Upskilling Agile Teams for AI: Training Programs and Resources to Help Teams Gain AI Competencies

The world of AI can be a tricky one to understand and inhabit. There’s so much jargon floating around that if your team is totally new to AI, it can feel like an uphill battle to figure out what’s required of you when it comes to comprehending and using this new technology.

Luckily, there are tons of resources out there on the internet to help you, and many of them are completely free to access as well, meaning that your agile organisation can gain AI competencies without needing to spend a penny.

Here’s a list of resources and training programs that can help teams gain knowledge about AI and implement it in an agile framework!

Google Digital Garage: Boost your productivity with AI

As with many Google events, this Digital Garage session isn’t available on demand. Rather, it’s run on a session-by-session basis, but at time of writing, sessions were occurring regularly.

The program promises to introduce attendees to the world of AI – both offered by Google and created by other companies – in order to show how your agile team can use AI to “save time at work and on tasks”.

Given that agile frameworks are all about stripping things down so that the project can be completed more quickly and efficiently, this is an essential seminar for those who want to implement AI into their agile methodologies.

You’ll need to register for the session, which is 45 minutes long and is run via YouTube. You won’t need any knowledge of AI, and you’ll be able to ask questions if there’s anything you need to clarify.

Google Digital Garage: Understanding machine learning

Another excellent Digital Garage session from Google, the “Understanding machine learning” program pretty much does what it says on the tin: it helps you to understand how machine learning protocols work.

You’ll gain knowledge about machine learning models, what kinds of problems ML models can solve, and what your business will need in order to get started in the world of machine learning.

The seminar is aimed at small business owners, so it’s perfect for agile teams looking to take their first tentative steps into the world of ML.

Just like the AI productivity seminar, this one’s delivered on YouTube, but it’s an hour long. Bear in mind that both Google sessions outlined here are only available to UK business owners, unfortunately.

Doug Rose’s “Introduction to artificial intelligence”

This excellent and comprehensive course is available via LinkedIn’s Learning platform and features a number of short videos designed to teach you all about the world of AI.

You’ll gain a basic understanding of what AI is, what constitutes “strong” and “weak” AI, and how machine learning and neural networks figure into the world of AI.

From there, you’ll go on to learn all about natural language processing, IoT protocols, and datasets, among many other important concepts that involve AI or pertain to it.

If you’re an agile project manager looking to implement AI into your business structure, then this course is pretty much essential viewing, and it’s a great resource for employees as well.

Microsoft’s “Transform your business with Microsoft AI”

Big tech companies like Google and Microsoft are going all-in on AI, and that’s likely why they’re offering their own courses so that businesses and customers can understand their efforts in this field.

Microsoft’s “Transform your business with Microsoft AI” learning path features several modules and serves as a comprehensive introduction to what AI is and what it can do for your business.

The introductory module, “Leverage AI tools and resources for your business”, teaches you how AI technology figures into a business’ framework, and while it’s not specifically geared towards agile methodologies, there’s plenty here for agile teams to learn.

Naturally, this course is skewed rather heavily towards Microsoft’s own offerings, but it’s still a hugely useful introduction to the concept of AI, especially given that Microsoft is the owner of one of the most prominent AI companies in the world.

IBM’s “AI Foundations for Everyone Specialisation”

If you want to get the most out of this IBM course, you’re going to need a subscription to the education platform Coursera, but it’s arguably worth picking one up for the valuable knowledge and skills you’ll gain.

The course covers popular large language models and AI frontends like ChatGPT, and it also covers machine learning, deep learning, and how AI is likely to impact jobs, making it ideal for more concerned or pessimistic employees.

You can access many of the course’s materials without paying, but if you want any kind of accreditation at the end of the process, then that’s where the Coursera subscription comes in.

Coursera estimates that the course should take around a month, assuming that you’re dedicating about 10 hours a week to the material. Of course, it could take less or more time, depending on how long you want to spend on it.

Udemy’s “AI Crash Course”

This course, which is available via the education platform Udemy, was masterminded by entrepreneur and tech expert Phil Ebiner, who brings his expertise and knowledge to bear across the course’s near-2-hour length.

“AI Crash Course” is, as the name suggests, intended as a beginner’s entry point into the world of AI, so if you have no knowledge whatsoever about how AI works or what it does, you should start here.

Modules include courses on ChatGPT, Midjourney, Google Bard, and DALL-E, as well as Adobe Firefly. You’ll also gain knowledge about important skills pertaining to AI.

All in all, while this course isn’t going to contain anything that AI experts won’t already know, it’s perfect for agile teams wanting to gain a foothold in the world of AI.

Conclusion

With the above courses, your agile team should have everything it needs to take its first steps in implementing AI into the team’s framework. AI can be a hugely powerful and useful tool, so hopefully, the courses we’ve outlined here will help you to unlock its full potential!