AI is for everyone – What everyone should know about artificial intelligence

The press release was originally published on Microsoft News Center (in Finnish) on May 30, 2023.

Microsoft, Elisa, and Sulava, together with universities, bring AI expertise within reach of every Finnish individual.

In a short period of time, AI has become an important assistant for everyone, benefiting individuals in their daily lives and professional careers. The future possibilities are limitless. AI can be harnessed to streamline administrative work, support learning and creativity, and free up time for human interactions.

Microsoft, Elisa, and Sulava have today announced a study program that enables everyone to learn how to harness AI in their work and daily life. The Practical AI study program is at the university level but easily accessible to anyone. It introduces the possibilities of generative AI, guides hands-on experimentation, and provides principles for safe and ethical use. The study program is free of charge and open to all. The two ECTS credit course can also be credited towards a higher education degree. The course is available in Finnish and English.

The development of artificial intelligence has gained unprecedented attention in the past six months. At its best, AI helps us be more productive, creative, and better understand larger contexts and new connections more efficiently.

CEO of Microsoft Finland, Mervi Airaksinen.

“The emergence of new technology always creates both tremendous expectations and concerns. In order to fully harness the possibilities of artificial intelligence, it is important that we all have an understanding of how AI works and how it can be responsibly utilized. As a leading company in AI development, Microsoft has a special responsibility to help increase understanding and stimulate discussions about the significance and opportunities of AI. We are delighted to collaborate with Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Elisa, and Sulava in this nationally important initiative,” Airaksinen continues.

“Elisa’s strengths in the IT field lies in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and automation expertise. We are involved in the implementation of Microsoft’s Practical AI course because we want to contribute to the advancement of AI knowledge among Finns and Finnish companies, and thereby contribute to a more sustainable future. AI has become part of our everyday lives, and it is important to embrace its benefits agilely to thrive as a Finnish society. We encourage everyone to explore AI and consider where it can be leveraged. With AI, it is already possible to effortlessly generate texts and images,” commented Sari Torkkola, Vice President, IT Business at Elisa.

“Utilizing artificial intelligence requires two types of skills,” says Karoliina Partanen, Chief Future Scientist at Sulava, and continues:

One must identify situations where AI can be beneficial and choose the appropriate tool for each situation. It is also essential to provide clear and precise instructions, or prompts, to AI. This training provides fundamental knowledge for both aspects. The skills can only be refined by using AI, and there are dozens of suitable situations in both work and daily life every day.

The Practical AI course is part of the popular Skills for Jobs collaboration project, which aims to train 100,000 technology professionals in Finland over the next five years. Already, we have achieved 24,000 new skilled professionals or individuals who have expanded their skills through partnerships with educational institutions, customer and partner enablement programs, and new micro-credentials.

The Practical AI course follows the success of the cybersecurity micro-credential launched in the first phase of the project. So far, over 10,000 students have explored the cybersecurity micro-credential, and more than 1,700 have completed its tasks. The first graduates have already completed the course within the nominal completion time of three months. In the fall, the course offerings will be expanded with the citizen developer micro-credential.

More information

Microsoft: Pekka Isosomppi, Communications Lead, +358 40 516 2399, pekka.isosomppi@microsoft.com
Elisa: +358 50 305 1605, mediadesk@elisa.fi
Sulava: Karoliina Partanen, Chief Future Scientist, +358 40 823 7434, karoliina.partanen@sulava.com

Useful links

Practical AI -course in english

More info from Microsoft: AI is for everyone – what everyone should know about artificial intelligence

Skills for Jobs collaboration project: Microsoft Skills For Jobs (in Finnish)

The original article was written by Pekka Isosomppi, Communications Lead at Microsoft