Data Annotation Basics

The programme is free, self-paced, and open to anyone curious about how AI training data is built — no prior AI knowledge or coding experience required. It works well for complete beginners testing whether data annotation is the right career direction, for people in adjacent fields (writing, customer support, content moderation, transcription) who want a structured introduction, and for anyone who has wondered what actually goes into training the AI products they use every day.

The Basics programme is self-paced learning on our e-learning platform — structured theory lessons and online knowledge assessments. It does not include hands-on labeling-tool work: there is no access to annotation software such as Label Studio or CVAT, and there are no datasets to download — nothing to install and nothing to buy. All you need is a standard laptop with a modern browser. Hands-on practice with production labeling tools begins in the paid Certified Data Annotator (CDA) Essentials courses.

You will understand the core conventions of data annotation across each module covered — what the main annotation types are, what separates a clean label from a sloppy one, and how annotation quality is judged — and come away with a clear sense of whether data annotation is a career fit for you, and which domain you most enjoy. The Basics programme builds this foundation through self-paced theory and online knowledge assessments; it does not give access to labeling tools, so hands-on, tool-based annotation work to production standards is reserved for the paid Certified Data Annotator (CDA) Essentials courses. The programme grows over time as new Basics-level courses launch.

Yes — Data Annotation Basics is fully online and self-paced, and you can join from anywhere in the world. There is no fixed schedule; start when you are ready, work through at your own pace, and pick up where you left off whenever you have time.

The programme itself is free — there is no cost to enrol, work through the material, or complete each module’s assessment. Claiming a verifiable certificate is optional. If you choose to claim it, there is a small fee per certificate. Many people take the programme purely as a self-test of fit and skill; others claim the certificate to share with employers or include in a CV.

You have one year to complete the programme, counted from the end date of your first course run in it. We send reminders before the deadline. After a year, DeeLab Academy may remove you from the programme as an active participant.

Each course must be completed within three months of the end date of its first run. You can move to another scheduled run of the same course up to twice; the deadline stays pinned to your first run's end date.