BCS Foundation Certificate in
Artificial Intelligence v2.0

As the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies continues to spread across every industry sector, from law enforcement to healthcare and manufacturing to professional services, the need for trustworthy and effective implementation has never been greater. Organisations are no longer asking if they should adopt AI but how they can do so ethically, reliably, and at scale. 

While the potential for AI to transform public service delivery and enhance corporate competitiveness through business efficiencies, productivity gains, and innovation is significant, the challenges involved in successfully implementing AI technologies are substantial. Recent research indicates that the failure rate of AI projects can be as high as 80%, twice that of traditional IT programs.

In order to effectively oversee the implementation of AI projects, organisations must take a comprehensive approach to responsible AI development. Without thorough and systematic oversight, there is a considerable risk that AI projects may not deliver against their stated objectives, which could result in unintended consequences and escalating costs, jeopardising the AI project's operational and financial viability. The only solution, therefore, is to ensure robust AI governance must not be overlooked. 

The updated BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence addresses the fundamental principles and concepts of AI, along with its practical implications in the real world. Participants will learn the history of AI from its origins to its modern re-emergence, with a particular emphasis on machine learning, neural networks, robotics, generative AI and large language models (LLMs). 

The BCS AI Foundation considers the various opportunities in which AI tools and applications can transform business services as we move towards a more technologically advanced society. Attendees will learn about performing financial cost-benefit analysis, conducting impact assessments, and how to structure a business case to justify the undertaking of an AI project and secure funding.

With the aim of prioritising ethical and sustainable AI solutions, the BCS AI Foundation examines the challenges and risks associated with AI projects, such as those related to privacy, transparency and potential biases in algorithms that could lead to unintended consequences. In addressing these challenges, the course reviews the pre-existing regulatory landscape, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), along with AI-related laws such as the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). Participants will also explore the role of data, effective risk management strategies, compliance requirements, and ongoing governance of the AI lifecycle.

The BCS AI Foundation is delivered online by attending four consecutive 4-hour live online sessions. The course follows the latest BCS Syllabus (v2.0) and prepares participants for the 60-minute multiple-choice BCS Foundation Exam, administered separately via Questionmark through online remote proctoring.

Award holders of the BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence will be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the skills required to ensure the deployment of responsible AI tools and applications.

• Understand the key terminology and the general principles of artificial intelligence (AI)
• Learn the history of AI from its origins in the 1950s to the modern-day rise of big data and the development of generative AI
• Explore the legal, ethical and regulatory considerations when using or developing AI tools and applications
• Consider how AI technologies can be used to support business activities
• Discover how to identify opportunities for AI use 
• Learn how to mitigate AI risks and maintain control over financial costs when implementing AI projects
• Consider the impact of AI on the future of society and business

The BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence is suitable for a range of non-technical and business process-orientated roles, including middle and senior management professionals working with teams expected to create or use AI tools and applications:

• AI governance teams
• AI ethics board members
• Data Protection Officers (DPOs) & practitioners 
• Governance, risk & compliance professionals
• Legal professionals advising on information law
• Privacy engineers
• Data scientists, analysts, & architects
• Systems administrators, developers, & engineers
• Information security, IT security, & IT managers
• Software engineers, programmers
• Test managers & QA engineers
• IT & infosec auditors
• Ethical hackers & forensics investigators
• Website & game developers, UX/UI designers

While it used to be sufficient for data protection professionals to possess an expert-level understanding of relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, modern practitioners are increasingly being asked to advise on non-legal aspects of utilising and protecting personal data. To stay current, practitioners must build on their existing knowledge of data protection laws to include a detailed understanding of AI. This is particularly relevant when considering automated decision-making and ethical issues such as algorithmic bias, fairness, and transparency.

Data protection practitioners will find the BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence an ideal entry point into the field of AI governance. However, to continue their professional development, they will likely need to advance to more in-depth programmes over time.

For new, less-experienced team members, the BCS Essentials Certificate in AI offers a lighter introduction to the subject.

Module 1: An introduction to AI and its historical development

• An introduction to key AI definitions and terms
• The development of AI from the 1956 Dartmouth conference to Big Data, the Internet of Things and Large Language Models (LLMs)
• The difference between task-specific (narrow) and general (strong) AI:
  • Narrow AI examples include spam filtering, image and speech recognition, language translation, and virtual assistants
  • Strong AI aims to replicate human intelligence, and has the capacity to understand or learn any intellectual task
• Consider the ethical, social, economic and environmental impact of AI on society
• Sustainability measures to help reduce the environmental impact of AI

Module 2: Ethical and legal considerations

• The role of ethics in AI:
  • What is ethics?
  • Differences between ethics and law
• Key ethical concerns in AI:
  • Potential for bias, unfairness and discrimination
  • Data privacy and protection
  • Impact on employment and the economy
• Guiding principles behind the ethical development and use of AI, including:
  • UK AI principles of safety, security and robustness, transparency and explainability, fairness, accountability and governance, and contestability and redress
• Strategies for addressing ethical challenges in AI projects
• The need and role of regulation in AI
  • AI regulation landscape
  • UK GDPR and DPA18
  • International Standards
• The process of risk management in AI:
  • How to identify AI risks
  • Risk management techniques
  • Risk mitigation strategies
  • Importance of minimising risk in relation to AI adoption

Module 3: Enablers of AI

• Common examples of where AI tools and applications are used in everyday life
• The role of robotics 
• The field of machine learning (ML):
  • Neural networks
  • Deep learning
  • Large language models (LLMs)
• Common ML concepts
• Supervised and unsupervised learning

Module 4: Finding and using data for AI purposes

• Data definitions and terms
• 5 characteristics of data quality
• Data-driven insights and decision-making
• Implications of poor quality data
• Risks associated with handling data in AI
• The scientific method of learning from experience
• The purpose and use of big data
• Data visualisation techniques and tools
• Generative AI
• How data is used to train AI in the ML process

Module 5: How organisations use AI

• Identifying opportunities to use AI for:
  • Automation
  • Repetative tasks
  • Content creations
• How to develop and structure an AI business case 
• How to identify and categorise stakeholders for relevent AI projects
• How to identify the risks, costs and benefits when implementing an AI project or solution
  • Risk analysis
  • Risk appetite
  • Risk management strategies
  • Cost-benefit analysis
  • Financial costs and forcasting
• Different project management approaches
• Ongoing AI governance activities:
  • Compliance
  • Risk management
  • AI Lifecycle

Module 6: Future planning and impact

• AI roles and career paths
• AI literacy and skills development
• Real-world AI applications
• Consciousness and its impact on ethical AI
  • Human consciousness
  • AI consciousness
  • AI projects in light of ethical considerations and consciousness
  • Ethical challenges associated with artificial consciousness

Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence (AI-F)

Syllabus version 2.0
August 2024

Download the new syllabus (PDF)

Duration and Format of the Examination

The BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence exam format is a 1-hour multiple-choice examination. The exam is closed book, i.e. no materials can be taken into the examination room.

Exam Format

Additional time for candidates requiring Reasonable Adjustments

Adjustments and/or additional time can be requested in line with the BCS reasonable adjustments policy for candidates with a disability or other special considerations, including English as a second language.

Get this BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence for:

£1295.00_+VAT

• Receive a 15% online discount for multiple bookings onto public courses
• Onsite courses can be delivered for teams of 6 or more 

BCS Accredited AI training package includes:

• 3 x 5.5-hour live online sessions on consecutive days
• Entrance to the 60-minute, multiple-choice online BCS Examination
• 1-2-1 coaching and support
• 1st year BCS Associate membership

Courseware: a complete Essential level AI manual

• Detailed eBook course manual (see here for eBook features & print options)
• Includes free lifetime updates, which means it will never go out of date
• Full course PowerPoint presentation
• Exercises & revision materials
• Sample exam questions