AI fundamentals

0:00 Some technological advancements are so big, they don't just change the way we live or work, they transform it. Think about it. It wasn't long ago that if you needed to make an urgent phone call, you'd have to find a pay phone. And computers were so big, it took up entire rooms to make basic calculations. Technologies like laptops, mobile phones, and the internet have transformed the way we live our everyday lives. Right now, we're in the midst of another huge advancement: Artificial Intelligence, or AI.

0:50 AI is already having an incredible impact. It's driving discoveries in medical research and helping with extreme weather prediction. Hi, I'm Maya. I'm the Vice President of Strategy, Operations, and Outreach at Google Research. This means I spend my time exploring what's on the horizon and helping to make it real. That includes AI. You're probably already using AI yourself, even if you don't know it. It's the technology behind things like giving you optimized traffic routes or personalized suggestions for YouTube videos.

1:40 AI is also creating new ways of working or running a business. And it has a lot of huge potential for you and your team. And like any new technology, it can be intimidating to know where to start, or how to keep up, especially when it feels like there are new things happening every day. Don't worry though. We're here to help. In this course, you'll get AI skills employers are looking for. This includes important fundamentals about AI, how to apply AI to your own work, and how to be a responsible AI user.

2:20 These skills will help expand the possibilities of what you can do with AI at work. We've brought in a team of AI experts and practitioners from across Google to serve as your guides. You'll explore different use cases that you can apply to your own work. We focus on getting you right into the tools. That's intentional. You wouldn't learn how to play the piano without touching the keys, would you? AI is no different. The best way to learn is by doing.

3:10 Throughout your learning journey, you'll practice using AI with access to Google's most capable models. You'll start with the Gemini app as your home base. You can think of it as your all-purpose AI assistant. You can access it from desktop or on a mobile. And there's all sorts of stuff you can do from this one app.