Empowering Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Learning AI and ML in 2023
Think of a wave. Yes, a wave you find when visiting the beach. A wave forms as energy travels through the ocean. The wave continues to travel and the energy within it builds up. The wave becomes larger and larger, eventually breaking as it hits the shoreline. Right now, various forms of AI are the energy and we have just passed the headland. We are rapidly approaching the shore.
For many of us, we realise that the future is already here and AI technology is on an exponential growth curve. We want to adapt to the changes and take advantage of the suite of tools and capabilities available to us.
But if you’re a complete beginner with no computer science background,
Where do you start?
The truth is, learning AI and ML can seem daunting at first. There are a lot of complex concepts to understand, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But the good news is you don’t need a computer science degree or any special skills to take advantage of AI tools and learn the fundamentals. In this article, we’ll go over the most effective way to learn the fundamentals of AI and ML if you’re a complete beginner in 2023.
Firstly, Twitter 🐦. What? Yes, Twitter. Every bright mind working in AI is on Twitter. Not only do you hear from them when their software is updated, or a new paper is released, they also provide opinions and commentary on the latest trends. In real-time. Follow them, create a list and turn on notifications for those you are really interested in. Twitter is quite a respectable place so be courageous and comment on a post or two every day if you don't understand something. Stepping out of your comfort zone means growth. Plus, you essentially have the opportunity to learn from the greatest. There are too many brilliant minds to mention but in alphabetical order, some to follow include:
@AndrewYNg @alexandr_wang @alliekmiller @BernardMarr @blennon_ @DeepMind @demishassabis @docmilanfar @drfeifei @DrJimFan @EMostaque @GaryMarcus @gdb @geoffreyhinton @googleAI @huggingface @katecrawford @karenxcheng @karpathy @KirkDBorne @mathemagic1an @metaAI @mobav0 @quaesita @ronald_vanLoon @sama @scobleizer @shaneguML @StableDiffusion @Suhail @svpino @tessalau @woj_zaremba @ylecun
Image by @BGnarli
A taste of things to come…
Secondly, go to an AI web directory like aisuite.io to discover the latest AI tools and resources. Familiarise yourself with the capabilities of tools in different categories. Most of them are extremely easy to use.
There are many popular tools to explore. Here are five to give you a taste of Generative AI’s power and potential:
ChatGPT - Text Generation, translation, code generation, text summarisation + much more
Lexica - Text-to-image using Stable Diffusion
GitHub Copilot - Code Generation
RunwayML - Video editing, text-to-image, image-to-image + much more
Scale AI - Data labelling, data annotation, machine learning development + much more
Think about how you can apply these. If you dedicate just two hours to tool exploration, I guarantee you'll learn a ton. Before you know it, you'll be implementing tools in your own workspace, saving you, and/or your colleagues, an abundance of time.
What to do with that spare time you ask? Well, it depends on how deep you want to go down the rabbit hole. There are a plethora of podcasts, youtube videos, books and free online courses just waiting to be devoured.
Image by @BGnarli
How else can I stay ahead?
We'll save the list of pods and whatnot for another article. For now, we've put together a list of four free courses for anyone wanting to stay ahead of the game. And, don't worry, the fundamentals can be self-taught - just roll up your sleeves and get into it.
1. AI for Everyone by Andrew Ng (DeepLearning.AI): This course is an excellent introduction to AI for beginners. It covers key concepts such as supervised learning, deep learning, and unsupervised learning. This is the perfect starting point for those who want to learn the basics of AI without getting overwhelmed by jargon.
2. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (IBM Skills Network): This is another great introductory course on AI, covering topics such as search algorithms, supervised and unsupervised learning, and natural language processing. This course is perfect for those looking to gain a basic understanding of AI.
3. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (Simplilearn): If you are a visual learner, this one is for you. The course is designed for beginners and covers a wide range of topics such as AI concepts & workflows, Machine Learning fundamentals, and Deep Learning fundamentals. Plus, the videos are created by experienced mentors who make it easy for you to learn AI.
4. Machine Learning Crash Course (Google): We've saved this one til last as it's definitely more technical. However, if you are comfortable with some advanced mathematics and have some prior Python experience, this is one of the top-rated AI courses available online, and best of all, it is free! Google offers an array of comprehensive AI courses to teach you everything from the basics of Machine Learning to advanced topics in Deep Learning. The course also offers hands-on exercises that you can use to practice your skills.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced programmer, these courses will help you understand the basics of AI and get you started on your journey.
Conclusion
In the near future, Artificial Intelligence will become ubiquitous in our lives, businesses and future technologies. The possibilities are endless. Whilst AI has its challenges, like any disruptive technology, it also has an unparalleled potential to make the world a better place and to understand the fundamentals, now is the time to learn and upgrade your skills.
Are you ready to take the leap and be a part of the AI revolution? One thing’s for certain, the shore is closer than most think.
Onwards,
