AI expert wants to bring deep learning to the masses

Few of us would ever dare to live without electricity. Now, a prominent computer scientist is betting we won’t want to live without another technology: artificial intelligence.

Andrew Ng, who formerly held top positions at Google and Baidu, is launching a set of free online courses to teach anyone how to master deep learning, the hottest field of AI.

The courses can be found at deeplearning.ai, a spinoff of Ng’s online education company, Coursera. Each course, which takes a few weeks to complete, is offered through a $49 monthly subscription program.

Ng envisions AI will usher in an era of cheap self-driving car rides, high-quality health care and personalized education.

Artificial intelligence has already been transformative for some businesses through the use of image recognition, machine translation, fraud detection and speech recognition. But there’s been also been a shortage of trained employees in the space, making it tough for companies to adapt to the AI era.

Recognizing this problem, Ng has developed five courses on AI — the first first three launched on Tuesday. Basic programming knowledge is required.

In 2011, Ng started an successful online course focused on machine learning, a more general type of artificial intelligence than deep learning. More than 2 million people have since enrolled.

For many workers, mastering deep learning is a fast track to a high paying job.

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The courses may be an attractive option for businesses who want to give employees more AI-related skills or those looking update their resume.

“The old model of education where you go to college for four years and coast for the next 40 just doesn’t work in today’s world,” Ng told CNN Tech.