Generative AI courses in the UK
Square1 Ai is an online school, registered in Sri Lanka. It runs six live generative AI bootcamps (Gen AI, Agentic AI, RAG and Search Engineering, Voice AI Agents, LLM Evals and Reliability and Fine-Tuning and Open-Weights), each twelve weeks on Zoom with one instructor and 10 projects you keep, for £119; self-paced courses start at £24. UK cohorts meet on weekday evenings from 7 PM UK time, with full-day sessions at weekends.
Founding price, half the £239 standard, until 1 December. Self-paced courses from £24.
What AI roles pay in the UK
Annual base salary in the UK, from Payscale (read 22 October 2026). The range is the middle half of reported salaries, and each row shows how many salary profiles it rests on.
| Role | Median a year | Middle half | Train for it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior software engineerPayscale882 salary profiles | £62,600 | £52,100 to £77,800 | Claude Code for Engineering, Codex for Software Engineering |
| Machine learning engineerPayscale110 salary profiles | £53,100 | £41,400 to £71,600 | ML Engineer |
| Data engineerPayscale224 salary profiles | £45,500 | £38,400 to £59,700 | Data Engineering with AI |
| Software engineerPayscale1,527 salary profiles | £42,200 | £33,800 to £53,500 | Software Engineering with AI, Claude Code for Engineering, Codex for Software Engineering |
| Data scientistPayscale355 salary profiles | £41,900 | £34,700 to £53,500 | Data Science |
Salaries are what employers in the UK report paying, not what Square1 Ai students earn: the first cohorts have not graduated.
Bootcamps that fit a working week in UK.
Twelve weeks each, weekday evenings and weekend days, 25 spots a cohort. Reserving a seat holds the founding price.
Generative AI courses in the UK, side by side
Generative AI courses you can take in the UK in 2026, with their length, how they are taught and the fee each provider lists.
| Course | Length | How it is taught | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generative AI in BusinessUniversity of Cambridge (Executive & Professional Education) | 6 weeks, 6-8 hours per week (48 CPD hours) | online, tutor-guided, optional weekly live session | £2,200 (taxes may be added at checkout) |
| Generative AI FundamentalsUniversity of Cambridge (Executive & Professional Education) | About 24 hours of content | self-paced online | £449 (taxes may be added at checkout) |
| Generative AI for Finance: Use Cases, Applications and Regulation (online)University of Oxford Lifelong Learning | 2 weeks, 4 evening sessions (23 Nov to 3 Dec 2026) | live online (Microsoft Teams) | £560.00 |
| AI at WorkLe Wagon London | 5 modules of 8 hours (5 days full-time or 5 weeks part-time) | live online or classroom on selected campuses | Not listed on its site |
| Live generative AI bootcamps (6 tracks)Square1 Ai | 12 weeks, about 15 hours a week | Live online, weekday evenings from 7 PM UK time and weekend days | £119 (founding price) |
Fees and lengths as each provider lists them on its own site, checked 22 October 2026. Ask the provider for the current intake before you pay.
Four ways into generative AI in the UK
Each fits a different person. The right one depends on whether you need a degree, a university name, a free start or a portfolio.
- Route 1
A degree or master's
Fits when You want a formal qualification in generative AI, or the theory in depth.
Watch for Years of study and a large fee; check how much of it uses the tools teams work with now.
- Route 2
A university or institute short course
Fits when You want a known name on a short generative AI course, online or on campus.
Watch for Most are a few weeks and teach concepts; ask whether you build and deploy something.
- Route 3
A free or funded programme
Fits when You want to try generative AI before paying for anything.
Watch for Good for basics; nobody reviews your work, so you still need projects to show.
- Route 4
A live online bootcamp
Fits when You are working and want a job-shaped portfolio in twelve weeks, taught live on UK time.
Watch for Square1 Ai's bootcamps are new and not accredited: the first cohorts have not graduated, so there is no placement rate yet.
Questions people in the UK ask about generative AI
Which generative AI course is best in the UK?
It depends on what you need. University of Cambridge (Executive & Professional Education)'s Generative AI in Business lists £2,200 (taxes may be added at checkout) and University of Cambridge (Executive & Professional Education)'s Generative AI Fundamentals lists £449 (taxes may be added at checkout); the table above lists each one's length and fee. If you are working and want a portfolio an employer can check, Square1 Ai's twelve-week live bootcamps are £119 at the founding price.
How much does a generative AI course cost in the UK?
A Square1 Ai live generative AI bootcamp is £119, the founding price until 1 December (the standard price is £239), and a self-paced course is £24. Other providers' fees are in the table above.
What does a machine learning engineer earn in the UK?
Payscale puts the median base salary for a machine learning engineer in the UK at £53,100 a year, with the middle half between £41,400 and £71,600, from 110 salary profiles.
What is the difference between generative AI and agentic AI?
Generative AI produces text, images or code from a prompt. Agentic AI puts a model in a loop with tools, so it can plan, call APIs, check its own work and finish a task. The Gen AI bootcamp starts with the first; the Agentic AI bootcamp is about the second.
Can I learn generative AI online in the UK while working full time?
Yes. UK cohorts meet on weekday evenings from 7 PM UK time, with full-day sessions at weekends. The work between sessions is graded by Nova, Square1 Ai's AI tutor, whenever you submit it. Plan for about fifteen hours a week across the twelve weeks.
Is it a regulated qualification, or a government-funded Skills Bootcamp?
Neither. Square1 Ai's bootcamps are not Ofqual-regulated qualifications and are not part of the Department for Education's Skills Bootcamps, so they are not government funded. You leave with 10 deployed projects and a recorded defence of your work.
Does the bootcamp guarantee a job?
No. No placement rate is published because the first cohorts have not graduated. You leave with 10 projects an employer can open and run, a recorded defence of your work, and a hiring plan worked through with your instructor.
How do I pay?
Reserving a seat is free and takes your name, email and country. Nothing is charged until the start date is confirmed and you say yes.
25 spots a cohort. Hold one on UK time.
Pick a bootcamp, reserve with your name and email, and hear the start date first. Nothing is charged until you confirm.