Generative AI is having an revolutionary impact across the board. Some jobs will be lost but more will be created and to get in on the ground floor now is the time to gain a credentials to show employers that you have the skills needed for building AI Applications on the AWS Cloud.

A study conducted by AWS in 2023 revealed that 92% of organizations plan to use AI-powered solutions by 2028, but 75% can’t find the talent they need. To meet this skills gap, Amazon Web Services has partnered with Coursera to offer the AWS Generative AI Applications Professional Certificate which covers both the AI fundamentals and AWS services required to develop practical applications to enhance productivity. 

Taught by AWS Instructors and at beginner level this new credential requires only 4 weeks of effort at 10 hours per week. and its material is arranged in three courses, each with three modules:

1. AI Fundamentals and the Cloud

Module 1: Introduction To AI (1 hr)
7 videos, 2 readings, 1 quiz, 1 discussion prompt

This module introduces AI and focuses on how to use it responsibly. You learn about the differences between Large Language Models (LLMs) and Foundation Models (FMs), including private and public models. Along the way, you discover how AI works, how it's trained on data, and the basics of machine learning. Additional topics include the impact of AI on privacy, fairness, decision-making, and prompt engineering.

Module 2: Rocking Out with Party Rock (2 hrs)
4 videos, 1 readings, 1 quiz, 1 hands-on excercise

This module walks you through getting started with PartyRock. This service is able to handle much more than just text prompts, and you get a chance to see this in action. You view a demo of PartyRock, showcasing how to use chat prompts, generate images, and create widgets or applications. There’s also a hands-on exercise where you build an application using PartyRock.

Module 3: Getting Started with AWS AI Services (2 hrs)
6 videos, 1 readings, 1 assessment, 1 Lab 

This module covers several Amazon AI tools. You learn about Amazon Bedrock and how it helps developers build and scale generative AI applications. Next, you explore Amazon Q Developer and Amazon Q Business, and how they can be used to create and solve business challenges. Finally, you dive into Amazon SageMaker AI, learning how it can help data scientists deploy machine learning models at scale.

2. AWS Services for AI Solutions

Module 1: AWS Pre-trained AI Services (1 hr)
6 videos, 3 readings, 1 quiz, 1 discussion prompt

In this module, you explore the fundamentals of artificial intelligence (AI) and how AWS makes AI adoption easier through pre-trained services. You gain insight into real-world applications of AI and learn about AWS purpose-built tools for language processing, computer vision, generative AI, and more. Through hands-on examples and guided explanations, you understand how to start using these services and apply them across various business needs.

Module 2: Optimizing FMs with Amazon Bedrock (2hrs)
4 videos, 3 readings, 1 quiz,  1 Lab

In this module, you learn how to innovate with generative AI using Amazon Bedrock by exploring prompt engineering, model customization, and task automation. You gain hands-on experience crafting effective prompts and tuning model parameters to optimize AI output. The module also introduces AI agents and outlines how to automate complex tasks using Bedrock’s advanced capabilities.

Module 3: Designing AI Solutions (2 hrs)
6 videos, 4 readings, 1 assessment, 1 Lab 

In this module, you explore the key considerations involved in designing and deploying effective AI solutions on AWS. You learn when to use pre-built AI services versus building custom models, and how to optimize cost, performance, and infrastructure. The module also covers the importance of high-quality data, AWS data services, and best practices for architecting scalable and sustainable AI systems.

3. Bringing Ideas to Life Using AI

Module 1: Getting Started (1 hr)
3 videos, 1 reading, 1 quiz, 1 hands-on excercise

In this module, you are introduced to the transformative potential of generative AI and how it can be used to bring ideas to life. Through inspiring real-world examples and foundational knowledge, you learn that AI is not just for developers—anyone can harness its power to improve productivity, automate tasks, or innovate.

Module 2: Learning about AI Products (2 hrs)
5 videos, 2 readings, 1 quiz, 

In this module, you learn how to use generative AI tools and AWS services—such as Amazon Q Developer and PartyRock—to turn ideas into functional prototypes, regardless of coding experience. You explore key technical concepts such as functions and APIs, while understanding how to manage AI-related costs effectively. Through demos, discussions, and real-world inspiration, you gain the confidence to start building and scaling AI-powered solutions.

Module 3: Maturing Ideas Into Business (2 hrs)
6 videos, 3 readings, 1 assessment, 1 Lab

In this module, you learn how to use generative AI tools and AWS services—such as Amazon Q Developer and PartyRock—to turn ideas into functional prototypes, regardless of coding experience. You explore key technical concepts such as functions and APIs, while understanding how to manage AI-related costs effectively. Through demos, discussions, and real-world inspiration, you gain the confidence to start building and scaling AI-powered solutions.

These courses are at beginner level and don't require either coding or prior experience of AWS services, such as Amazon Q Developer, which is an AI-powered assistant for software development or Amazon Bedrock which is a tool that is designed to be used without writing any code.  As we noted when Amazon Bedrock was first released back in 2023, it lets users experiment with a variety of top FMs (foundational models) from Amazon and leading AI companies, customize them privately with their own data using techniques such as fine-tuning and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and create managed agents that perform complex business tasks. PartyRock is playground for Bedrock that allows users to experiment with generative AI and build applications without writing any code. The aim of PartyRock is to make generative AI accessible to everyone, providing a fun and intuitive environment for learning about prompt engineering and creating AI-powered applications. You don't even need an AWS account to get started; you can sign in with a social login.

Overall, the  earning the AWS Generative AI Applications Professional Certificate seems to be a good way to become familiar with Amazon's proprietary AI tools and as AWS is still the major cloud provider there is a lot to commend it to employers in a wide range of industries.  

More Information

AWS Generative AI Applications Professional Certificate

Amazon Bedrock

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