Skip to content

AI Ethics, Safety & Policy

Essential context for anyone building or governing AI. Covers bias and fairness, interpretability, AI safety and alignment research, regulation, and responsible-AI practices from the major labs.

8 courses6 free2 free to audit0 paid
Side by side

Compare every option

Sorted cheapest first. Click a column header to re-sort. Everyone — especially policymakers, leaders, and researchers.

Prices and free tiers change often. Everything here was checked in November 2026; confirm the current price on the provider's page before enrolling. Many Coursera and edX courses can be audited free, with payment only for the certificate.
Course Level Duration Price Certificate
BlueDot Impact
intermediate 12 weeks, approx. 5 hrs/week (8 weeks learning plus 4-week project) Free
Yes Visit
Microsoft · Microsoft Learn
beginner 9 units, approx. 51 minutes Free
No Visit
University of Helsinki
beginner 7 chapters, self-paced (approx. 20 hours) Free
Yes Visit
UNESCO with LG AI Research · Coursera
intermediate 10 modules, approx. 10 hours Free
Yes Visit
Center for AI Safety
advanced Approx. 8 weeks of lectures and assignments, self-paced Free
No Visit
Center for AI Safety · Coursera
beginner Approx. 4 hours, 3 modules Free
No Visit
University of Colorado Boulder · Coursera
beginner 3 courses, approx. 2 months at 10 hrs/week Free to audit
Free to audit · $49/mo
Yes Visit
Google Cloud · Coursera
beginner Approx. 1 hour Free to audit
Free to audit
Yes Visit

6Free

No payment required. Several of these are complete university courses.

BlueDot Impact
Free

AI Alignment

The leading structured course on AI alignment, combining curated readings with weekly facilitated small-group discussions and a capstone project. Aimed at engineers, researchers and policy people who want to move into AI safety work.

intermediate 12 weeks, approx. 5 hrs/week (8 weeks learning plus 4-week project) Certificate
Microsoft·Microsoft Learn
Free

Embrace responsible AI principles and practices

A free Microsoft Learn module on the six responsible AI principles (fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability) and how to turn them into governance systems. Useful for business leaders and compliance teams building an AI governance policy.

beginner 9 units, approx. 51 minutes
University of Helsinki
Free

Ethics of AI

A free, text-based University of Helsinki course on non-maleficence, accountability, transparency, human rights and fairness in AI, built with the cities of Helsinki, Amsterdam and London. Ideal for policymakers, public servants and anyone who wants a rigorous but non-technical grounding in AI ethics.

beginner 7 chapters, self-paced (approx. 20 hours) Certificate
UNESCO with LG AI Research·Coursera
Free

Global MOOC on the Ethics of AI

UNESCO's first Coursera course, built on its 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, covers human-AI interaction, safety, fairness, privacy, transparency, sustainability and global AI governance. Best for professionals and policymakers who want the internationally agreed ethics framework straight from the source.

intermediate 10 modules, approx. 10 hours Certificate
Center for AI Safety
Free

Intro to ML Safety

Dan Hendrycks' technical course on safety engineering, adversarial robustness, anomaly detection, trojans, machine ethics and systemic AI risk, with coding assignments. For ML practitioners and graduate students who want hands-on exposure to empirical AI safety research.

advanced Approx. 8 weeks of lectures and assignments, self-paced
Center for AI Safety·Coursera
Free

Introduction to AI Safety

A free, non-technical abridgement of the 'AI Safety, Ethics, and Society' textbook covering what AI can do today, the major risks from AI and governance strategies. A good first stop for policymakers, journalists and students before committing to a longer safety course.

beginner Approx. 4 hours, 3 modules

2Free to audit · pay for the certificate

Watch everything free; pay only if you want graded assignments and a credential.

University of Colorado Boulder·Coursera
Free to audit

Artificial Intelligence Ethics Specialization

Three CU Boulder courses on current issues in AI ethics, AI and society's future, and AI ethics and policy, updated in 2026. Suited to students and professionals who want a university-backed ethics specialization and can also count toward CU Boulder credit pathways.

beginner 3 courses, approx. 2 months at 10 hrs/week Certificate
Free to audit · $49/mo Visit course
Google Cloud·Coursera
Free to audit

Introduction to Responsible AI

A one-hour Google Cloud micro-course on why Google adopted its AI principles and how to build a responsible AI practice inside an organization. A quick primer for teams adopting generative AI who need shared vocabulary on responsible use.

beginner Approx. 1 hour Certificate
Free to audit Visit course
Keep going

Related categories

AI Foundations

Understand what AI is, how it works, and how to use it — no coding required.

12 courses · 11 free

AI for Business & Leadership

Executive education and strategy courses for leaders deploying AI.

9 courses · 3 free