This year jolted us into a digital sprint, accelerating the adoption of technologies like artificial intelligence and its key arm – machine learning. Developments in the field of AI are bound to significantly transform how we live, work and play as we march into the future.

If you’re wondering how you can enter the world of artificial intelligence and machine learning then you’re not alone, as many professionals are wondering how to enhance their respective industry prospects, including those looking to boost their Fintech careers. In this article, we’ve highlighted the best artificial intelligence and machine learning courses that can help you develop a deeper understanding of the subject and develop your future career.

The fact is, artificial intelligence is transforming every industry from healthcare to entertainment and of course financial services. Innovation in AI is promising a new era of economic growth and in response, the pace of development is accelerating:

• Governments across the globe are investing heavily in AI, the US government has announced a  $1 billion investment to fund AI and quantum computing research as of August 2020, with other countries following suit.

• Companies across the globe are investing heavily in AI too with 64.8% of firms investing more than $50 million in AI in 2020, a percentage significantly greater than 39.7% in 2018.

• The market for AI technologies to reach $190+ by 2025 according to a leading market research firm.

In the midst of such upheaval in policy and macroeconomic trends, The artificial intelligence and machine learning courses outlined below will help you understand the potential of artificial intelligence. The courses explore key areas in machine learning such as artificial neural networks, data analysis, deep learning, python and much more. And the beautiful thing about the courses that we’ve highlighted is that they’re suited for all levels. Whether you just looking for a basic introduction or want to gain an expert level understanding, there’s something for everyone.

CFTE Presents: 8 Best Artificial Intelligence(A.I) and Machine Learning Courses in Finance [2021]

1. CFTE’s online AI in Finance course

Summary: AI in Finance is the first industry led online course on the artifical intelligence revolution, developed by CFTE and Ngee Ann Polytechnic for professionals to understand the applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in financial services. The course follows a similar format to CFTE’s Fintech Specialisation Course.

Over the course of 18 modules and 4 chapters, over 20+ finance and technology thought leaders and industry insiders will discuss key artificial intelligence topics such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), data science, recommendation engines, artificial neural networks (ANN) and more. It’s a knowledge-based course so it’s the perfect platform for those beginning their journey to understanding AI in financial services

Advantages:  

• Learners can join an online community to connect with professionals to continue their learning journey and build the connections that can help to further their career
• Self-Paced Online Course – Suitable for busy professionals
• Industry Led Knowledge – Experts from UBS, Citi, ADDO AI, IO Tahoe, PingAn Technology and many more.
• 6 months access to course content from day of enrolment
• Suitable for those on a budget as course can be bought outright or payments can be split across three months
• Boost your CV and Job Prospects with a SSG, IBF, ACT and CPD Accredited Certificate.

Key lecturers:

• Ayesha Khanna (CEO and Co-Founder – ADDO.AI | Co-Founder – Hybrid Reality Institute | Faculty Advisor – Singularity University)
• Stephan Murer (Ex Global CTO – UBS)
• Philip Watson (Head of Investments Lab and Chief Innovation Officer, Citi)
• Dr. Winne Cheng (Chief Data Scientist, IO Tahoe)
• Jon-Tzen Ng (Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer)

Level: Beginner

Cost: £600 OR £200 for 3 months. 

Certification: SG Accredited Certification

Study Method:

• Online Based Course – Learn at your own schedule and pace.
• 18 structured modules to understand the applications of Artificial Intelligence in Finance.
• 18 Quizzes/Assessments at the end of each module to test your knowledge.
• Video lectures – Course consists of video lectures and video interviews with industry experts.
• Comprehensive readings to compliment content within video lectures.

Want to know more?  Click here for more information.

2. Stanford University, Coursera –  Machine Learning Courses

Summary: This 11-week program from Andrew Ng, the co-founder of Coursera, co-founder of Google Brain and former Chief Scientist at Baidu, is one of the most popular online courses for understanding artificial intelligence and machine learning. This AI course covers a variety of core concepts such as supervised and unsupervised learning, and data mining. The material is learned through a mixture of text-based reading and videos lectures that help to break up study patterns.

Advantage: Flexible coursework which means if a learner misses the deadline they can switch to another session.

Key lecturer:

• Andrew Ng (CEO and Founder – Landing AI | Co-founder, Coursera | Adjunct Professor – Stanford University | Former Chief Scientist – Baidu | Former Founding Lead – Google Brain

Level: Introductory

Cost: Free

Certification: US$79 for grading/certification

Study Method: Online

Click here for more information.

3. Udacity Machine Learning Nanodegree

Summary: Two three-month programmes that aim to help you “master the skills necessary to become a successful Machine Learning Engineer”. It’s definitely one of the more career-focused programs that we’ve listed and like the Stanford course, covers the core machine learning principles and also dives deeper into the realm of predictive modelling. It’s beginner-focused but expect a vigorous test.

Advantage: The last two out of the nine projects will contribute heavily to your CV and level of job readiness. One-to-one technical mentor available. Also suitable for those on a budget, as access is charged on a monthly basis, making it potentially cheaper if you can complete the course faster.

Key lecturers:

• Cezanna Camacho (Machine Learning Educator)
• Luis Serrano (Former Machine Learning Engineer – Google)
• Dan Romuald Mbanga (Principal Machine Learning Business Development Manager – Amazon Web Services)
• Mat Leonard (Former physicist, research neuroscientist and data scientist)

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Cost: US$399 per month (est. 3 months needed to complete each course)

Certification: N/A

Study Method: Online

Click here for more information.

4. International Faculty of Finance, IFF – Artificial Intelligence in Banking Training Course

Summary: A two-day training programme which covers Artificial Intelligence in banking by examining current leading practices across the global industry. It offers an in-depth look into the best available practices and how they can be applied in any organisation.

Advantage: Course offers detailed insight into how AI can best suit your burgeoning business through 10 rigorous levels. Also suitable for those short of time.

Key lecturer:

• Christian Spindler (Senior Manager at PwC)

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Cost: London – £2638.80 (including VAT), Online – £2158.80 (including VAT)

Certification: CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Certification.

Study Method: In-person or virtual classrooms to conduct practical sessions and discussions.

Click here for more information.

5. Columbia University, edX – Machine Learning for Data Science and Analytics

Summary: Another Ivy League School, Columbia University, brings their 5-week course to Edx, a global online learning platform. This artificial intelligence course gives learners a solid understanding of the principles in machine learning, covering its relation to statistics and data analysis, computer algorithms to detect patterns, how to utilise data patterns in decision making and more.

Advantage: Self-paced course suitable for busy individuals.

Key lecturers:

• Cliff Stein (Professor of IEOR and of Computer Science – Columbia University)
• David Blei (Professor of Computer Science and Statistics – Columbia University)
• Mihalis Yannakakis (Professor of Computer Science – Columbia University)

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Cost: Free or US$99 for certification

Certification: Can be transferred into credits for the Master of Computer Science program at Columbia University

Study Method: Online

Click here for more information.

6. MIT – Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy 

Summary: MIT once again partners with e-learning platform GetSmarter to address the growing demand among business professionals to get an understanding of what exactly artificial intelligence is and how it will impact business. This online AI course is practically focused and follows a similar pattern to the MIT Fintech Certificate in which learners were first given an introduction to the subject and then given a capstone project to apply their understanding.

One of CFTE’s alumni who completed this AI course called it “comprehensive with plenty of videos, readings, discussion forums and assignments”. 

Advantage: Strategic in focus versus theoretical. Multiple semester intakes and self-paced course to suit your schedule.

Key lecturer:

• Thomas W. Malone (Professor of Information Technology | Director, MIT Center for Collective Intelligence)
• Andrew Lo (Professor of Finance | Director, Laboratory for Financial Engineering – MIT Sloan School of Management)
• Alex Pentland (Toshiba Professor of Media Arts & Sciences Director | Human Dynamics Lab and MIT Media Lab Entrepreneurship Program)
• Daniela Rus (Director – Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), MIT)
  

Level: Intermediate 

Cost: US$3,200

Certification: MIT Certification of Completion 

Study Method: Online

Click here for more information.

7. Open Badge Programme, IBM Skills Gateway

Summary: Learners on the Open Badge Programme have access to a variety of artificial intelligence and machine learning short courses (or badges) that have been designed to help you understand the basics of AI and machine learning. As it’s IBM, the courses pivot towards familiarising learners with their ecosystem of AI products such as IBM Watson and IBM Cloud.

Note: Courses are aimed at enterprise developers with an academic background in computer science.

Advantage: IBM badges are more focused on the business application of AI on an enterprise level. Courses available for all skill / experience levels.

Key lecturer:

• N/A

Level: 4 levels – Explorer, Instructor, Author and Mastery

Cost: Varies

Certification: IBM Badge

Study Method: Online

Click here for more information.

8. Data Science, Deep Learning, & Machine Learning with Python, Udemy

Summary: Of all the courses mentioned on the list, this is probably one of the best for beginners. It’s a self-paced course that focuses on using a lot of video content to deliver the teaching material – more than 80 lectures spanning 12 hours of video. It covers all the AI and Machine Learning concepts and provides a great platform to dive deeper.

Advantage: Easy to understand, free of complex jargon and built for complete beginners.

Key lecturer:

• Frank Kane (Founder – Sundog Education | Former Senior Manager – IMDb.com, Amazon)

Level: Beginner

Cost: US$11.99

Certification: Course Completion Certification

Study Method: Online

Click here for more information.

About CFTE

CFTE is an education platform supported by senior leaders from the largest institutions, startups and universities. It addresses the needs of professionals in finance and technologists to up-skill in a rapidly changing industry being transformed by emerging technologies.

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