Learning AI at Eleven Fifty Academy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being incorporated into many tech workflows and shows no signs of slowing down, so now is the time to lean into the current by building your AI skillset! Eleven Fifty Academy now offers an introduction to AI course for anyone looking to upskill and get a handle on what you need to know about AI now. Tony Smarrella, VP of Marketing at Eleven Fifty Academy, walks us through the AI tools and skills you can expect to learn. Plus, find out how Eleven Fifty Academy is already expanding their AI course offerings with new certificate courses focused on fields like HR, sales, and marketing!

How is Eleven Fifty Academy thinking about AI right now? 

AI is the hottest thing in the tech industry right now. You can't go on social media, turn on a news broadcast, or read any journals without seeing the impact of artificial intelligence. Eleven Fifty Academy is in a unique position of not only being able to understand the prompt engineering aspect of that, but the impact for general business practitioners, such as folks in HR, operations, sales, and marketing.

Eleven Fifty Academy is launching dedicated AI workshops! What can students expect to learn in these AI workshops?

Our workshops are for general business practitioners (such as HR managers, sales managers, VP of sales) that have an interest in artificial intelligence. We currently offer a 4-hour intro course once a month, available in-person or online for $99. The cost of the workshop goes to a scholarship fund to reduce tuition costs for other bootcamp students.

We are also starting a series of certificate programs: AI Specialist Certificate in Marketing, AI Specialist Certificate in Sales, AI Specialist Certificate in Operations, and an AI Specialist Certificate in HR. These programs are 20 hours total, so one, 4-hour session a week for five weeks. 

The general purpose of these new AI offerings is to introduce people to artificial intelligence — what it is and the tools they can use to bring their actual work into these sessions and utilize AI to do some of the daily tasks they face on the job: 

• For marketers, it might be content generation or some segmentation work. 
• For sales, it might be utilizing AI to score leads or to communicate via chat bot with potential leads or prospective customers.
• For HR, it could be figuring out how to use AI to help with performance reviews or to develop content for training.

Will students in the AI workshops be able to interact with each other?

Yes! The workshops are like master classes — all the sessions are live and interactive with the instructor and students. There are suggested practical activities between each of the sessions that you can utilize in your workplace to improve productivity at work and be part of your everyday work experience. 

Do you have AI experts on the curriculum or instruction team for these AI workshops and certificate courses? 

We’ve utilized AI experts to develop these courses: 

• Harrison Painter has released a book on artificial intelligence and its implications in business. 
• Terrence Kunstek is an AI consultant who travels all over the world with large corporations to utilize AI in their business operations.

Which generative AI tools will Eleven Fifty Academy start with?

The current curriculum covers the following general AI tools:

• ChatGPT
• Jasper AI
• Synthesia
• Midjourney
• Lavender
• Octane
• Several others as well

Since AI tools are emerging rapidly, how will the curriculum iterate over time?

That's a great question because in the six weeks since we started developing the intro course to the time we released it on September 5th, there were new additions to some of the tools we were using that changed in that period of time. 

Changes to curriculum at a traditional school can take upwards of 2-3 years — our advisory board of industry experts at Eleven Fifty Academy review our curriculum every 6 months, though we’re reviewing the AI curriculum every 30 days to see what changes are happening and making sure that the course is relevant. As consultants in the industry, we have to stay current, and that knowledge is translated directly into the classes. 

Would these workshops be appropriate for Eleven Fifty Academy alumni or anyone already working in tech looking to upskill? 

Eleven Fifty Academy alumni that want to upskill their mid or upper-level skills get a discount on our AI workshops. This discount may also apply to certain company partners. We’re always happy to talk to those interested in developing partnerships, whether financial or to upskill their employees. 

Are the AI workshops appropriate for beginners?

Tech beginners could take this if they are already working business professionals in some capacity. We’ve had 20-year-olds apply as well as folks that have been coders for 7-8 years. 

Is AI being integrated into Eleven Fifty Academy’s other bootcamps? 

Yes, we are in the process of evolving our software development program to integrate AI into the curriculum. 

In the midst of headlines like “AI is Replacing Software Engineers,” why is this the right time to be changing careers into tech? What do headlines like this get wrong about AI?

A lot of people fear artificial intelligence and that they might lose their job. That may happen — there may be some job loss — but research also shows that: for every one job that's eliminated, there will be 2-3 more created through the use of AI! It’s similar to any other major technological advancement in history: when the automobile came out in the early 1900s, it put horse buggies out of business, but created more jobs in car manufacturing. AI is a new market, with new jobs. 

If you want to advance your career and continue to provide value to organizations, you have to stay up on the latest trends and technology so that you can become more efficient at your job. By providing people with the experience in the skill set to become an AI Specialist, we believe we're preparing them for those new jobs and for what their current job is going to morph into. With this AI specialization training, you'll be able to provide more value than other people that aren’t. 

What is your advice to incoming students on how to make the most of these AI courses?

If it’s possible, attend Eleven Fifty Academy in-person! If you attend online, make sure you have the time to dedicate to it and don’t try to multitask during that time. If you have any questions or concerns about AI, bring those with you so we can figure out where AI can fit best in your job practice.

Find out more and read Eleven Fifty Academy reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with Eleven Fifty Academy.