Level 1 Certificate in AI Essentials
Understand AI, use it with confidence and stay safe.
What it’s for
For anyone starting out with AI. You learn what AI is and isn’t, how to have useful conversations with an AI assistant, how to check what it tells you, and how to keep yourself, your money and your information safe.
Who it’s for
- You’ve heard a lot about AI but haven’t really used it
- You’ve tried a chatbot and weren’t sure what to make of it
- You want a calm, plain-English start, with no maths and no jargon
- You help someone else, a parent or a colleague, get started
Before you start: None. If you can send an email, you can do this course.
What you’ll be able to do
- Explain what AI is, and what it can and can’t do, in your own words
- Hold a useful conversation with an AI assistant and improve its answers
- Write clear prompts for everyday tasks
- Check an AI answer before you rely on it
- Keep your personal information safe and spot AI scams and fakes
The units
Each unit lists what you’ll learn (its learning outcomes) and what you’ll be able to do to show it (its assessment criteria). Every marked question is tied to one of them.
1What AI is, and what it isn’tWhat people mean by AI, where you already meet it, and how an AI assistant comes up with its answers.12 min
Outcome 1Understand what artificial intelligence is
- Describe AI in plain English
- Give examples of AI in everyday life
- Explain how AI differs from ordinary software that follows fixed rules
Outcome 2Understand what AI assistants do
- Describe what an AI assistant, or chatbot, does
- Explain that an assistant predicts likely words rather than looking facts up
- Describe some things AI does well and some it does badly
2Your first conversations with AIStarting a chat, asking a clear question, following up, and knowing which jobs suit an AI assistant.13 min
Outcome 1Know how to start and steer a conversation with an AI assistant
- Name some widely used AI assistants
- Start a chat and ask a clear question
- Use follow-up messages to improve an answer
- Know when to start a new chat
Outcome 2Know which everyday tasks suit an AI assistant
- Identify tasks an assistant helps with well
- Identify tasks to avoid, or to check with a person
3Asking well: prompts that workA simple recipe for clear prompts, and how to improve an answer when the first one misses.12 min
Outcome 1Write clear prompts
- Include the task, the background and what a good answer looks like
- Ask for a format, a length and a tone
- Give an example of what you want
Outcome 2Improve answers step by step
- Give specific feedback on an answer
- Ask the assistant to ask you questions first
- Recognise a vague prompt and fix it
4Checking what AI tells youWhy AI gets things wrong while sounding sure, and quick ways to check an answer before you rely on it.12 min
Outcome 1Understand why AI makes mistakes
- Explain what a hallucination is
- Explain why an assistant can be out of date
- Recognise that a confident answer isn’t always a correct one
Outcome 2Check AI answers
- Check facts against trusted sources
- Recognise warning signs in an answer
- Know when to ask a qualified person, such as a doctor, pharmacist or adviser
5Staying safe and privateWhat not to share with an AI assistant, the privacy settings worth knowing, and how to spot AI scams and fakes.12 min
Outcome 1Protect personal information when using AI
- Identify information you shouldn’t share
- Use privacy settings and temporary chats
- Understand that chats may be stored and sometimes reviewed
Outcome 2Recognise AI scams and fakes
- Describe voice cloning and deepfakes
- Use simple checks, such as a family safe word and calling back on a number you know
- Know what to do if you think you’ve been targeted
6Putting AI to work in everyday lifeUsing AI to write, plan, learn and get things done, fairly and in your own voice.12 min
Outcome 1Use AI for practical everyday tasks
- Use AI to draft, plan, explain and summarise
- Adapt what AI writes so it sounds like you
- Choose a few uses to build into your week
Outcome 2Use AI fairly and responsibly
- Recognise bias in what AI produces
- Be open about using AI where it matters
- Decide when not to use AI
How it’s assessed
Each unit ends with a 5-question unit check: get 4 right to complete the unit, and retake it as often as you need with fresh questions. When all six are complete, the final assessment opens: 24 multiple-choice questions, 4 from each unit, in 40 minutes. Your grade comes from your final assessment mark.
Your certificate
Your name, the level and your grade, with its own number and a QR code linking to a public page where anyone can check it. A second page records the units and learning outcomes you’ve met. It arrives as a PDF by email, you can add it to LinkedIn in one tap, and we’ll post you a printed copy for £10 if you’d like one.
It’s an Unjargoned certificate of achievement, not a regulated qualification.