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Stage 1: Ground Floor, CIE Executive AI Programme

Understand what AI actually is, no bluffing required. Module 1 is free with no sign-up. 45 minutes. Certificate on completion.

What AI Actually IsWhy It Gets Things WrongThe AI You're Already UsingWhat It Can and Cannot Do

Stage 1: Ground Floor(UK)

1.1 —1.2 —1.3 —1.4 —
1.1 — What AI Actually Is1/28

Stage 1: Ground Floor

Understand what AI actually is — no bluffing required.

This stage covers four modules:

  • 1.1 — What AI Actually Is: LLMs in plain English. What the technology does and doesn't do.
  • 1.2 — Why It Gets Things Wrong: Hallucination, confident errors, and the context effect.
  • 1.3 — The AI You're Already Using: Shadow AI, your existing tools, and the governance gap.
  • 1.4 — What It Can and Cannot Do: Genuine value zones, failure zones, and setting expectations.

No maths. No jargon. No assumption of prior knowledge.

Speaker Notes

Welcome to Stage 1. If you've felt vaguely uncomfortable in conversations about AI — nodding along while quietly wondering whether everyone else actually understands this or whether they're also bluffing — this stage is designed for you.

The goal here isn't to turn you into a technical expert. It's to give you the conceptual grounding that makes everything else make sense: why AI sometimes fails, what "hallucination" actually means, why the governance questions matter, and how to evaluate whether a vendor's claims hold up.

Most executives in your position have absorbed fragments of AI knowledge from news coverage, vendor pitches, and colleagues. That knowledge tends to be patchy — strong in some areas, missing in others. This stage fills the gaps without starting from scratch or wasting your time on things that don't matter at your level.

There's a common fear in rooms like this: that admitting you don't fully understand AI is somehow a sign of weakness. It isn't. The executives who are most effective with AI are the ones who understand it clearly, including its limitations. The ones who get into trouble are usually the ones who were too proud to ask basic questions early on.

Transition: We'll start with the most fundamental question of all — what AI actually is. The answer is simpler than you might expect, and understanding it properly changes how you evaluate almost everything else.

References

Stage 1: Ground Floor, What You'll Learn

Most executives have sat through AI pitches or read breathless headlines without ever getting a straight answer to the most basic question: what actually is this technology? Stage 1 fixes that. No acronyms without explanation, no assumed familiarity with machine learning, no bluffing required.

By the end of Stage 1, you will be able to explain what a large language model does, understand why AI produces confident-sounding nonsense, recognise the AI tools already operating in your business without formal approval, and make a grounded assessment of where AI genuinely helps and where it falls short.

Modules covered:

  • 1.1, What AI Actually Is: LLMs in plain English
  • 1.2, Why It Gets Things Wrong: hallucinations, limitations, failure modes
  • 1.3, The AI You're Already Using: shadow AI and embedded tools
  • 1.4, What It Can and Cannot Do: honest capabilities for decision-makers

Who this is for: CEOs, MDs, COOs, and CFOs at UK mid-market businesses who need genuine fluency, not just talking points.

Related Reading

Programme Stages

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Stage 1 really free?

Yes, Module 1 is completely free, no sign-up required. Your email is requested after Module 1 to unlock the remaining three modules of Stage 1, which are also free.

How long does Stage 1 take?

Approximately 45 minutes at your own pace.

Do I need technical knowledge?

No. Stage 1 assumes nothing beyond having heard of AI.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes, on completing all four modules of Stage 1, you can request a PDF certificate shareable to LinkedIn.

What comes after Stage 1?

Stage 2: The Landscape covers the competitive picture, why having AI isn't the same as having an AI strategy.

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