🧭 THIS WEEK AT AI SECOND ACT
Howdy, greetings from Down Under! Quick edition this week
Read on for great learning resources to continue your AI journey!
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🧰 AI NEWS + LEARNING
Here are a few things I found recently:
AI models competing in a game of ‘Diplomacy’ - Quite interesting but long read and some insight on how AI models are learning to think and reason.
Essay about impact of AI - Letter to a Young Person Worrying About AI - Very useful read to think about how AI may impact our lives but also not get caught up in sensationalist news and overblown/exaggerated/hyped prediction.
Adobe Firefly - Full creative suite, new from adobe.
McKinsey update - State of AI in 2025 - Long, but summarize with AI!
Open AI - AI Progress & Recommendations - V. interesting article on how OpenAI sees AI status and their vision and governance recommendations moving forward.
🗺️ FEATURED INSIGHT
Free AI Learning Paths for Every Level
Your team just asked you to lead an AI initiative. Your boss wants your take on GPT-5. Your LinkedIn feed is 90% AI. And you're thinking: I should probably understand this stuff.
AI learning has never been more accessible. You don’t need a PhD, a math background, or a company-paid bootcamp to understand it. You just need a free weekend, curiosity, and the right starting point.
To make it easy, I’ve grouped the best truly free AI courses into three learning paths, whether you’re getting familiar with the basics, ready to use AI in your daily work, or curious enough to go deeper.
🧭 1️⃣ Orientation — Understand the Landscape (Non‑Technical)
Goal: Build fluency, confidence, and context — what AI can (and can’t) do.
AI For Everyone – DeepLearning.AI (6 hrs) — Andrew Ng’s gold‑standard intro; clear, jargon‑free, and focused on business use cases.
Google AI Essentials (5 hrs) — A hands‑on, workplace‑ready overview of how AI supports productivity and decision‑making.
AWS – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (2 hrs) — A concise orientation to AI fundamentals and everyday examples from Amazon’s perspective.
Microsoft Learn – AI Fundamentals (3 hrs) — Free learning path with simple exercises, ethics overview, and Azure examples.
Best for: Busy managers or program leads who need to speak AI fluently.
⚙️ 2️⃣ Application — Use AI at Work (Practical & Hands‑On)
Goal: Move from knowing AI exists to actually using it.
DeepLearning.AI - Introduction to Generative AI (3 hrs)
AWS AI Ready Training (varied) — Micro‑modules on generative AI, ML, and AWS AI services — easy to complete in small bursts.
DeepLearning.AI – AI Python for Beginners (4 hrs) — A hands‑on introduction to Python and AI with simple examples you can run.
Kaggle – Intro to Machine Learning (3‑6 hrs) — Great first step into applied ML, using real datasets right in your browser.
Best for: Professionals integrating AI into workflows or exploring automation projects.
🧠 3️⃣ Deep Dive — Build & Lead with AI (Technical & Strategic)
Goal: Learn the foundations behind AI models and lead projects confidently.
Google – Machine Learning Crash Course (15–20 hrs) — Google’s flagship course; strong fundamentals with interactive TensorFlow labs.
DeepLearning.AI – Short Courses Library (varied) — Free, modular courses on Prompt Engineering, LangChain, and Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG).
Hugging Face – Learn (10–20 hrs) — Open, technical deep‑dive on transformers, datasets, and model fine‑tuning — perfect for the curious builder.
OpenAI Academy (self‑paced) — Tutorials on ChatGPT, DALL·E, and building with OpenAI APIs; ideal for hands‑on learners.
Best for: Tech‑savvy leaders, engineers, and AI champions.
Challenge: Pick one course from your current level. Start this weekend. Finish by next Thursday.
Because consistency beats intensity — and curiosity beats perfection.
Weekly AI strategies for operating executives
— Brett
👉 Hit “Reply” and share your experience — I read every one!
Picture by Nick Morrison on Unsplash.