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AI Apprenticeship online course

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Start date: 15 September 2025

AI Apprenticeship: 10 transformative lessons from learning AI by building it

The AI Apprenticeship online course offers a hands-on approach to learning about generative AI, specifically designed for professionals in digital governance, diplomacy, and international relations. Through this course, participants will acquire the skills necessary to navigate the changes AI is bringing to institutions worldwide.

Reviews

Artificial Intelligence

Text РAur̬le Aquillon

Accessories, Glasses, Adult, Male, Man, Person, Jeffrey RosenThe AI Apprenticeship provided a solid introduction to AI and its possible application in government. I was impressed by how easily tailored solutions could be created for complex problems, which will certainly enable us to continually improve our capabilities. Thanks to the course, I am confident in my ability to accompany my institution through this significant shift in a manner that is both responsible and considerate of human factors.

– Mr Aurèle Aquillon, Deputy Head of Regional Coordination Western, Central and Southern Europe, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA, Switzerland

Text – Folake Olagunju

Body Part, Face, Head, Neck, Person, Photography, Portrait, Happy, Smile, Mouth, Carmen TwillieI signed up for the AI Apprenticeship course to get a better grasp of the basics of AI. It turned out to be both engaging and insightful; it gave me the foundational knowledge I was missing. Now, I am eager to build on what I have gained and to apply it.

– Ms Folake Olagunju, Program Officer, Internet & Cybersecurity, ECOWAS Commission

Text – Sarah Ann Cumberland

Face, Head, Person, Photography, Portrait, Blouse, Clothing, Body Part, Neck, Frown, Sad, Adult, Female, Woman, Lady, Ségolène RoyalThe AI Apprenticeship course opened my eyes to the potential of AI, and I am now quite enthusiastic about learning more. I plan to use my learnings as a base to explore many more resources and, thanks to your course, I am not afraid to experiment and develop practical agents that will support my work.

– Ms Sarah Ann Cumberland, Head of Digital Unit, Department of Communications, WHO, Switzerland

Text – Michal Natorski

Beard, Face, Head, Person, Adult, Male, Man, Photography, Portrait, Tobias NathEveryone in the community of diplomats, officials, and experts dealing with AI in international relations should participate in the AI Apprenticeship course. With relatively modest time and effort investment, you gain a unique and deep insight into the technology shaping today’s global governance institutions and our organisations’ debates and practices. Learning AI by doing AI is the ideal approach. After this course, you will understand AI’s potential and inherent limitations, and you will be able to ask the right questions to the right people about AI.

– Dr Michal Natorski, Assistant Professor, Maastricht University/UNU-MERIT, The Netherlands

Text – Ivana Dunjić

Face, Head, Person, Photography, Portrait, Adult, Female, Woman, Body Part, Neck, Lady, John RishtonAs a young researcher in digital diplomacy and global governance, taking part in this course was an enriching and timely experience. It offered not only theoretical knowledge but also a practical understanding of how generative AI works. The skills I gained have deepened my understanding of the challenges AI poses to diplomacy and governance and will play a key role in shaping my future research endeavours.

– Ms Ivana Dunjić, Research Assistant, Centre for Euro-Atlantic Studies, Institute of International Politics and Economics (IIPE), Serbia

The course integrates both theoretical and practical components. In the theoretical section, participants will gain a thorough understanding of key AI concepts, while the practical segment will allow them to apply this knowledge by creating their own AI assistant using generative AI tools. Throughout their course projects, participants will leverage their expertise in areas such as diplomacy, international relations, and digital governance to create AI tools that will help optimise their daily jobs and develop skills that are essential for leadership in AI governance and diplomacy.

The course will last for 8 weeks, and participants who complete the course will receive a certificate awarded by Diplo. The most creative and successful participants will be offered the opportunity to join Diplo’s research and teaching activities.

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Diplo’s AI Apprenticeship online course

The AI Apprenticeship course is part of the Diplo AI Campus capacity development programme.

APPLY FOR COURSE - €990Deadline: 25 August 2025

What will you learn?

  • Fundamentals of AI: Understand the foundations of AI, including how it functions, the importance of data, and the significance of models and weights in AI systems.
  • Practical skills: Learn data curation, prompt engineering, AI model fine-tuning, and methods to address issues like AI hallucinations.
  • Generative AI application: Experience how changes in data, prompts, and weights affect AI-generated responses, and apply these insights to your field of interest.
  • Leadership in AI diplomacy: Develop the ability to critically evaluate and utilise AI to address challenges in diplomacy and governance.


How will you learn?

The AI Apprenticeship course is based on active, hands-on learning. Participants will:

  • Engage in weekly discussions and activities guided by experts.
  • Collaborate with peers to refine their understanding of AI concepts.
  • Work on real-world applications of generative AI tools in their chosen fields with the support and assistance of allocated tutors.

How long will you learn?

The course lasts for 8 weeks:

  • 1 week of course introduction and orientation to online learning
  • 6 weeks of addressing the course topics one by one (see below for more details)
  • 1 week of final project submission, completing pending tasks, and evaluation

Course lecturers

Black Hair, Hair, Person, Head, Face, Photography, Portrait, Clothing, Coat

Katarina Bojović

Director of Digital Diplomacy, Diplo

Jovan Kurbalija

Executive Director, Diplo

Who should apply

The AI Apprenticeship will be of interest to:

  • Diplomats and government officials working on technology and international relations
  • Practitioners in global governance and international organisations
  • Researchers, academics, and postgraduate students focused on AI and its applications in diplomacy
  • Professionals from the corporate sector exploring AI in governance and policy

Overview

The course consists of three bi-weekly modules, each combining knowledge acquisition with skill development:

Module 1: Foundations of AI

  • Knowledge: Introduction to AI functioning, prompting techniques, and the role of data in AI.
  • Skills: Designing and refining prompts, creating topical dataset(s), and a chatbot.

Module 2: Understanding how AI works

  • Knowledge: Understanding different types of learning in AI, understanding weights in AI models, and introduction to neural networks.
  • Skills: Fine-tuning data models, reviewing AI responses, and adjusting prompts.

Module 3: Advanced AI concepts

  • Knowledge: Exploring AI agents, advanced prompting techniques and cognitive strategies, and addressing AI limitations like hallucinations.
  • Skills: Analysing AI-generated content, finalising prompts, and incorporating user feedback to improve chatbots.

 

Tentative topics for AI assistant development

As participants will be working on their own projects involving data collection and chatbot development, they will need to propose a topic of interest for their chatbot and underlying research. They can propose a topic relevant to international relations, diplomacy, or digital governance or select one from those found at Diplo topics page and DW Observatory topics page.

Also of interest

Artificial Intelligence: Technology, Governance, and Policy Frameworks online course

Cybersecurity Diplomacy online course

Tech Diplomacy online course

Need more info:

DiploFoundation (attn Tanja Nikolic)

Anutruf, Ground Floor, Hriereb Street
Msida, MSD 1675, Malta

+356 21 333 323; admissions@diplomacy.edu

Methodology

AI Apprenticeship: Learning about AI by developing AI

The AI Apprenticeship online course is designed with an active, hands-on, and collaborative approach to learning, incorporating a high level of interaction over an 8-week period. The course is divided into 3 thematic units (modules), each lasting 2 weeks.

In the first week of each module, the focus is on theory. Participants engage with course materials and deepen their understanding of the topics. This week concludes with an online class meeting where participants and lecturers discuss the material in depth.

The second week of each module is dedicated to practical work. During this time, participants focus on developing their AI assistants, enabling them to apply theoretical knowledge in practice. At the end of the week, there will be an online open-door session where participants can ask questions and seek assistance from lecturers.

Course materials and the necessary tools for online interaction and course tasks are provided in a virtual classroom.

For successful completion, this course requires a minimum of 4 to 6 hours of study time per week. This includes reading and annotating course module texts, participating in class meetings, and completing practical work assignments.

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Master AI as an apprentice: Learn by doing in the AI Apprenticeship course

 

Prerequisites

Applicants should have:

  • Proficiency in English suitable for postgraduate studies, encompassing reading, discussion, and practical assignments
  • Regular internet access, preferably broadband
  • A commitment of a minimum of 4 to 6 hours per week, alongside readiness to participate in online class meetings (held once a week at specified times)

Fees and scholarships

  • The course fee is €990.
  • Diplo alumni benefit from a 15% discount.
  • Partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries.
  • Discounts are available for more than one participant from the same institution.

Applicants are encouraged to actively explore scholarship funding from local or international institutions.

How to apply

Fill out the short form to start your application process for this course. You will receive an email with instructions on how to continue.

Applying for financial assistance? Please indicate this on the application form, upload your CV, and include a motivation statement that should cover:

  • Details of your relevant professional and educational background
  • Reasons for your interest in the course
  • Why do you feel you should have the opportunity to participate in this course? How will your participation benefit you, your institution and/or your country?

Please note that financial assistance from Diplo is available only to applicants from developing countries!

Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available in the course.

Cancellation policy

Diplo reserves the right to cancel this course if enrolment is insufficient. In case of cancellation, Diplo will notify applicants shortly after the application deadline. Applicants who have paid an application fee may apply this fee towards another course or receive a refund.



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