Best AI Courses Online with Certificates in India

Since many pre-trained models have emerged in the earlier decade, from companies to even non-working individuals have become accustomed to using AI. The localization of AI is to the point that its usage doesn’t stop at complex sectors like tech and healthcare, but now different industries and sectors too demand skills in AI and ML.

At Scaler, we’ve seen how professionals from diverse fields are turning to AI courses in India to have a clear shot at securing their future careers. Whether it’s developing smarter business models, building intelligent apps, or simply staying relevant in an automation-driven workplace, AI knowledge is essential.

So, who really needs an AI course?

• Students preparing to enter the job market with on-trend requirements and skills.
• Working professionals looking to move into data-driven or AI-based roles.
• Career switchers from non-technical fields who want to explore high-growth opportunities in AI.

For each of these learners, an AI certification helps them gain credibility, improve job prospects, and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving job market.

Why Learn AI in 2025? Career and Salary Trends

Having experience with AI is now increasingly becoming a standard requirement for companies. This newer skill set helps various sectors get their job done quickly and efficiently, hence the surge in demand.

And also, if you look through job requirements currently, under preferences, many mention “should know how to work with AI,” and this is a clear sign of not only upgrading your skills but also seeing which course to take, learning from, and where to apply the concepts to build a credible portfolio.

Most of our students worry about the same, but with a guided program, it becomes quite helpful for learners to have a better understanding of the required tools and usage of skills in practicality.

On the career side, the returns are equally promising. Entry-level AI roles start around ₹6-13 LPA, mid-level professionals average ₹8-19 LPA, and experienced experts often earn ₹25 LPA or more, according to a Glassdoor report on AI engineers. With the right AI certification, you can position yourself for high-growth roles like machine learning engineer, data scientist, or AI researcher, careers that are financially rewarding and present a great ROI for your time, money, and efforts.

Top 10 AI Courses in India - Program Comparison

Below is the list of courses/programs that can help you with your learning journey. Detailed description of each is mentioned further down in the blog.

Detailed Breakdown of Best AI Courses in India

1. Scaler’s AI & ML Course (IIT-Roorkee Certified)

Having a good grasp of AI and ML is not easy, and we get that. Scaler provides a program structure that allows learners to cover core elements along with practicing those very concepts in their assignments and projects in the promised period of time. You might have felt at some point how tedious the whole process of learning, unlearning, and overall redeveloping your whole strategy is, time and again. Hence, in an attempt to make it accessible for learners, we provide all the resources a student can ask for. Below are more details.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: AI & ML Course (IIT-Roorkee Certified)
• Mode: Live-online classes with structured assignments
• Platform/Institute: Scaler (in collaboration with IIT-M Pravartak)
• Duration: Around 12 months
• Certification: Joint certification from Scaler & IIT-M Pravartak

Key Highlights:

• 1:1 mentorship with ML engineers from top product companies
• Specialisations in NLP, Computer Vision, and Generative AI
• Career support with mock interviews, placement drives, and referrals
• Practically applicable projects like plagiarism detection, sign language translators, and AI-based tutors
• Access to Scaler’s peer-learning community and career team

Best For: Software developers and early-stage professionals who want a complete AI/ML roadmap with both academic credibility and career outcomes.

2. Stanford AI Professional Program (Online)

A Stanford certification on a resume is not just credible but is most prestigious in itself. So why not get started? One of the reviews even suggested watching lectures on YouTube first to understand if their teaching style suits you before enrolling, and that’s actually a pretty good idea. Let’s say you enroll in the course for its name, but then you don’t understand a thing, and even completing the course would become hard. So worry not, and just research well before making any decisions.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: Stanford AI Professional Program
• Mode: Online (self-paced with recorded lectures and assignments)
• Platform/Institute: Stanford University
• Duration: 12-18 months (flexible, depending on pace)
• Certification: Stanford University Professional Certificate in AI

Key Highlights:

• Designed and taught by Stanford faculty
• Focus on core AI, robotics, computer vision, and NLP
• Globally recognized credential, valued by international employers
• Access to Stanford’s online learning portal and resources

Best For: Mid-career professionals and researchers in India who want a globally recognized AI certification and are open to investing in a program with international credibility.

3. Google Cloud AI & ML Programs

Google AI & ML program is a good choice for people wanting to upskill their already acquired AI level. And even if you are a beginner, you can most certainly activate the beginner's module first and then move into the advanced series.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: Google Cloud AI & ML Programs
• Mode: Online, self-paced with hands-on labs
• Platform/Institute: Google Cloud / Grow with Google
• Duration: Learn at your own pace - can take a few weeks to months
• Certification: Google Cloud Professional Certifications (e.g., Machine Learning Engineer)

Key Highlights:

• Hands-on labs with real cloud-based projects
• Coverage of trending topics like generative AI and MLOps
• Flexible learning paths for both beginners and professionals

Best For: Developers, engineers, and professionals who want a globally recognized certification and practical AI skills directly from Google.

4. Coursera - AI for Everyone by Andrew Ng

If you’re new to AI and don’t come from a coding background, this course is where you can start. The course is well-made for individuals who have no tech background and wish to understand AI from scratch. So, if you are someone who wants to just test the waters revolving around AI, then this course might help you.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: AI for Everyone
• Mode: Online (self-paced video lectures)
• Platform/Institute: Coursera (by Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera & Stanford Adjunct Professor)
• Duration: 5 hours
• Certification: Shareable Coursera Certificate

Key Highlights:

• Beginner-friendly, no programming required
• Focus on business applications and AI strategy
• Real-world examples explained in simple language
• Great starting point before pursuing technical AI/ML courses

Best For: Managers, product teams, and professionals from non-technical backgrounds who want to understand AI concepts and applications without coding.

5. IIT Bombay ePGD in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science

This program is largely for learners who wish to earn a diploma after completing their foundation for their degree. The course is completely online and gives you a time-bound, modular structure for earning certification. The eligibility requires applicants to hold either a recognized 4-year undergraduate degree or a 3-year undergraduate degree with at least one year of work experience. You can enroll even if you have a post-graduate or doctoral degree. Also, an understanding of Mathematics and Statistics at the undergraduate level is required for the course.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: Executive PG Diploma in AI and DS
• Mode: Fully online classes with periodic assessments
• Platform/Institute: IIT Bombay (Centre for Machine Intelligence & Data Science)
• Duration: 18 months (3 semesters)
• Certification: Executive PG Diploma from IIT Bombay

Key Highlights:

• Strong academic depth with industry-oriented applications
• Alumni status and recognition from a top IIT
• Covers modern areas like generative AI, NLP, and computer vision

Best For: Mid-career professionals or engineers who want a prestigious IIT credential along with comprehensive AI/ML expertise for leadership or advanced technical roles.

6. Coursera - Artificial Intelligence Essentials

This course might work if you want a fast, focused introduction to AI concepts, especially helpful if you already know some Python. It mixes theoretical ideas with the basics of algorithms in a concise format.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: Artificial Intelligence Essentials
• Mode: Online, self-paced with assignments and coding tasks
• Platform/Institute: Coursera
• Duration: 2 weeks
• Certification: Shareable Coursera Certificate

Key Highlights:

• Explores AI from philosophical, historical, and algorithmic lenses
• Introduces search algorithms like A* and others
• Requires and refreshes Python skills for coding tasks

Best For: Learners who want a compact learning course to get an overview of the topic.

7. NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI) Courses

NVIDIA Deep learning Institute courses are an amazing option for learners because they give you a GPU-accelerated experience you often won’t get in standard AI courses. If you're serious about deep learning, high-performance AI, or deploying models at scale, training with NVIDIA’s tools (CUDA, TensorRT, RAPIDS, etc.) can give you technical support.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI) Courses
• Mode: Self-paced online modules + some instructor-led workshops
• Platform/Institute: NVIDIA DLI
• Duration: It varies from a few hours to several days per module
• Certification: Certificates of competency for many modules

Key Highlights:

• Real labs in GPU cloud environments, so you don’t need your own powerful GPU setup
• Covers cutting-edge topics: CUDA programming, deep learning, generative AI, performance optimization, and domain-specific AI
• Flexible, modular learning, where you can pick the modules you need rather than a full course
• Recognized by the industry

Best For: Learners wanting to experience practical applications of the tools and earn a credible certification.

8. Coursera - IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate

This program is well-suited for learners who want to cover all aspects of AI engineering, i.e, from classical machine learning and deep learning to deployment pipelines and advanced areas like computer vision and NLP.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate
• Mode: Online, self-paced with labs and projects
• Platform/Institute: Coursera (by IBM)
• Duration: 4 months (at 10 hours/week)
• Certification: IBM Professional Certificate in AI Engineering

Key Highlights:

• Covers ML, DL, deployment, computer vision, NLP, and generative models
• Practice with frameworks like TensorFlow, Keras, and PyTorch
• Focus on practical application and deployment, not just theory
• Includes multiple projects to help learners build a professional portfolio

Best For: Developers, data scientists, and engineers who want an industry-recognized certificate that strengthens both their technical AI knowledge and their ability to deploy solutions in real business environments.

9. MIT Introduction to Deep Learning

MIT’s “Introduction to Deep Learning” (6.S191) is a high-intensity, bootcamp-style program that covers core ideas, algorithms, and applications of deep learning. It’s a compact program that is ideal for learners who want exposure to advanced AI topics without committing to a full degree. It’s especially suited for those who already have some grounding in linear algebra, calculus, or Python.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: MIT Introduction to Deep Learning (6.S191)
• Mode: Online/hybrid with lectures, lab assignments, and a final project
• Platform/Institute: MIT (open lectures, public labs)
• Duration: Typically 5–6 weeks for the full module (intensive)
• Certification: Certificate of completion for many participants (lecture/lab participation)

Key Highlights:

• Covers foundational and advanced deep learning topics: neural networks, convolutional nets, sequence models, generative modeling, and large language models
• Lab work is GPU-accelerated (via cloud environments), so you don’t need your own hardware
• Emphasis on hands-on experience and a final project or proposal judged by staff/panels
• Materials (slides, labs, code) are open-sourced and publicly available

Best For: Learners who want a rigorous, research-level exposure to deep learning and are ready to work intensively over a short period.

10. Fast.ai - Practical Deep Learning for Coders

If you want to get an elaborate hands-on deep learning course, then this course by Fast.ai can be helpful. They believe in starting with coding, so you can start building and improving real models quickly, then dig into the theory as needed.

Quick Facts:

• Course Name: Practical Deep Learning for Coders
• Mode: Online, self-paced (with recorded lectures, notebooks, and community support)
• Platform/Institute: fast.ai
• Duration: Varies by learner, typically 6–10 weeks at a moderate pace (self-paced)
• Certification: Course completion acknowledgment/certificate from fast.ai (not a university degree)

Key Highlights:

• Strong emphasis on practical projects and rapid iteration using real datasets
• Primary tools: PyTorch, Jupyter Notebooks, and the fastai library
• Teaches transfer learning, computer vision, NLP, and best practices for training models efficiently
• Large, active community and many real-world notebooks to clone and extend
• Updated regularly to include modern architectures and techniques

Best For: Intermediate programmers (comfortable with Python). Now that we have completed the best 10 AI certification courses, let’s look into other aspects of your journey, which can help you decide on the courses, programs, or your career path better.

How to Choose the Right AI Course in India?

We believe that with so many AI programs available, choosing the right one depends on your career goals, learning style, and budget. Here are a few ways to evaluate which course will serve you best:

Based on Your Career Stage

• Students: If you’re still in college or just starting out, beginner-friendly or short-term certification courses are a good way to build a foundation before committing to advanced AI/ML programs.
• Working Professionals: Mid-career learners should look for structured, mentor-led courses that combine depth with career support, since placements, referrals, and project portfolios will make the transition easier.
• Domain Experts: If you already work in areas like healthcare, finance, or manufacturing, a specialization in AI applications within your field (e.g., computer vision for healthcare, NLP for finance) can add the most value.

Based on the Learning Format

• Online: Flexible and self-paced, perfect for busy schedules and learners who want to balance study with work.
• Offline: Great for those who prefer classroom interaction, but options are limited and often costlier.
• Hybrid: A mix of online lectures and occasional offline sessions can be ideal for those who want flexibility with some face-to-face engagement.

Based on Specialization

• Core Machine Learning: Best for building the foundation needed to understand algorithms and models.
• Deep Learning: Suited for those who want to explore neural networks, computer vision, or generative AI.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP): Ideal if you’re interested in chatbots, language models, or text analytics.
• Computer Vision: The right choice for those drawn to image recognition, autonomous vehicles, or medical imaging applications.

Based on Duration and Fee

• Short-term vs Long-term: Short-term courses (a few weeks to months) are good for upskilling quickly, while long-term programs (12-18 months) offer depth, alumni status, and stronger career outcomes.
• Affordable vs Premium: Free or budget-friendly courses (like Fast.ai or Coursera basics) are great starting points. Premium programs from IITs, Stanford, or Scaler come at a higher fee but offer structured mentorship, projects, and strong brand value, which makes them worthwhile for career growth.

Must-Have Skills Before Taking an AI Course

Before enrolling in an AI course in India, it’s helpful to know what skills will make your learning journey smoother. You don’t need to be an expert, but having the right foundation ensures you can keep up with the pace of most programs.

Technical Skills

A basic understanding of Python programming is almost essential, since it’s the language most AI frameworks use. Practice with maths concepts like linear algebra, probability, and statistics will help you understand how algorithms work under the hood. Even if your math is rusty, brushing up on these fundamentals can go a long way in building confidence.

Soft Skills

For your career, soft skills are as important as having technical skills. Strong logical thinking, curiosity, and problem-solving skills will help you apply technical knowledge to your day-to-day tasks. Since the field evolves rapidly, a willingness to keep learning and experimenting is just as important as technical know-how.

AI Certification Value in the Indian Job Market

Recruiters often see a credible AI certification as proof that you’ve invested time in structured learning and gained exposure to industry-relevant tools. While a certificate alone won’t guarantee a job, pairing it with projects and a visible portfolio can significantly boost your profile.

This is what we advocate at Scaler. We had seen how many individuals lacked the industry-required skills even after getting a degree, or most of them had a hard time upskilling to match industry standards. Hence, we have built our programs in a way that a learner gets the resources from all sides, i.e, from detailed lectures, to mentorship, till acquiring job-readiness. We walk alongside our learners through their journey.

Check out: Scaler’s AI and ML Program

Conclusion: Which AI Course in India is Right for You?

The right AI course in India depends on where you are in your journey and what you want to achieve. If you’re a student or beginner, short and beginner-friendly programs on Coursera or Fast.ai can help you explore AI concepts at little to no cost. If you’re a working professional aiming to switch careers or climb into higher-paying roles, structured and mentor-led programs like those from Scaler or IITs provide the depth, credibility, and career support you’ll need. And if you’re already an expert, advanced options from MIT, Stanford, or NVIDIA can help you specialize further.

What matters most is taking the first step. AI is reshaping industries in India at a rapid pace, and waiting too long can mean missing out on opportunities. Choose the program that matches your career goals, commit to building projects, and keep learning.