The 6 best AI course for beginners in 2025 (free & paid)

Artificial intelligence has officially moved out of sci-fi movies and into our daily work. It’s a real, practical tool that’s changing how we solve problems. But if you’re just starting out, picking a course can feel like trying to drink from a firehose. There are so many options, where do you even begin?

That’s exactly why I put this list together. I’ve waded through all the noise to find the best AI courses made for people who are new to the whole thing. The focus here is on knowledge you can actually use, whether you’re a manager trying to understand the tech, a marketer looking for new tools, or just curious. These courses will help you get a handle on what AI is, why it matters, and how you can start using it, often without touching a single line of code.

What exactly is an AI course for beginners?

Let's clear something up right away: a beginner's AI course is not designed to turn you into a data scientist in a weekend. You won't be digging through complex calculus or dense academic papers. The point of these courses is to pull back the curtain on the core ideas behind the technology.

They explain things like machine learning (ML), neural networks, and generative AI in a way that just makes sense. You’ll finally understand what a large language model (LLM) is and why it feels like everyone is talking about them. The best introductory courses stick to the what and the why, which makes them perfect for anyone who needs to see how AI fits into the real world, from business leaders to customer support teams.

My criteria for choosing the top AI course for beginners

Not all courses are built the same, so I used a clear set of criteria to find the ones that give a true beginner the most bang for their buck. Here’s what I was looking for:

• Truly beginner-friendly: I prioritized courses that cut the jargon and explained concepts clearly. No PhD required.

• A practical focus: Does the course connect the dots between theory and the real world? I wanted examples and use cases that show how AI is being used right now.

• A credible instructor: Is the course taught by someone who knows their stuff? I stuck to courses from well-known institutions and experts in the field.

• Keeps you engaged: Let's be honest, it's easy to tune out of dry videos. I looked for courses that mix things up with videos, exercises, and projects.

• Good value: Does the course respect your time and (if it’s paid) your money? I included both free and paid options that really deliver.

A comparison of the best AI course for beginners for 2025

Here’s a quick side-by-side look at my top picks.

Course Name	Provider	Best For	Price	Time to Complete
Google AI Essentials	Google / Coursera	Gaining practical skills for daily tasks.	Free Trial / Subscription	~5 hours
AI For Everyone	DeepLearning.AI / Coursera	Non-technical professionals and leaders.	Free to Audit / Paid Certificate	~6 hours
Microsoft’s AI for Beginners	Microsoft / GitHub	Aspiring developers wanting a structured curriculum.	Free	12 weeks (self-paced)
Elements of AI	University of Helsinki & MinnaLearn	Anyone wanting to understand the basics without math.	Free	~15-30 hours
Generative AI for Everyone	Codecademy	Interactive, hands-on learning for GenAI.	Paid Subscription	~3 hours
Practical Deep Learning	Fast.ai	Those who want to learn by coding first.	Free	Self-paced

A detailed look at the 6 best AI course for beginners

Alright, let's get into the details of what makes each of these courses stand out and who they’re really for.

1. Google AI Essentials

Offered through Grow with Google and Coursera, this course is all about doing things. It’s designed to show you how to use generative AI tools to speed up your daily work, come up with new ideas, and just generally get more done. It's less about deep theory and more about getting your hands on tools you can use immediately.

• What’s great: It’s taught by Google experts and has a strong focus on immediate, tangible benefits. You'll finish with skills you can apply the same day.

• Keep in mind: It’s more focused on using existing Google tools, so you won't get as much of a neutral, brand-agnostic perspective on AI principles.

• Pricing: You can get it through a Coursera subscription, which usually offers a free trial to start.

2. AI for Everyone by DeepLearning.AI

Taught by Andrew Ng, a co-founder of Google Brain and Coursera, this is probably the most famous introductory AI course for a non-technical crowd. And for good reason. It’s built for business leaders, managers, and anyone who needs to understand the big picture of AI. The course does a fantastic job of explaining what AI can do and, maybe more importantly, what it can't do.

• What’s great: The instruction from a leading authority is top-notch. It’s perfect for getting your head around the business and strategic side of AI.

• Keep in mind: It’s very high-level. If you’re hoping to get into hands-on coding or technical details, this isn’t the one for you.

• Pricing: The course is free to audit on Coursera, but you can pay for a certificate if you want one.

3. Microsoft’s AI for Beginners

This isn't just a course; it's a full-blown curriculum offered for free on GitHub. It’s a 12-week, 24-lesson program that covers a huge range of topics, from symbolic AI to neural networks, with code examples in both TensorFlow and PyTorch. It’s incredibly thorough and an amazing resource if you want a structured, university-style introduction.

• What’s great: For a free resource, the level of detail is unbelievable. The labs, quizzes, and hands-on projects make it a complete learning experience.

• Keep in mind: While it says "beginners," it’s geared toward people who are already comfortable in a technical environment. It might be a bit much if you're a complete non-coder, and you’ll need some self-discipline to get through it.

• Pricing: 100% free.

4. Elements of AI

Created by the University of Helsinki and MinnaLearn, Elements of AI was launched with a simple goal: to make AI understandable for everyone. This course is perfect if you want to get the fundamentals down without getting lost in math or programming. It also spends a good amount of time on the societal and ethical side of AI, which is a really important part of the conversation.

• What’s great: It’s super accessible and does a brilliant job of explaining the bigger picture. The fact that it's backed by a major university adds a nice layer of credibility.

• Keep in mind: It’s less about direct business applications and more about general understanding and societal impact.

• Pricing: Also completely free.

5. Codecademy’s Generative AI for Everyone

If you’re the type of person who learns best by doing, Codecademy’s skill path is a great pick. It's a short, interactive course focused on the hottest part of AI right now: generative AI and prompt engineering. It guides you through the basics in small lessons within Codecademy’s classic interactive setup, letting you experiment as you go.

• What’s great: The hands-on, interactive format is really engaging. It’s a fast and effective way to get up to speed on GenAI.

• Keep in mind: You’ll need a Codecademy Pro subscription to get access to the whole course.

• Pricing: Requires a paid monthly or annual subscription.

6. Fast.ai’s Practical Deep Learning

Fast.ai flips the usual way of teaching on its head. Instead of starting with theory and slowly building up to examples, this course has you building and training models from the very first lesson. It’s a top-down approach that’s perfect for people who are eager to build stuff and learn the theory along the way.

• What’s great: It’s extremely hands-on and project-based. You’ll feel like you can build real things almost right away. The community around the course is also really strong and helpful.

• Keep in mind: It does assume you have some experience with Python. This course is for AI beginners, not coding beginners.

• Pricing: Totally free.

Putting your knowledge into practice

Finishing a course is a great first step. But the real learning starts when you begin applying what you know. This is where a lot of people get stuck. You might be thinking, "Okay, I get the concepts, but it's not like I can code a complex AI model from scratch. What now?"

This is where you can lean on no-code AI platforms. Tools like eesel AI are made to close the gap between understanding AI and actually using it to solve business problems. After taking a course like "AI For Everyone," you’ll have a clear idea of why automating customer support or internal questions is so powerful. eesel lets you actually do it in a few minutes, no developers needed.

This video provides a great overview of top AI courses available right now, including some of the options we've discussed.

Here’s how you can put your new knowledge to work:

• Get something running in minutes, not months. Instead of a long, complicated setup, you can connect your help desk like Zendesk or Jira Service Management with a single click. There are no mandatory sales calls or demos; you can just sign up and get going.

• Train the AI on your own information. The courses teach you that AI models learn from data. With a tool like eesel AI, you can instantly connect your company's knowledge sources, like past support tickets, Confluence pages, or Google Docs. This makes sure the AI gives answers that are specific to your business, not just generic guesses.

• Test it out with confidence. Nervous about letting an AI talk directly to your customers? I get it. eesel’s simulation mode lets you test your setup on thousands of your past tickets. You can see exactly how the AI would have responded and get a clear picture of how it will perform before you ever turn it on for real.

So, your AI course for beginners journey starts now

Learning the basics of AI is easier today than ever before. Whether you want a high-level strategic overview, a deep technical dive, or a quick hands-on course, there’s an option out there that fits.

But the journey doesn't stop when you get the certificate. The real payoff comes when you take that knowledge and use it to make a difference. Putting AI to work is no longer something that requires a huge budget or a whole engineering team. It's something you can start doing today.

Ready to go from theory to practice? See for yourself how easy it is to build and launch your own AI support agent. Start your free eesel AI trial today or book a demo and put your new knowledge to work.