Course Information

Date of next cohort: Summer 2025. Dates to be released shortly.  

Application deadline: To be confirmed. 

Duration: 8 weeks   

Time commitment: 8 x 3-hour sessions   

Location: South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London   

Format: Typical session will include a 90-minute lecture, 60–90-minute seminar & networking opportunities

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About the programme

The AI Fundamentals programme is designed for civil servants of any grade involved in AI regulation, strategy, or systems. With the rapid proliferation of AI tools and systems, governments face significant public policy challenges and opportunities. Civil servants must navigate uncertainties around regulating AI’s societal use while harnessing its transformative potential to improve the design and delivery of public services. Central government departments occupy a pivotal role, both as regulators of AI adoption and as major users and developers of AI technologies across their operations and public services. 

In line with the UK Government’s ambition to drive public sector efficiency and realise cost savings, and to provide global leadership in seizing the opportunities of AI, this unique short course equips participants with a solid understanding of fundamental AI concepts, technologies, and applications. The course will empower participants to act as informed ‘expert customers’ in the development and deployment of AI systems. As the UK Government rolls out its AI Opportunities Action Plan and its vision for modern digital government, this course is both timely and tailored for Civil Servants.  

With no prior AI or computer science training required, participants will gain access to Imperial College London’s globally renowned expertise in AI research and education. Combining interdisciplinary teaching, hands-on experience, and real-world case studies, the course delivers actionable knowledge to support the safe and impactful deployment of AI in public services. 

The programme will consist of eight training sessions targeted specifically at policymakers. The time commitment requested from participants is one half-day per week over the course of an eight-week period. 

Benefits

  • World-Class Expertise: Learn from Imperial College London's globally renowned faculty, leaders in AI research and application across engineering, medicine, and science. 
  • Tailored for Public Sector: Gain practical insights through a curriculum co-designed with civil servants to address the unique challenges of public sector AI deployment. 
  • Interdisciplinary Learning: Understand AI's integration with policy, ethics, and governance through real-world case studies and applications. 
  • Strategic Knowledge: Master fundamental AI concepts, resource requirements, and program design for implementing AI in government contexts. 
  • Risk and Benefit Assessment: Develop the ability to evaluate the risks and benefits of various AI technologies in public services. 
  • Hands-On Experience: Gain practical skills with AI systems, including working with advanced tools like Large Language Models. 

Programme outline

Faculty

  • Tom Coates

    Personal details

    Tom Coates Programme Lead

    Bio

    Prof. Tom Coates is a Professor of Mathematics at Imperial College London. His research group works in algebraic geometry and large-scale computational algebra, building a Periodic Table for shapes, by combining new methods in geometry with cluster-scale computation, data mining, and machine learning. Prof. Coates has been on part-time secondment to the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser since 2022 .    

  • Sara Veneziale

    Personal details

    Sara Veneziale Instructor

    Bio

    Dr Sara Veneziale is a Chapman-Schmidt fellow at the I-X Centre for AI in Science and the Department of Mathematics at Imperial College London. Her research focusses on using AI to discover and prove new results in mathematics, and on the high-dimensional geometry that underpins Large Language Models.