Get certified in safety and security for the AI era.

In 2020, a breakthrough in AI led to a new generation of far more powerful AI systems. These systems have unlocked tremendous economic value, but are also rapidly introducing unprecedented malicious use and accident risks.

Our new course, Foundations of AI: Opportunity and Risk in the New Era of Artificial Intelligence, offers intuitive, battle-tested explanations of how AI systems work, explains the 2020 AI revolution, and discusses its implications for corporate and NatSec strategy.

Taught by Silicon Valley insiders.

Gladstone's course is designed from the ground up by technical AI specialists. Our development team includes the former Head of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Defense Department’s Joint AI Center, and experienced AI startup founders backed by top Silicon Valley VCs.

Designed for nontechnical professionals.

This course was developed in consultation with world-leading AI experts, including the heads of AI policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the World Economic Forum.

Informed by experience.

Our instructors have briefed policymakers at all levels on AI risk, from junior analysts to senior civil service and
cabinet-level political leaders in the United States,
Canada, the United Kingdom and several E.U.
countries.

Built for the real world.

It’s not just about knowing the fundamentals of AI. It’s also about understanding the culture of AI, its big players, and the landscape you need to navigate to create AI-responsive security policy.

Foundations of AI: Opportunity and Risk in the New Era of Artificial Intelligence

This course is for you if

You're a leader, policy professional, planner, analyst, or consultant specializing in security policy, whether you’re a junior analyst or managing a policy team or program.

You don't need to be technical

No technical experience or prior understanding of AI is required.

Learn on your own time

Work from engaging, video-based lessons that you can complete on your own schedule. Foundations of AI includes 8 hours of content and 4 hours of activities, delivered over 3 weeks.

Course overview

Lesson 1

The new era of AI

Why AI accelerated dramatically in 2020
Opportunities & risks from new AI capabilities

Lesson 2

Datasets and algorithms

Introduction to datasets
Basic AI models and their use cases

Lesson 3

From classical AI to neural nets

Problems with classical AI
Neural nets and the deep learning revolution

Lesson 4

AI for vision

How machines can see
Applications of vision and RL

Lesson 5

Language modelling

How AIs master language
Strategic implications of the LLM revolution

Lesson 6

Foundation models and scaling

How foundation models changed AI
The AI scaling race and strategic implications

Lesson 7

Malicious applications of AI

New and emerging malicious AI capabilities
How adversarial attacks can undermine AI

Lesson 8

AI accidents and AI alignment

Causes of AI accidents and alignment risk
Risk mitigation strategies