Foundations of AI in Business

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing how organisations operate, make decisions and develop new products, services and business models. This course provides an accessible introduction to AI for participants who want to understand its potential and explore how it can be applied effectively within business contexts.

You will gain hands-on experience with foundational AI tools and techniques, exploring how they can improve business efficiency and effectiveness while considering their benefits, limitations and wider implications. Through applied business scenarios, you will build the knowledge and practical confidence to identify opportunities for AI within contemporary organisations.

To view the module descriptor (MARK07013), please visit Programme Specifications and Module Descriptors 

 

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for participants who want to build a foundational understanding of Artificial Intelligence and its practical application within business. It is particularly relevant for:

• Professionals seeking to understand how AI can be applied to improve business operations, efficiency and effectiveness
• Managers and team leaders exploring opportunities to introduce AI tools and techniques within their areas of responsibility
• Business owners and entrepreneurs interested in the potential of AI to support innovation and new business models
• Professionals involved in business development, innovation or operational improvement who want to better understand emerging AI applications
• Individuals at an early stage of their AI learning who want practical experience of foundational tools alongside an understanding of their benefits and limitations
• Participants looking to develop AI and data-informed skills that can be applied across a range of business contexts and scenarios

 

Why take this course?

AI is creating new opportunities for organisations to improve efficiency, support decision-making and rethink how they operate, while also raising important questions about its limitations, impacts and future direction. Developing the ability to understand where AI can add genuine business value is therefore becoming increasingly relevant across professional roles.

This course provides an accessible route into AI without assuming existing specialist knowledge. You will move beyond simply learning what AI is to explore how contemporary AI tools and techniques can be applied within realistic business contexts. By examining both the opportunities and limitations of AI, you will be better equipped to evaluate potential applications, use foundational tools effectively and consider how AI could support innovation and business development within your own professional context.

 

What you will learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the development of Artificial Intelligence and the foundational concepts that underpin its use in business
• Identify contemporary applications of AI across a range of business contexts
• Select and apply foundational AI tools and techniques to support business efficiency and effectiveness
• Interpret AI applications and outputs to support business operations and data-informed decision-making
• Evaluate the potential benefits and limitations of using AI within organisations
• Explore how AI can support innovation, business development and emerging business models
• Consider current and future AI trends and their implications for businesses, markets and wider society

 

How you will learn

This course combines scheduled teaching with practical activities, digitally enabled learning and independent study. You will explore AI concepts through business-focused examples and gain hands-on experience applying foundational AI tools and techniques to realistic business scenarios.

Learning includes:

• Lectures and core content introducing key AI concepts, developments and business applications
• Workshops and practical demonstrations providing opportunities to explore and apply AI tools and techniques
• Digitally enabled learning activities and multimedia resources accessed through the University's virtual learning environment
• Applied business scenarios that support collaborative learning, problem-solving and practical application
• Independent study to consolidate your learning and explore AI within different business contexts

The course comprises approximately 200 hours of learning, including up to 48 hours of lectures, workshops and practical activities, alongside asynchronous learning and independent study. This blended approach provides flexibility while maintaining opportunities for practical, interactive learning.

 

Course content

The course provides a foundation in Artificial Intelligence before progressing to its practical application, business value and future potential. Participants will explore how AI is developing across contemporary business environments while gaining experience of applying foundational tools and techniques.

• Understanding Artificial Intelligence

Explore the development of AI and the foundational concepts needed to understand its role and growing influence within business.

• AI in Contemporary Business

Examine how AI is currently being applied across different business contexts, including both internal operations and external markets.

• Applying AI Tools and Techniques

Gain hands-on experience with foundational AI tools and techniques, considering how they can enhance business efficiency and effectiveness.

• AI for Business Decision-Making

Explore how AI applications, data and outputs can contribute to business operations, development and data-informed decision-making.

• Innovation and New Business Models

Consider the potential of AI to support innovation and create opportunities for new products, services and approaches to doing business.

• Opportunities, Limitations and Future Directions

Evaluate the benefits and limitations of AI and explore emerging trends and their potential implications for organisations, markets and wider society.

 

Assessment

Assessment is designed to demonstrate how you can apply your understanding of AI to realistic business contexts. Two complementary assessments combine practical use of AI with the evaluation of its potential within a live business setting.

You will complete:

• Creative Digital Output (30%) – Develop a digital output that demonstrates the practical application of AI for business, providing an opportunity to put your foundational AI knowledge into practice
• Live Business Case Study (70%) – Explore AI within the context of a live business, applying course learning to examine contemporary applications, tools, opportunities and limitations

Together, the assessments develop your ability to apply AI tools and techniques, analyse their business value and communicate how AI can contribute to business operations, innovation and development.

 

Applying your learning

Throughout the course, you will:

• Apply foundational AI tools and techniques to realistic business scenarios
• Explore how AI could improve efficiency, effectiveness and decision-making within different business contexts
• Evaluate AI applications and outputs to identify where they could add practical business value
• Consider opportunities for innovation while recognising the limitations and wider implications of AI adoption

You will leave with:

• Greater confidence in understanding and using foundational AI tools within business settings
• Practical experience of applying AI to contemporary business challenges
• Enhanced ability to identify and evaluate opportunities for AI within business operations and development
• Transferable AI and data-informed skills that can support your ongoing professional development as AI continues to evolve

 

Entry requirements

There are no formal prerequisites for this course.

The course provides a foundational introduction to Artificial Intelligence in business and is suitable for participants who are new to AI as well as those looking to develop their understanding of its practical business applications.

Participants should be prepared to engage with learning at SCQF Level 7, including independent study, practical activities and the application of AI tools and concepts to business scenarios.

 

Certification

Upon successful completion, participants will be awarded 20 credits at SCQF Level 7.

These credits may contribute towards further undergraduate study at the University of the West of Scotland, where appropriate and in accordance with University regulations.

 

Meet the course presenter

This module is delivered by Dr Matt Frew, Senior Lecturer in Enterprise and Transformational Technologies at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). He specialises in how digital, social, and transformational technologies are changing our work, learn, and live experiences. Dr Frew has a particular interest in the implications of these technologies, particularly in the context of the Metaverse and Extended reality.

 

Sector and workforce relevance

AI is increasingly influencing how organisations operate, make decisions, innovate and compete. As adoption grows, professionals across business functions need the capability to understand AI applications, interpret their outputs and identify where emerging tools can deliver genuine organisational value.

This course responds to these evolving workforce needs by combining foundational AI knowledge with practical application in business contexts. Participants gain hands-on experience with AI tools and techniques while exploring their potential to improve efficiency, support data-informed decision-making and enable innovation. By also considering the benefits, limitations and future implications of AI, the course supports informed and responsible engagement with a technology that continues to reshape business, markets and professional practice.

 

NOTE: This is a university module and upon approval of your application, you will be invited to register and then supported to complete enrolment. To enrol on the university system, the first step involves security set-up using the Microsoft Authenticator app; you will need to ensure that you have a compatible smartphone.

Further enrolment information is available at the Student Information Portal.

To access this module via the CPD route, individuals should be ordinarily resident in Scotland.