Using AI Tools and Python to Automate

Tasks
A two-day, beginner-friendly journey to streamline workflows, boost
productivity, and integrate AI into everyday tasks.

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Goals
1. Understand the basics of Python scripting without prior
programming experience

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Goals
1. Understand the basics of Python scripting without prior
programming experience

2. Explore ways to leverage LLMs in combination with Python

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Goals
1. Understand the basics of Python scripting without prior
programming experience

2. Explore ways to leverage LLMs in combination with Python

3. Learn how to automate tasks such as file organization and data entry

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Goals
1. Understand the basics of Python scripting without prior
programming experience

2. Explore ways to leverage LLMs in combination with Python

3. Learn how to automate tasks such as file organization and data entry

4. Use Python scripts to integrate with external LLM APIs

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Why Learn to Automate?

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Automation as a General Skill
Automate Repetitive Tasks

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Automation as a General Skill
Automate Repetitive Tasks

Increase Productivity

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Automation as a General Skill
Automate Repetitive Tasks

Increase Productivity

Save Money:

Replace expensive subscription tools with your own scripts

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Automation as a General Skill
Automate Repetitive Tasks

Increase Productivity

Save Money:

Replace expensive subscription tools with your own scripts

Analyse Massive Amounts of Data

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The Real Reason....

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Writing code = the most general skill you
can have!
It is a superpower! :)

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Scripting vs. Programming
An important distinction!

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Both are About Following Recipes

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Scripting
Writing code to full fill a set of pre-defined steps that accomplish a task

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Scripting
Writing code to full fill a set of pre-defined steps that accomplish a task

Quick, targeted, and task-oriented

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Scripting
Writing code to full fill a set of pre-defined steps that accomplish a task

Quick, targeted, and task-oriented

Typically used for automations, data manipulation, or utility tasks

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Scripting
Writing code to full fill a set of pre-defined steps that accomplish a task

Quick, targeted, and task-oriented

Typically used for automations, data manipulation, or utility tasks

Toy example -> Renaming multiple files

# Rename all .txt files in a directory to include today's date

import os
from datetime import date

today = date.today().strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
for filename in os.listdir("."):
if filename.endswith(".txt"):
new_name = f"{today}_{filename}"
os.rename(filename, new_name)

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Programming
At it's core is also about writing code to perform steps but...

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Programming
At it's core is also about writing code to perform steps but...

It's about developing software systems (implementing engineering

practices, etc..)

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Programming
At it's core is also about writing code to perform steps but...

It's about developing software systems (implementing engineering

practices, etc..)

Involves structure, design patterns, and often collaborative development

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Programming
At it's core is also about writing code to perform steps but...

It's about developing software systems (implementing engineering

practices, etc..)

Involves structure, design patterns, and often collaborative development

Programming is considerably more effortful than scripting.

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This course focuses on Scripting!

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Why focus on scripting here?

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Why focus on scripting here?
Much faster learning curve - if it works don't change it

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Why focus on scripting here?
Much faster learning curve - if it works don't change it

Immediate practical benefits - makes your life better

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Why focus on scripting here?
Much faster learning curve - if it works don't change it

Immediate practical benefits - makes your life better

Ideal for nondevelopers who just want to get things done

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Why focus on scripting here?
Much faster learning curve - if it works don't change it

Immediate practical benefits - makes your life better

Ideal for nondevelopers who just want to get things done

Home-Cooked Software and Barefoot Developers

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The Ostrich Approach to Learning Python

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It's about Learning What We Need for Our
Tasks!

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It's about Learning What We Need for Our
Tasks!
And purposefuly ignoring that which does not seem to have any effect on its
success.

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Why Python?

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Python is Easy and Everywhere

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Python is Easy and Everywhere
Python is a general purpose language (can be used for everything)

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Python is Easy and Everywhere
Python is a general purpose language (can be used for everything)

Python is used across the board in AI from developing AI models to

powering self-driving cars

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Python is Easy and Everywhere
Python is a general purpose language (can be used for everything)

Python is used across the board in AI from developing AI models to

powering self-driving cars

Python is super easy to learn due to its proximity with natural language

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The Busy Person Guide to Python Basics

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Python Things We Will Learn
Basic Syntax: Indentation, variable assignments, printing

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Python Things We Will Learn
Basic Syntax: Indentation, variable assignments, printing

Common Data Types: Strings, integers, floats, booleans

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Python Things We Will Learn
Basic Syntax: Indentation, variable assignments, printing

Common Data Types: Strings, integers, floats, booleans

Control Structures: if statements, loops (for, while)

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Python Things We Will Learn
Basic Syntax: Indentation, variable assignments, printing

Common Data Types: Strings, integers, floats, booleans

Control Structures: if statements, loops (for, while)

Useful Libraries: os for file operations, csv for handling CSVs, requests
for making web requests

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Python Things We Will Learn
Basic Syntax: Indentation, variable assignments, printing

Common Data Types: Strings, integers, floats, booleans

Control Structures: if statements, loops (for, while)

Useful Libraries: os for file operations, csv for handling CSVs, requests
for making web requests

That is a lot! How can we manage?

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Python Things We Will Learn
Basic Syntax: Indentation, variable assignments, printing

Common Data Types: Strings, integers, floats, booleans

Control Structures: if statements, loops (for, while)

Useful Libraries: os for file operations, csv for handling CSVs, requests
for making web requests

That is a lot! How can we manage?

Use AI conversationally! Asking questions and clarifying what you don't

know!

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 How to Use AI to Learn/Use Python
A quick detour to set up an AI toolkit to speed up our Automation skills

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The "Just Ask AI" Naive Approach

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The "Just Ask AI" Naive Approach

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The "Just Ask AI" Naive Approach

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Demo - Meta-Strategy for Scripting with AI

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Data Types, Operations, Variables
Writing code is about writing text that changes or manipulates data in
some way

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Data Types, Operations, Variables
Writing code is about writing text that changes or manipulates data in
some way

For that we need? ..... (drumbroll)

Data! Specifically a way to describe it, reference it, talk about it etc...

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Data Types, Operations, Variables
Writing code is about writing text that changes or manipulates data in
some way

For that we need? ..... (drumbroll)

Data! Specifically a way to describe it, reference it, talk about it etc...

In Python data can be of different types (like numbers, text, image etc...)

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Data Types, Operations, Variables
Writing code is about writing text that changes or manipulates data in
some way

For that we need? ..... (drumbroll)

Data! Specifically a way to describe it, reference it, talk about it etc...

In Python data can be of different types (like numbers, text, image etc...)

The things we can do to it are called operations (like 5+5)

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Data Types, Operations, Variables
Writing code is about writing text that changes or manipulates data in
some way

For that we need? ..... (drumbroll)

Data! Specifically a way to describe it, reference it, talk about it etc...

In Python data can be of different types (like numbers, text, image etc...)

The things we can do to it are called operations (like 5+5)

To organize things, we use variables to define what each thing is

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Data Types, Operations, Variables - Example
Here is a piece of code that defines a variable of some type and performs
a simple operation on the data stored in the variable

# This is data of type string!

name = "Lucas"
# This is data of type integer!
actual_age = 33

# This is data of type integer!

mental_age = 12

# our operation
average_age_between_actual_and_mental = (actual_age + mental_age) / 2
# special function that displays what goes inside of it
print(average_age_between_actual_and_mental)

# this would be a float!

# Output: 22.5

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Data Types; Operations; Variables - Demo

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Data Types, Operations, Variables
Core Data Types:
int: whole nubmers like 1, 2, 3 ...
float: decimal numbers like 1.1, 1.0, etc...
string: text like 'Hello'
bool: logical booleans like True or False

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Data Types, Operations, Variables
Core Data Types:
int: whole nubmers like 1, 2, 3 ...
float: decimal numbers like 1.1, 1.0, etc...
string: text like 'Hello'
bool: logical booleans like True or False

Operations:
Arithmetic (+,-,,/,*,//,%)
String concatenation ('Lucas' + ' is' + ' wonderful' = 'Lucas is
wonderful')
Logical operations (and, or, not)
Comparison operations (>, <, >=, <=, ==, !=)

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Data Types, Operations, Variables
Core Data Types:
int: whole nubmers like 1, 2, 3 ...
float: decimal numbers like 1.1, 1.0, etc...
string: text like 'Hello'
bool: logical booleans like True or False

Operations:
Arithmetic (+,-,,/,*,//,%)
String concatenation ('Lucas' + ' is' + ' wonderful' = 'Lucas is
wonderful')
Logical operations (and, or, not)
Comparison operations (>, <, >=, <=, ==, !=)

Variables: Storing data for reuse, assigning and reassigning values:

a = 10
b = 20

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Functions

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Functions
Functions are a way to group code that performs a specific task

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Functions
Functions are a way to group code that performs a specific task

Functions can take parameters and return values

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Functions
Functions are a way to group code that performs a specific task

Functions can take parameters and return values

For example, a function that calculates the total cost of an item including
tax

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Functions
Functions are a way to group code that performs a specific task

Functions can take parameters and return values

For example, a function that calculates the total cost of an item including
tax

We could do this by simply writing a script:

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Functions
Functions are a way to group code that performs a specific task

Functions can take parameters and return values

For example, a function that calculates the total cost of an item including
tax

We could do this by simply writing a script:

# Arithmetic operation: multiplication of parameters

tax = price * tax_rate
# Arithmetic operation: addition of variables
total = price + tax

But what if I want to re-use this code for different prices and tax rates?

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Functions
Here is what it would look like if we define a function to do this:

def calculate_total(price, tax_rate):

tax = price * tax_rate
total = price + tax
return total

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Functions
Here is what it would look like if we define a function to do this:

def calculate_total(price, tax_rate):

tax = price * tax_rate
total = price + tax
return total

Now we can re-use the function for different prices and tax rates:

shirt_price = 10
shirt_tax_rate = 0.05
pants_price = 20
pants_tax_rate = 0.1

print(calculate_total(shirt_price, shirt_tax_rate))
# Output: 10.5
print(calculate_total(pants_price, pants_tax_rate))
# Output: 22.0

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Functions
Why Functions?: Reuse code and break tasks into smaller chunks

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Functions
Why Functions?: Reuse code and break tasks into smaller chunks

Defining a Function: def function_name(parameters):

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Functions
Why Functions?: Reuse code and break tasks into smaller chunks

Defining a Function: def function_name(parameters):

Return Values: Make your functions flexible and reusable

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Functions
Why Functions?: Reuse code and break tasks into smaller chunks

Defining a Function: def function_name(parameters):

Return Values: Make your functions flexible and reusable

Best Practices: Keep them short, descriptive, and single-purpose

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Demo Functions

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Lists & Loops
Lists: Python’s go-to data structure for ordered collections

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Lists & Loops
Lists: Python’s go-to data structure for ordered collections

# Define a list of tasks

tasks = ["Buy groceries", "Finish project", "Call the bank"]

Access Elements: Indexing and slicing

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Lists & Loops
Lists: Python’s go-to data structure for ordered collections

# Define a list of tasks

tasks = ["Buy groceries", "Finish project", "Call the bank"]

Access Elements: Indexing and slicing

print(tasks[0])
# Output: Buy groceries

print(tasks[1])
# Output: Finish project

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Lists & Loops
Lists: Python’s go-to data structure for ordered collections

# Define a list of tasks

tasks = ["Buy groceries", "Finish project", "Call the bank"]

Access Elements: Indexing and slicing

print(tasks[0])
# Output: Buy groceries

print(tasks[1])
# Output: Finish project

Slice: Get a range of elements

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Lists & Loops
Lists: Python’s go-to data structure for ordered collections

# Define a list of tasks

tasks = ["Buy groceries", "Finish project", "Call the bank"]

Access Elements: Indexing and slicing

print(tasks[0])
# Output: Buy groceries

print(tasks[1])
# Output: Finish project

Slice: Get a range of elements

print(tasks[0:2])
# Output: ['Buy groceries', 'Finish project']

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Lists & Loops
Loops: for loops to iterate over items

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Lists & Loops
Loops: for loops to iterate over items

tasks = ["Buy groceries", "Finish project", "Call the bank"]

for task in tasks:
print(task)

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Lists & Loops
Loops: for loops to iterate over items

tasks = ["Buy groceries", "Finish project", "Call the bank"]

for task in tasks:
print(task)

Processing List Elements: With for loops we can perform the same
operation on each element of the list

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Lists & Loops
Loops: for loops to iterate over items

tasks = ["Buy groceries", "Finish project", "Call the bank"]

for task in tasks:
print(task)

Processing List Elements: With for loops we can perform the same
operation on each element of the list

# Below we use an imaginary function that asks a robot to do a task

for task in tasks:
ask_robot_to_do(task)

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Lists & Loops
Loops: for loops to iterate over items

tasks = ["Buy groceries", "Finish project", "Call the bank"]

for task in tasks:
print(task)

Processing List Elements: With for loops we can perform the same
operation on each element of the list

# Below we use an imaginary function that asks a robot to do a task

for task in tasks:
ask_robot_to_do(task)

Common Uses: Batch renaming files in a directory, processing data from

tables, etc...

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Demo - Lists & Loops

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Dictionaries & Tabular Data
Dictionaries: Key-value pairs for storing related data

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Dictionaries & Tabular Data
Dictionaries: Key-value pairs for storing related data

# Dictionary of product prices

prices = {
"apple": 0.50,
"banana": 0.75,
"orange": 0.60
}

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Dictionaries & Tabular Data
Dictionaries: Key-value pairs for storing related data

# Dictionary of product prices

prices = {
"apple": 0.50,
"banana": 0.75,
"orange": 0.60
}

Accessing Values: Use keys to lookup values quickly

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Dictionaries & Tabular Data
Dictionaries: Key-value pairs for storing related data

# Dictionary of product prices

prices = {
"apple": 0.50,
"banana": 0.75,
"orange": 0.60
}

Accessing Values: Use keys to lookup values quickly

print(prices["apple"])
# Output: 0.50

print(prices["banana"])
# Output: 0.75

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Dictionaries & Tabular Data
Dictionaries: Key-value pairs for storing related data

# Dictionary of product prices

prices = {
"apple": 0.50,
"banana": 0.75,
"orange": 0.60
}

Accessing Values: Use keys to lookup values quickly

print(prices["apple"])
# Output: 0.50

print(prices["banana"])
# Output: 0.75

Common Uses: Storing configurations, mapping relationships, caching

data

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Reading/Writing
Tabular Data: Data that is organized in a table format

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Reading/Writing
Tabular Data: Data that is organized in a table format

Common Formats: .csv, .json, .xlsx, .xls

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Reading/Writing
Tabular Data: Data that is organized in a table format

Common Formats: .csv, .json, .xlsx, .xls

CSV Files store data in rows and columns via comma-separated values:
Name,Age,City
John Smith,32,New York
Jane Doe,28,San Francisco

Name Age City

John Smith 32 New York

Jane Doe 28 San Francisco

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Demo - Dictionaries & Tabular Data

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Comparators & Conditionals
Boolean Comparisons: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=

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Comparators & Conditionals
Boolean Comparisons: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=

# Example of a boolean comparison

a = 10
b = 20
print(a == b) # Output: False
print(a != b) # Output: True
print(a > b) # Output: False
print(a < b) # Output: True
print(a >= b) # Output: False
print(a <= b) # Output: True

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Comparators & Conditionals
Boolean Comparisons: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=

# Example of a boolean comparison

a = 10
b = 20
print(a == b) # Output: False
print(a != b) # Output: True
print(a > b) # Output: False
print(a < b) # Output: True
print(a >= b) # Output: False
print(a <= b) # Output: True

Logical Operators: and, or, not

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Comparators & Conditionals
Boolean Comparisons: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=

# Example of a boolean comparison

a = 10
b = 20
print(a == b) # Output: False
print(a != b) # Output: True
print(a > b) # Output: False
print(a < b) # Output: True
print(a >= b) # Output: False
print(a <= b) # Output: True

Logical Operators: and, or, not

# Example of a logical operator

print(True and False) # Output: False
print(True or False) # Output: True
print(not True) # Output: False

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Comparators & Conditionals
Conditionals: Using conditionals if/elif/else to perform different
actions based on data

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Comparators & Conditionals
Conditionals: Using conditionals if/elif/else to perform different
actions based on data

# Example of an if statement
if a > b:
print("a is greater than b")

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Comparators & Conditionals
Conditionals: Using conditionals if/elif/else to perform different
actions based on data

# Example of an if statement
if a > b:
print("a is greater than b")

# Example of an if/else statement

if a > b:
print("a is greater than b")
else:
print("a is less than or equal to b")

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Comparators & Conditionals
Conditionals: Using conditionals if/elif/else to perform different
actions based on data

# Example of an if statement
if a > b:
print("a is greater than b")

# Example of an if/else statement

if a > b:
print("a is greater than b")
else:
print("a is less than or equal to b")

# Example of an if/elif/else statement

if a > b:
print("a is greater than b")
elif a == b:
print("a is equal to b")
else:
print("a is less than b")

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Demo - Working with Data

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APIs, Packages, and AI as an API
APIs 101: Application Programming Interface—send a request, get a
response
Python Packages: Example: requests library to make HTTP calls
AI as an API: Connect to services like OpenAI or Claude for text
generation, content analysis, and more

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The Ostrich Approach to AI Assistants

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Automating Data Extraction
Target Websites or Documents: Identify patterns or structures (tables,
IDs, HTML tags)
Techniques: Using Beautiful Soup, Pandas, or request-response cycles
Practical Examples: Extracting data from a CSV, scraping a simple
webpage for product listings

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Automating Basic Data Analysis
Data Loading: Reading CSV files, Excel sheets, or database tables with
Pandas
Basic Analysis: Calculating averages, sums, or finding patterns in data
Visualization: Creating simple charts or graphs to represent findings

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Automating Slides
Effective data wrangling for high quality slides
A Hybrid Approach: AI + Python Scripts
Bulk Processing to save time

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Automating the Browser
Tools: selenium, playwright
Common Tasks: Logging in to websites, navigating pages, clicking
buttons, scraping dynamic elements
Why Automate Browser Tasks?: Speed up online research, data entry, or
repetitive website interactions

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Automating Filling Out Forms
Form Fields: Identifying input boxes, radio buttons, checkboxes in HTML
Scripts: Using selenium to locate elements by ID/class/xpath and input
data
Real-World Use: Automating repetitive website sign-up processes, survey
completion, or internal data-entry forms

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AI Hacks
1. Prompt Templates: Keep a library of common prompt structures for
repetitive tasks

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AI Hacks
1. Prompt Templates: Keep a library of common prompt structures for
repetitive tasks

2. Chaining Tools: Use AI outputs as inputs to other scripts or services for

multi-step automations

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AI Hacks
1. Prompt Templates: Keep a library of common prompt structures for
repetitive tasks

2. Chaining Tools: Use AI outputs as inputs to other scripts or services for

multi-step automations

3. Hybrid Approach: Combine AI text generation with Python logic to

automate tasks like content creation or bulk editing

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A System for Writing Your Scripts
Plan: Define the scope and goal of your automation
Prototype: Write a small test script or snippet to handle one core task
Expand: Add new features or handle edge cases incrementally
Refine: Use AI assistance to improve structure, fix bugs, and add clarity

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Using AI != Slop

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Using AI != Slop
Slop is using unreviewed code from AI models

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Using AI != Slop
Slop is using unreviewed code from AI models

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Using AI != Slop
Slop is using unreviewed code from AI models

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Using AI != Slop
Slop is using unreviewed code from AI models

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