If you'd like to learn the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence applications, a new course is now available free on EdX. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI), presented by Microsoft, will teach you the fundamental Machine Learning techniques that form the basis of AI applications, and how to implement applications like text and speech interpretation, computer vision, and interactive chatbots.
The course is self-paced, but completing it by the end of this year gives you the benefit of feedback from course staff and other students in the discussion forums. No prior programming knowledge is assumed, but as some of the examples are presented in Python some experience there would be advantageous. You'll also need a Microsoft Azure account to use cloud-based APIs and services during the course (but it will explain how to set up a free Azure trial account if you don't already have one).
You can find more information about the course in this post in the Cortana Intelligence and Machine Learning Blog, or sign up for the course at EdX using the link below.