INTRODUCTION TO AI

Course Description:

Artificial intelligence did not appear overnight, and understanding it requires looking beyond the current wave of marketing hype. This friendly, face-to-face course takes you on a guided historical and conceptual journey, explaining how AI technology evolved from the post-WWII era to the modern age of autonomous systems, how these models operate, and the critical guardrails needed to govern them.

What You Will Learn

Instead of treating AI as an inexplicable black box, you will unpack its origins, technical foundations, and societal impact across core themes:

1. The Evolution of AI: Follow the historical timeline from Alan Turing and post-WWII foundational concepts through early symbolic systems to modern deep learning.
2. Core Technical Concepts: Demystify machine learning, neural networks, deep learning, generative models, and emerging agentic AI architectures in plain English.
3. Guardrails & Deployment: Discover how large-scale models are trained, aligned, deployed into production, and safeguarded with technical guardrails.
4. Global Implementations & Landscape: Explore major public AI deployments worldwide alongside an objective survey of the current commercial tool landscape.
5. Ethics, Risks & Governance: Examine the critical challenges of algorithmic bias, training data ethics, safety hazards, and international policy frameworks.

Who This Is For

No technical background or coding skills required—if you can browse the web and write an email, this course is designed for you:

• Curious Adult Learners: Build genuine literacy around how modern intelligent systems evolved and operate without getting lost in technical jargon.
• Educators, Trainers & Leaders: Understand the conceptual mechanics, governance models, and ethical debates shaping policy and public discussion.
• Professionals & Decision Makers: Evaluate the broader AI tool landscape and understand deployment realities, risks, and guardrails with clear eyes.
• Informed Citizens: Separate reality from sensational headlines regarding AI safety, societal risks, and global developments.

What to Expect

• No technical experience needed: Plain English, conceptual breakdowns, and zero jargon.
• Insightful analysis: Focus on history, concepts, ethics, and architecture, accompanied by focused demonstrations illustrating key principles.

Course Day & Time: Monday  evening 7:30 – 9.30pm

Start Date: 25/01/27 

Cost: €110

Course Format: In class with tutor

Duration: 10 weeks – Maximum of 12 students in class

Location: Malahide Community School, Adult Education

Enrolment: You can enrol online on our website www.malahidecsadulted.ie by clicking the 'Enrol Here' button. Enrolment will open on Tuesday the 8th of December at 10am

Tutor: Peter Bonner