AI Fundamentals Course
Course summary
The increase in the capability and proliferation of AI systems poses huge public policy challenges and opportunities for government. Civil servants face uncertainty and questions over how to regulate the proliferation of AI tools and systems across society, as well as how to utilise its transformative potential in the design and delivery of public services.
Central government departments hold a unique space within the societal adoption of AI tools and systems. They will be the regulators of how the rest of society will use AI, regardless of whether such regulation is general or sector-specific. But they will also be some of the largest users of AI within their activities and in their back-office processes, in addition to this, departments, agencies and the public services they are ultimately responsible for will be the developers of new AI systems and tools in their own right.
The Imperial AI Fundamentals course is a unique short-course programme for civil and public servants to get to grips with fundamental AI-related concepts and applications and to understand how and when they can be deployed. Participants will benefit from Imperial’s teaching and subject matter expertise, without any requirements of formal AI or computer science training to take part.
The course will help participants act as an ‘expert customer’ for the development and deployment of AI systems in the public sector, and will gain understanding of:
- fundamental AI-related concepts and technologies.
- the resource requirements and program design questions to consider when deploying various types of AI technology in public sector contexts.
- potential risks and potential benefits of various AI technologies.
Co-designed with civil servants, the programme will give access to Imperial’s leading expertise in foundational and applied AI research, generating new insights for the safe and impactful deployment of AI in public services.
Applications
Click on the following link to download the application form . Imperial AI Fundamentals is free of charge for civil servants.
Why Imperial?
- Pioneering Expertise: Imperial College London is one of the world’s best universities in engineering, mathematics, medicine, and science and a globally recognized leader in AI research and education, offering unparalleled access to cutting-edge knowledge and innovative practices in AI. The institution's faculty includes some of the world's foremost experts in foundational and applied AI research.
- Tailored Programmes for Public Sector Needs: The AI Fundamentals course is specifically co-designed with civil servants, ensuring that the curriculum is highly relevant and tailored to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by public sector professionals. This alignment with governmental needs ensures practical, applicable insights for policy and service delivery.
- Interdisciplinary Approach and Real-World Application: Imperial’s interdisciplinary approach integrates AI with public policy, ethics, and governance, providing a comprehensive understanding of AI's impact on public services. Participants benefit from real-world case studies and practical applications, enhancing their ability to implement AI solutions effectively within their departments.
Benefits
The course will help participants act as an ‘expert customer’ for the development and deployment of AI systems in the public sector, and will gain understanding of:
- fundamental AI-related concepts and technologies.
- the resource requirements and program design questions to consider when deploying various types of AI technology in public sector contexts.
- potential risks and potential benefits of various AI technologies.
The course will also provide hands-on experience of working with AI systems, including Large Language Models.
Programme Lead
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.
Convenor
Pete Ford is the Programme Manager for Imperial’s Policy Forum. Prior to joining Imperial, he developed his career in strategic planning and science policy advising across multiple roles in the UK Government’s Department of Education and as a consultant at the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Geneva.
Instructor
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.
Course content (24 hours total)
- Week 1: Fundamental concepts
- Week 2: Natural Language Processing & Foundation Models
- Week 3: Practical aspects of LLM deployment
- Week 4: Data quality, model validation and legitimacy
- Week 5: AI security and AI risks
- Week 6: AI regulation and AI safety
- Week 7: Project work
- Week 8: Future of AI development
Format
- The course will take place over 8 weeks, with one in-person session per week. A typical session will involve a 90-minute lecture, a short break, and then a 60-90 minute seminar taking a closer look at how some of the concepts featured in the lecture interact with the real world. The sessions will take place at the Imperial College South Kensington campus.
Who attends?
- The course is open to civil servants of any grade who are working on AI regulation, strategy or systems.
- There is no pre-requisite formal AI or computer science training needed in order to participate.
- You will need to commit to attend all eight sessions in-person at Imperial’s South Kensington campus (24 hours total).
Applications
Click on the following link to download the application form.