. You'll also see real-world demonstrations of AI technologies and how they're used. No coding or technical background required—just curiosity.

What you’ll learn and how you can apply it

At a high-level, you will be able to:

  • Explain what AI is, how it works, and where it's showing up in the real world
  • Identify key types of AI, including machine learning, generative models, and autonomous agents
  • Recognize the opportunities and limitations of AI in business and society
  • Understand how data drives AI systems and why data quality matters
  • Engage confidently with AI concepts, tools, and conversations in your field

This live event is for you because...

  • You’re curious about AI but don’t know where to start
  • You want to understand AI without needing to learn code or math
  • You work in a field or role where AI literacy is important
  • You’ve heard the buzz and want to separate hype from reality
  • You’re ready to build confidence using and talking about AI tools and trends

Prerequisites

No technical expertise required.

Recommended preparation:

Recommended follow-up:

Schedule

The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.

Module 1 (24 minutes)

  • Presentation: The big-picture view of AI fields, models, and techniques
  • Group discussion: What excites you most about AI today? Which fields or industries do you see being most impacted by AI?
  • Hands-on exercise
  • Q&A

Module 2 (24 minutes)

  • Presentation: Breaking down core ideas—machine learning, generative AI, and agents
  • Group discussion: Where have you seen AI agents used successfully in production? What have been the biggest wins and roadblocks when using AI agents?
  • Hands-on exercise
  • Q&A

Module 3 (24 minutes)

  • Presentation: Understanding how AI systems “learn” from data; why that matters
  • Group discussion: How would you explain the difference between semantic and contextual understanding? How do these ideas shift across modalities like text, audio, or images?
  • Hands-on exercise
  • Q&A

Module 4 (24 minutes)

  • Presentation: Examining the benefits, trade-offs, and risks of AI
  • Group discussion: What about AI makes you most excited or cautious? How do you currently evaluate AI risks (personally or professionally)? Have you used any frameworks for evaluating AI risks?
  • Hands-on exercise
  • Q&A

Module 5 (24 minutes)

  • Presentation: How to stay current with AI trends, advancements, and tools
  • Group discussion: What resources (experts, organizations, newsletters, podcasts) would you recommend to stay up-to-date on AI? How do you assess which AI trends are worth your attention?
  • Hands-on exercise
  • Q&A

Your Instructor

Alex Castrounis

Alex Castrounis is the founder of Why of AI, an adjunct at Northwestern Kellogg teaching AI in both the Executive Education and MBAi programs, a TEDx speaker, and a book author. He has over two decades of experience advising startups to Fortune 100 companies on using data, analytics, and AI models to drive business growth and customer success.

Alex is also a former INDYCAR race strategist and data scientist who drove winning results for teams such as Andretti Autosport in world-renowned races, including the Indy 500. His experience applying analytics to make smarter, data-driven decisions in racing now helps businesses gain and maintain a competitive advantage in their industry.

Skill covered

Machine Learning