AI Foundations,
for real work.
Learn what AI can do, where it fails, how to give it useful direction, and how to review the result responsibly. No technical background or credit card required.
Free course · No credit card · Publicly verifiable completion badge
Five core topics. Applied practice throughout.
The live course page contains the current modules, lessons, duration, and completion requirements.
What AI Actually Is (and Isn't)
Build a plain-language mental model of generative AI, its limits, and the role human judgment still plays.
The 5 Things AI Is Great At Right Now
Learn which tasks are suitable for AI assistance, which require close review, and which should stay with a person.
Talking to AI: Prompting That Actually Works
Use a simple prompt structure to improve context, instructions, constraints, and evaluation across common work tasks.
Choose a Useful, Low-Risk Starting Point
Compare common workplace use cases and select one where the benefit, data boundary, owner, and review process are clear.
Your First AI Workflow: A 30-Minute Capstone
Apply the lessons to a real task, test the result, document what changed, and identify where human review belongs.
Free access is part of the model
IHA designates 10% of commercial revenue for free community programming through Uplift Communities. That commitment helps keep entry-level learning open while paid programs sustain instruction, support, and platform operations.
Equity, by design
Free entry learning and partner-delivered programs widen access without changing the published learning standard.
Built for everyone
PPP-adjusted pricing for Africa, the Caribbean, South Asia, and Latin America. The same published learning standard, with eligible regional adjustments shown before payment.
No catch
AI Foundations requires no credit card. Related programs and products are optional, and completing this course does not enroll you in a paid offer.
Choose your next step
There is no required ladder. Continue only if another experience fits your goal.
28-Day AI Challenge
Build consistency with one short activity a day, Catalyst learning support, and a first portfolio-ready piece.
Start the challengeBuild role-specific skills
Browse Foundations, Practitioner, and Frontier learning by the skill or work context you want to improve.
Browse coursesKeep going
Use the open library for official documentation, selected videos, courses, and practice resources reviewed by IHA.
Explore the libraryThe honest answers
If something else is on your mind, contact@theiha.org.
Is this really free?
Yes. AI Foundations is free, and no credit card is required. IHA designates 10% of commercial revenue for free community programming.
Do I need to be technical?
No. The course is designed for nontechnical learners. If you can write an email and use a web browser, you can complete the activities.
How long does it take?
AI Foundations is self-paced. The live course page shows the current lesson count and time estimate, and your progress is saved if you return later.
What happens after I finish?
You can stop, join the free 28-Day AI Challenge for more guided practice, or choose a published course that matches your work. There is no required upsell path.
Can I get a certificate?
Completion can earn a publicly verifiable completion badge. Verification confirms that IHA issued it; it does not mean an employer endorsed or accepted it. Courses that require human-reviewed evidence say so explicitly.
Begin with one useful AI workflow.
Learn the fundamentals, test the result, and document where human review belongs.
Start AI FoundationsNo credit card. Free access.