AI+
Digital Innovation for Business Programme
What is AI+?
The AI+ Digital Innovation for Business programme is an award winning course designed and delivered by Graffio Arts. We are currently accepting applications for new business cohorts across the East Midlands for courses starting in January 202.
Digital Literacy Enables Digital Transformation
AI+ demystifies current technology, terms, theories and working practices. AI+ is intensive but communicated in a way that anyone should understand regardless of experience.
We breakdown the varied technical, logistical and cultural aspects of technology and business into understandable concepts as a springboard for the development of unique solutions to your business challenges.
Course Overview
The course includes 12 weeks of workshops, seminars, online sessions and community discussion. The plus in AI+ signals our commitment to a thorough investigation of the broad digital innovation landscape. Most sessions are 3 hours long with every other session being held online.
We breakdown the varied technical, logistical and cultural aspects of technology and business into understandable concepts as springboards for host of unique business developments. The intensity of the in-person sessions is counterbalanced with more relaxed and reflective online sessions the following week where there is the opportunity to discuss your business or department objectives.
The course is broken down into 4 Modules. Within those modules are seminars and workshops. Seminars are theory based and workshops are more practical, often implementing ideas from seminars. The course starts broadly, ensuring that everyone reaches a certain level of understanding but becomes more focused towards the end as you have the opportunity to tackle your your area of interest.
So far, over 2 years (AI+ and AI+2.0) has delivered 312 hours of training through 96 sessions to 101 different SMEs over 8 cohorts.
Peer Network
We encourage you to share your knowledge as much as possible. At the start of each 12-week course we add your AI+ group to a peer network. We encourage you to network with your group and the other groups during the span of the course and beyond. In this way we can develop and spread clearer and more meaningful ways to talk about emergent technology and the possibilities for business within the region, uncovering the skills required for digital innovation. So far, AI+ has delivered 240 hours of networking with 8 peer networking events to over 400 attendees with 8 guest speakers (including Innovate UK, AI ).
Industry Does Not Exist in a Vacuum
AI+ fits within a broader agenda for Graffio Arts to empower regional business. We are living through strange but exciting times. Our relationships with technology continue to evolve and this has an impact across territories and cultures where industry is situated.
If we want to thrive within a time of incredible change we might need to ask ourselves some fairly tough questions. We probably need to decide how business should work in relation to our values, to protect the things that we believe in, examine efficiency and growth in monetary and human costs. Standard rationale, narratives and best practice, might no longer be as robust or fit-for-purpose as we once assumed they were.
Education Versus Industry
We incorporate tried and tested rationale from education, notably the concept of free inquiry and empowering foundational ideas. This provides a rationale for course design and delivery. We will not tell you what to think but encourage you to capitalise on your own experience and knowledge fuelled by some of the best information available at any given time.
However, the course does not bring an assessment burden typical in academia. You are free to take the course on your own terms. Your development is your business, department or division. Literally. Our delivery of the course is the foundation for conversation amongst your peers. It is within these conversations that sparks of intuition turn into ideas that become the briefs that enable actionable plans.
Subject Matter Expertise
Graffio Arts, through it’s Institute initiative have access to a broad selection of specific domain expertise. Select sessions are delivered by these experts who are then on-hand to provide post course advice and support for developmental projects that emerge out of the AI+ course Business Innovation Goals. We have Data Analysis, Data preparation and SQL and Automation Experts and will call on whoever might be required for each specific Cohort.
Course Rationale
The course is intensive and we respect the intelligence and abilities of our cohorts. AI+ encourages free inquiry. This means that we go back to basics and outline original concepts and terms so that you can develop your own understandings from clean, no-nonsense starting points. We don’t hide behind lingo and acronyms and encourage you to question...anything.
The goal is your empowerment. What this looks like will vary from individual to individual. Starting with first principles encourages sparks of intuition among our cohorts and means that everyone essentially experiences their own course.
Course Flow
The course is broken down into 4 Modules. Within those modules are seminars and workshops. Seminars are theory based and workshops are more practical, often implementing ideas from seminars. We meet in person every 2 weeks, with the weeks in between being online sessions.
The course starts broadly, ensuring that everyone reaches a certain level of understanding but becomes more focused towards the end as you tackle your individual business innovation goal and look towards developing an appropriate outcome.
Business Innovation Goal
As part of the course we invite you propose a business innovation goal. This could be a discrete project, investigation or large scale development that you wish to pursue. The scope can be any scale and move way beyond the time limit of the course. This goal is optional, the choice is yours.
Developing Agency
We encourage you to look at your organisation in terms of systems and to develop a sensible, informed language that enables you to discuss digital innovation within your organisation and without. Empowerment the key and we encourage you to approach the course on your own terms.
Recognition for AI+
In February 2026, AI+ Digital Innovation for Business received the East Midlands Chamber Education & Partnership of the Year award. We would like to thank Loughborough College Group and Innovate UK for their support in the success of the first 2 years of AI+.
Course Feedback
"The most valuable aspect for me was how the course demystified AI. It helped me see not only how the technology works, but how I can confidently use it day-to-day. I came away with practical skills and a much clearer sense of what’s possible."
"The AI+ syllabus has something useful for every business, no matter your level of technical experience. I also liked the mix of different industries in the sessions. Which made me realise that a lot of businesses have similar challenges…"
"Great tutors. Created a comfortable learning environment."
"The most valuable aspect for me was how the course demystified AI. It helped me see not only how the technology works, but how I can confidently use it day-to-day. I came away with practical skills and a much clearer sense of what’s possible."
"Extremely Friendly Down to Earth and very informative."
"Thank you to the tutors and guest speakers for an excellent and insightful course. The content was engaging, practical, and clearly delivered, and I’m grateful for the effort that went into it."
"AI was a mystery, now I see it as accessible magic."
"I really enjoyed the course and found this hugely beneficial. The presenters, Steve and Guy were excellent. Their knowledge was second to none and their delivery of the course was fantastic. The peer setting was also really good as this led to discussions from different businesses which helped a range of other businesses."
"The most valuable aspect of the course was seeing real-world examples of how other companies have successfully applied AI tools within their organisations. It highlighted the practical impact these tools can have, especially in saving time and resources, which is something we all seem to be short on."
"Well structure course. Suitable to learners of all AI experience levels."
"A really thorough, deep dive, into what data actually is and how to use it in a more systemised approach in your business. Would highly recommend the course."
"A unique opportunity to learn about cutting edge technology that could transform your business."
"This course broke down AI in a way that was both approachable and deeply practical. It gave me a valuable insight and understanding into AI, real confidence and tools I now use every day."
"I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Steve and Guy who were brilliant throughout the course. They were instrumental in developing a truly insightful and well-structured curriculum. Their approach has given me the confidence to actively explore AI tools, ideas, and concepts for my business without the apprehension I felt previously…"
"The presenters were of the very best I have experienced in all the training I have had in all my years."
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