EssentialArtificial IntelligenceBeginner Version française

Discover AI and put it to work this week

Five useful ways to use AI, tested in your real week, in 5 hours

  • 5 h of training
  • 4 modules · 16 lessons
  • 36 exercises
  • 1 project
  • Certificate included

What you will be able to do

  • Everyday use of AI assistants: ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI
  • Writing clear requests and follow-ups to get a usable answer
  • AI-assisted drafting of messages, summaries and schedules for everyday work
  • Checking AI answers and spotting made-up information
  • Protecting personal data when using AI tools

What you will produce

  • Your ChatGPT or Gemini account set up and Meta AI ready in WhatsApp
  • Your log of five uses tested in your real week, with the time saved
  • Your first ten reusable requests, stored in a note on your phone
  • Your rules sheet: what you never paste, what you anonymize, and your three checks
  • Your decision, backed by numbers: stay on the free plan or upgrade to a paid one

Possible earnings

This course is not designed to generate direct income. What you gain is time: 1 to 3 hours a week won back on messages, summaries and planning, depending on how much writing your work involves. It is also the foundation required for the next levels of the track, which lead to services you can bill for.

Indicative estimate, depending on your market, pace and work. No income is guaranteed.

Tools used

  • ChatGPT
  • Google Gemini
  • Meta AI (WhatsApp)
  • Microsoft Copilot
  • Google Lens
  • Google Keep

What you'll learn

  • Explain in plain words what generative AI is, how it produces an answer and why it can get things wrong
  • Create a free ChatGPT or Gemini account and use Meta AI in WhatsApp, on a phone as well as a computer
  • Write a clear four-part request and improve it with one or two follow-ups
  • Use AI for five everyday tasks: professional message, summary, meeting preparation, translation and weekly planning
  • Spot a made-up answer and apply three checks before using it
  • Protect your own data and other people's by following a personal rules sheet

Prerequisites

  • Everyday use of a smartphone and WhatsApp
  • An email address (Gmail preferred) to create the free accounts
  • No previous course needed: this is the first level of the track

About this course

Everyone is talking about ChatGPT. Your colleagues use it for their letters, your children for their homework, and you are not sure where to start, whether it can be trusted, or what you risk by pasting a document into it. **Who this course is for.** Anyone who can use WhatsApp and wants to understand AI without the jargon, then use it right away at work or in daily life. No technical skills required. A phone is enough; a computer is a bonus. **The concrete result.** In 5 hours, you know what AI really is, what it does well and what it makes up. You have opened a free ChatGPT or Gemini account, you use Meta AI inside WhatsApp, and you have tested five real uses: writing a professional message, summarizing a document, preparing a meeting, translating and rewording, and planning your week. **What you do.** Four short modules and twelve lessons of 12 to 15 minutes, each ending with an exercise on your phone. Examples from Dakar, Abidjan and Bamako, with the real FCFA prices of the paid plans so you can make an informed decision. **What you produce.** Your log of five tested uses, your first ten reusable requests and your personal rules sheet: what you never give to an AI, and the three checks to run before using an answer. **Where this fits in the track.** This is level 1 of the Artificial Intelligence track, the entry point. Next, level 2, "Writing, analyzing and organizing your work with AI", turns these first uses into a real working system.

Who it is for: Employees, shop owners, managers, teachers, students, administrative staff and active retirees in Dakar, Thiès, Saint-Louis, Abidjan, Bamako or Cotonou who hear about AI everywhere, have never really used it, or tried it without knowing what to do with it.

Curriculum

A module-by-module path: lessons, exercises, quizzes and projects to submit.

  1. Module 1· 9 exercises

    Understand what AI really is

    Know in plain words what generative AI is, what it does well, what it makes up, and which tasks in your week it can lighten.

    • AI without the jargon: a tool that predicts the next words of a text, and what that means for youFree preview15 min
    • What AI does well, what it does badly: the six-task testFree preview13 min
    • Your work and AI: spotting the tasks it can lighten this weekFree preview12 min
    • Module handout (PDF)Free preview5 min
    • Quiz: understanding what AI isModule quiz
  2. Module 2· 9 exercises

    Get started with the main AI tools

    Open ChatGPT or Gemini, use Meta AI in WhatsApp, speak and take photos instead of typing, and decide whether a paid plan is worth the price.

    • ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Meta AI: create your free account and have your first conversation15 min
    • On your phone: ask out loud, send a photo, use Meta AI in WhatsApp13 min
    • Free or paid: what a Plus plan really costs in FCFA, and the test to run before paying12 min
    • Module handout (PDF)5 min
    • Quiz: getting started with the toolsModule quiz
  3. Module 3· 9 exercises

    Five useful ways to use AI this week

    Apply a clear four-part request to five real tasks: professional message, summary, meeting, translation and planning.

    • The four-part clear request: who you are, what you want, who it is for, what form it takes15 min
    • Write a professional message and summarize a long document in minutes15 min
    • Prepare a meeting, translate, rephrase and plan your week with AI15 min
    • Module handout (PDF)5 min
    • Quiz: five tasks for this weekModule quiz
  4. Module 4· 9 exercises

    Limits, risks and good practices

    Spot a made-up answer, protect your data and other people's, see through AI-powered scams, and write your personal rules sheet.

    • Made-up answers and fake sources: the three checks before using an answer13 min
    • Your data and other people's: what you never paste, and what Law 2008-12 says13 min
    • Fake voices, fake videos, fake messages: recognize AI scams and protect your loved ones12 min
    • Module handout (PDF)5 min
    • Quiz: limits, risks and good practicesModule quiz
    • Final project: your week with AI, five tested uses and your rules sheetCapstone
  5. Certificate included

Your certificate at the end

A numbered certificate with your validated skills, a public page and a verification QR code. Add it to LinkedIn in one click.

Kolonell Academy
Verified by Kolonell Academy

Certificate of skills

Your name

has completed and validated the course

Discover AI and put it to work this week

Certified skills

  • Everyday use of AI assistants: ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI
  • Writing clear requests and follow-ups to get a usable answer
  • AI-assisted drafting of messages, summaries and schedules for everyday work
  • Checking AI answers and spotting made-up information
  • Protecting personal data when using AI tools

Number KOL-CERT-2026-XXXXX

Mohamed Bah

Founder, Kolonell Academy

Poster for Discover AI and put it to work this week

Course poster

Download the poster to print it, send it to your employer or share it with colleagues. The full programme details every module.

This course is part of the track

Intelligence artificielle

Level 1 of 5 · Essential

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
See the 5 track levels

Next level · 2/5 Practical

Write, analyze and organize your work with AI

A working system in your business

Your AI work system in place, and 2 to 4 hours saved every week

50,000 FCFA 10 h

View the next level

Your instructor

Mohamed Bah

Founder of Kolonell, a digital agency in Dakar. He uses AI every day to build websites, content and automations for SMEs across French-speaking Africa, and trains teams that are starting from scratch.

Questions about this course

I am not comfortable with computers. Is this course for me?

Yes. If you can send a voice message on WhatsApp, you can follow this course. Every step is shown one at a time, on a phone first.

Do I need to pay for a subscription?

No. Everything is done with the free versions of ChatGPT, Gemini and Meta AI. Module 2 gives you the real price of the paid plans (about 11,500 FCFA, or roughly $19, a month in September 2026) and a simple test to find out whether you need one.

How much time should I set aside?

5 hours in total, including exercises and the final project. For example, 1 hour a day for a week, or two Saturday mornings.

Will AI take my job?

Module 1 answers this head on: AI replaces tasks, rarely entire jobs. People who know how to use it get ahead of those who ignore it. You will see which of your own tasks are affected.

Is it dangerous to put my documents into ChatGPT?

It depends on the document. Module 4 teaches you what can be pasted, what must be anonymized first and what never leaves your hands, in line with Senegal's Law 2008-12 on personal data.

What should I do after this course?

Level 2 of the track, "Writing, analyzing and organizing your work with AI", teaches you to build a real working system. The price of this level 1 course is deducted if you then take the full track.

How do I pay?

Via Wave or Orange Money. After enrolling you receive a pro forma invoice by email with the number to pay. Send the proof on WhatsApp: your access is activated within 24 business hours.

How long do I keep access?

For life, updates included. Learn at your own pace and revisit lessons as often as you need.

How do I get the certificate?

Complete the lessons and pass each module quiz with at least 70%. The certificate is generated automatically, with a unique number and a public verification page.

Our commitments

  • Lifetime access, updates included
  • Publicly verifiable certificate
  • Wave / Orange Money payment, activation within 24 business hours
  • WhatsApp support

25,000 FCFA · 38 €

Essential