Hirst AcademyAI Strategy for Business Leaders
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Free · Self-paced · 2026

The AI strategy course built for leaders, not engineers

From first principles to a board-ready AI strategy — practical, jargon-free, and grounded in real business decisions.

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8
Modules
36
Lessons
~51
Hours
8
Interactive tools
The 8 modules
Each module includes full lessons, a worked example, a knowledge check, curated resources, and an interactive tool.
01

AI Foundations for Leaders

What AI actually is — predictive, generative and agentic AI explained in plain language for senior leaders with no technical background.

6–7 hours
02

Identifying and Prioritising AI Use Cases

A structured method for scanning an organisation for high-value AI opportunities and ranking them by impact and feasibility.

5–6 hours
03

Building the AI Business Case

How to model costs, estimate ROI and make the build-versus-buy decision for AI investments — without needing a data science team.

5–6 hours
04

AI Across the Organisation

Concrete AI applications in marketing, operations, HR, finance and customer experience — and how to sequence implementation across functions.

7–8 hours
05

AI Governance and Risk Management

The regulatory landscape, risk categories and governance frameworks leaders need to deploy AI responsibly and avoid costly compliance failures.

5–6 hours
06

Leading AI Change

The human side of AI transformation: building AI literacy, managing workforce concerns, shaping culture and leading stakeholders through the transition.

6–7 hours
07

AI in Industry Sectors

How AI is reshaping healthcare, financial services, retail and the creative industries — and how to build a sector-specific AI strategy that reflects your industry's data, regulation and competitive dynamics.

6–7 hours
08

Capstone: Board-Ready AI Strategy

Synthesise the course into a one-page AI Strategy document structured for board presentation — the deliverable executives actually use.

7–8 hours
Pick your pace
Same 8 modules — just a different weekly commitment.

Standard

~11 weeks

~5 hrs/week · Approximately 10 weeks — ideal alongside a full working schedule.

Intensive

~6 weeks

~10 hrs/week · Approximately 5 weeks — suited to a focused learning sprint.