Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence
IBM SkillsBuild
Last updated June 19, 2026
Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence is a roughly three-hour learning plan from IBM SkillsBuild that takes a complete beginner from "what is AI?" to a working grasp of how modern AI behaves. It runs across three modules: an introduction to AI and its history, an introduction to large language models, and a practical module on writing precise prompts. You learn how AI tells different kinds of data apart, how it learns to make predictions, what large language models are and why transformers made them possible, and how to phrase requests that get useful results — finishing by using a generative AI model to build something small. It is offered in English. Complete all three modules to earn the IBM SkillsBuild "Getting Started with AI" digital credential.
What you'll learn
- What AI is and a short history of how it developed
- Structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data, and how AI tells them apart
- How machine learning lets AI make predictions from data
- What large language models are, and the role of transformers
- Common uses of large language models, and generative AI's wider impact
- Writing effective prompts, ending with a hands-on task using a generative AI model
Frequently asked questions about Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence
Who is Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence for?
Complete beginners who want a structured, credential-backed introduction to how AI and language models work.
Is Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence free?
Yes — Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence is completely free to take.
What are the prerequisites for Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence?
None; no programming required. Offered in English. Starting the plan needs a free IBM account.
Does Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence offer a certificate?
Yes. Industry-recognized IBM SkillsBuild digital credential, "Getting Started with AI," earned by completing all three modules of the learning plan and issued as a verifiable digital badge through Credly.
Why we suggest this course
A structured, credential-backed route for someone who wants more than a quick overview but isn't ready for anything technical. It goes a step further than IBM's gentler AI Literacy plan — into how AI handles data and how language models work — and rewards finishing with a credential. It's free; you'll need a free IBM account, and it's currently English-only. Earning the credential means completing all three modules, not just one.