Comprehensive AI & ML Course: From

Beginner to Generative AI Master

Course Goal: To equip learners with a deep understanding of Artificial Intelligence and Machine
Learning, with a specific focus on Generative AI principles, models, and practical applications
for enhancing productivity.
Target Audience: Beginners with no prior AI/ML experience, looking to gain expertise up to a
master level in GenAI.

Module 1: AI & ML Fundamentals - The Bedrock

This module lays the essential groundwork. We'll demystify AI and ML, establish key
terminology, and ensure a solid understanding of the underlying principles.
1.1 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) * What is AI? Definition, history (from Turing
Test to modern AI), and different types of AI (Narrow AI, General AI, Superintelligence - AGI vs.
ANI). * Why is AI Important Now? Discuss current impact across industries and future
potential. * AI vs. Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning: Clarifying the relationship and
hierarchy. * Ethical Considerations in AI: Bias, fairness, transparency, accountability, and the
societal impact of AI.
1.2 Essential Math & Statistics for AI/ML * Linear Algebra: * Vectors and Matrices
(operations, dot product, norms) * Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors (brief introduction to their
importance in dimensionality reduction) * Calculus: * Derivatives and Gradients (understanding
how models learn through optimization) * Chain Rule (briefly for neural networks) * Probability
& Statistics: * Basic Probability (concepts like Bayes' Theorem) * Descriptive Statistics (mean,
median, mode, variance, standard deviation) * Inferential Statistics (hypothesis testing - brief
overview) * Distributions (Normal distribution, Bernoulli, etc.)
1.3 Programming Fundamentals with Python for AI/ML * Why Python? Popularity, libraries,
and ecosystem. * Python Basics: * Variables, Data Types (lists, tuples, dictionaries, sets) *
Control Flow (if/else, loops) * Functions * Object-Oriented Programming (basic concepts) *
Essential Libraries: * NumPy: Numerical computing, arrays, array operations. * Pandas: Data
manipulation and analysis (DataFrames, Series). * Matplotlib & Seaborn: Data visualization. *
Scikit-learn (introduction): Machine learning algorithms, data preprocessing utilities. *
Introduction to Jupyter Notebooks/Google Colab: Interactive development environments.
1.4 Data Fundamentals * Types of Data: Structured, unstructured, semi-structured data. *
Data Collection: Sources, methods, web scraping (ethical considerations). * Data
Preprocessing & Cleaning: * Handling missing values (imputation, removal) * Outlier detection
and treatment * Data normalization and standardization * Feature Engineering (introduction to
creating new features from existing ones) * Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA): Summarizing,
visualizing, and understanding data patterns.
Examples & Exercises for Module 1:
●​ Python: Implement basic data structures, functions, and control flow.
●​ NumPy/Pandas: Perform array operations, load and manipulate CSV data, calculate
descriptive statistics.
●​ Matplotlib: Create simple line plots, scatter plots, and histograms from provided datasets.
●​ Conceptual: Discuss real-world scenarios where AI is used (e.g., recommendation
 systems, fraud detection).

Module 2: Core Machine Learning Concepts

This module dives into the fundamental algorithms and methodologies of machine learning.
2.1 Types of Machine Learning * Supervised Learning: * Definition, labeled data. *
Regression (predicting continuous values): Linear Regression, Polynomial Regression. *
Classification (predicting discrete categories): Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, K-Nearest
Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM). * Unsupervised Learning: * Definition,
unlabeled data. * Clustering: K-Means, Hierarchical Clustering. * Dimensionality Reduction:
Principal Component Analysis (PCA). * Reinforcement Learning (brief introduction):
Learning through trial and error, rewards, and penalties.
2.2 Model Training and Evaluation * Training, Validation, and Test Sets: Why data splitting
is crucial. * Overfitting and Underfitting: Understanding bias-variance trade-off. *
Performance Metrics: * Regression: Mean Squared Error (MSE), R-squared. *
Classification: Accuracy, Precision, Recall, F1-score, Confusion Matrix. * Cross-Validation:
Robust model evaluation. * Hyperparameter Tuning: Grid Search, Random Search.
2.3 Introduction to Scikit-learn * Building and evaluating basic ML models (e.g., a simple
linear regression, a classification tree). * Pipelines for streamlining workflows.
Examples & Exercises for Module 2:
●​ Supervised Learning:
○​ Predicting house prices using Linear Regression on a small dataset.
○​ Classifying iris species using a Decision Tree.
●​ Unsupervised Learning:
○​ Clustering customer segments using K-Means.
○​ Reducing dimensions of a dataset using PCA for visualization.
●​ Evaluation: Calculate various performance metrics for trained models.

Module 3: Deep Learning - The Powerhouse

This module introduces neural networks and the exciting world of deep learning, a prerequisite
for understanding modern GenAI.
3.1 Neural Networks - The Foundation of Deep Learning * Biological Inspiration: Brief
overview of neurons. * Artificial Neurons: Perceptrons, activation functions (ReLU, Sigmoid,
Tanh). * Feedforward Neural Networks (Multilayer Perceptrons - MLPs): Architecture, layers
(input, hidden, output). * Backpropagation: How neural networks learn (conceptual
understanding). * Optimizers: Gradient Descent, Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD), Adam.
3.2 Introduction to Deep Learning Frameworks * TensorFlow & Keras (high-level API):
Building and training simple neural networks. * PyTorch (conceptual overview/optional
practical): Understanding its declarative nature.
3.3 Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) - For Image Data * Image Representation:
Pixels, channels. * Convolutional Layers: Filters, feature maps. * Pooling Layers: Max
pooling, average pooling. * CNN Architectures (brief overview): LeNet, AlexNet (historical
context). * Applications: Image classification, object detection (conceptual).
3.4 Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) - For Sequential Data * Sequential Data: Text, time
series. * Recurrent Connections: Memory in networks. * Limitations of vanilla RNNs:
Vanishing/exploding gradients. * LSTMs and GRUs: Addressing RNN limitations (conceptual). *
Applications: Text generation (simple), sentiment analysis (conceptual).
Examples & Exercises for Module 3:
●​ MLP: Build a simple neural network to classify handwritten digits (MNIST dataset).
●​ CNN: Implement a basic CNN for image classification (e.g., CIFAR-10).
●​ Conceptual: Walk through a simple text sequence prediction using RNN concepts.

Module 4: Natural Language Processing (NLP) - Understanding

Language
This module focuses on how AI processes and understands human language, a critical
component for GenAI.
4.1 NLP Fundamentals * Text Data Preprocessing: Tokenization, stemming, lemmatization,
stop words. * Text Representation: Bag-of-Words, TF-IDF. * Word Embeddings: Word2Vec,
GloVe (conceptual understanding of how words get numerical representations).
4.2 Basic NLP Tasks * Sentiment Analysis: Classifying text as positive, negative, or neutral. *
Text Classification: Categorizing documents (e.g., spam detection). * Named Entity
Recognition (NER): Identifying entities like names, locations, organizations.
4.3 Sequence-to-Sequence Models (Encoder-Decoder Architecture) * Introduction to
Encoder-Decoder: Basis for translation, summarization. * Attention Mechanism: How models
focus on relevant parts of input (crucial for Transformers).
Examples & Exercises for Module 4:
●​ Text Preprocessing: Clean a sample text corpus.
●​ Sentiment Analysis: Build a simple sentiment classifier using traditional ML algorithms
(e.g., Naive Bayes or SVM) and later, a basic neural network.
●​ Word Embeddings: Explore pre-trained word embeddings to see word relationships.

Module 5: Generative AI - The Creative AI

This is where we dive deep into the exciting world of Generative AI, focusing on how models
create new, original content.
5.1 Introduction to Generative AI * What is Generative AI? Definition, contrast with
discriminative AI. * Applications of GenAI: Text generation, image generation, code
generation, music composition, drug discovery. * Core Concepts: Latent space, sampling,
generation process.
5.2 Key Generative Models * Variational Autoencoders (VAEs): * Encoder-Decoder structure
for learning latent representations. * Sampling from the learned distribution. * Applications:
Image generation, data compression. * Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): *
Generator and Discriminator: The adversarial training process. * DCGANs, StyleGANs (brief
mention): Advancements in image quality. * Applications: Realistic image synthesis,
image-to-image translation, data augmentation. * Diffusion Models: * Concept: Gradually
adding noise to data and then learning to reverse the noise. * DALL-E 2, Midjourney
(conceptual): How they leverage diffusion. * Advantages: High-quality generation, diversity.
5.3 Transformer Architecture - The Foundation of LLMs * Self-Attention Mechanism: The
core innovation that revolutionized NLP. * Encoder-Decoder Stacks: How Transformers
process sequences. * Positional Encoding: Handling sequence order. * Scaled Dot-Product
Attention, Multi-Head Attention.
5.4 Large Language Models (LLMs) * What are LLMs? Massive scale, pre-training on vast
text data. * Pre-training and Fine-tuning: Transfer learning concept. * Types of LLMs: GPT
(Generative Pre-trained Transformer), BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from
Transformers - focus on its use in understanding, not generation). * Decoding Strategies:
Greedy, Beam Search, Nucleus Sampling.
Examples & Exercises for Module 5:
●​ VAEs/GANs (conceptual/toy examples): Understand the training loop with simple data.
●​ Transformer Visualization: Use tools to visualize attention patterns in a pre-trained
Transformer.
●​ LLM Interaction: Experiment with public LLMs (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini) to understand
their capabilities.

Module 6: Prompt Engineering - Communicating with GenAI

This module is crucial for anyone looking to be productive with GenAI tools.
6.1 Principles of Prompt Engineering * Clarity and Specificity: Writing effective prompts. *
Context and Constraints: Providing necessary information and limitations. * Role-Playing and
Personas: Guiding model behavior. * Iterative Prompting: Refining prompts for better results.
6.2 Advanced Prompting Techniques * Few-Shot Learning: Providing examples in the
prompt. * Chain-of-Thought Prompting: Breaking down complex tasks. * Tree-of-Thought
Prompting: Exploring multiple reasoning paths. * Self-Correction: Enabling models to refine
their own outputs.
6.3 Prompt Engineering for Different Modalities * Text Generation: Summarization, creative
writing, coding assistance. * Image Generation: Describing scenes, styles, objects. * Code
Generation: Specifying programming language, functionality, constraints.
Examples & Exercises for Module 6:
●​ Hands-on with ChatGPT/Gemini: Practice crafting prompts for various tasks (e.g., write
a marketing email, summarize an article, generate a short story).
●​ Image Generation: Experiment with DALL-E, Midjourney, or Stable Diffusion (if
accessible) with different prompts to see the impact.
●​ Code Generation: Use a code-generating LLM to assist with simple programming tasks.

Module 7: GenAI Tools for Productivity & Application Development

This module explores practical GenAI tools and how to integrate them into workflows.
7.1 Overview of Popular GenAI Tools * Text-based: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Notion AI,
Jasper, Copy.ai. * Image/Art Generation: DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Canva AI. *
Audio/Video: ElevenLabs (voice generation), Descript (audio/video editing with AI). *
Productivity & Automation: Microsoft Copilot, Google Workspace AI, Zapier (AI integrations),
Otter.ai (transcription), Grammarly (writing assistance), Reclaim.ai (scheduling).
7.2 Integrating GenAI into Workflows * API Usage: How to interact with GenAI models
programmatically (OpenAI API, Google Gemini API). * LangChain (or similar frameworks):
Building applications that chain multiple LLM calls and external data sources. *
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): Combining LLMs with external knowledge bases for
more accurate and up-to-date responses.
7.3 Building GenAI Applications (Mini-Projects) * Simple Chatbot: Using an LLM API to
create a basic conversational agent. * Content Generation Pipeline: Automating blog post or
social media content creation. * Image Manipulation Tool: Using GenAI for style transfer or
image enhancement. * Meeting Summarizer: Integrating a transcription service with an LLM for
meeting notes.
Examples & Exercises for Module 7:
●​ API Practice: Make API calls to an LLM to perform specific tasks.
●​ LangChain/RAG: Develop a simple Q&A bot that can answer questions based on a
provided document.
●​ Tool Exploration: Spend time experimenting with different GenAI tools and identify their
strengths for specific tasks.

Module 8: Advanced Topics & Future of GenAI (Master Level)

This module delves into more complex concepts and the bleeding edge of GenAI.
8.1 Advanced Deep Learning Architectures for GenAI * Transformer Variants: Sparse
attention, Perceiver IO, Vision Transformers (ViT). * Multimodal Models: Combining different
data types (text, image, audio) for generation. * Mixture of Experts (MoE) Models: Scaling up
LLMs.
8.2 Fine-tuning and Customizing GenAI Models * Transfer Learning Revisited: Why
fine-tuning is powerful. * Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning (PEFT): LoRA, QLoRA for efficient
adaptation. * Data Preparation for Fine-tuning: Curating high-quality datasets. * Ethical
Considerations of Fine-tuning: Propagating bias, responsible deployment.
8.3 Model Deployment and MLOps for GenAI * Deployment Strategies: Cloud platforms
(AWS, GCP, Azure), on-premise. * Monitoring and Maintenance: Ensuring model performance
and preventing drift. * Scalability and Efficiency: Optimizing GenAI models for production.
8.4 Research Frontiers and Ethical AI * Explainable AI (XAI) for GenAI: Understanding why
models generate certain outputs. * Controllable Generation: Guiding models to produce
specific attributes. * AI Safety and Alignment: Ensuring GenAI systems behave beneficially. *
The Future of GenAI: Autonomous agents, AGI advancements, new modalities.
Examples & Exercises for Module 8:
●​ Mini-Project: Fine-tune a small pre-trained LLM for a specific domain (e.g., legal,
medical).
●​ Conceptual: Discuss the challenges of deploying a large GenAI model and how to
monitor its performance.
●​ Research Exploration: Read and discuss recent research papers on GenAI
advancements.

Module 9: Capstone Project & Portfolio Building

The ultimate test of mastery and a crucial step for career development.
9.1 Project Ideation and Planning * Identifying a real-world problem that GenAI can solve. *
Defining project scope, goals, and success metrics.
9.2 Project Implementation * Applying learned concepts and techniques. * Leveraging GenAI
tools and APIs. * Developing a complete solution from data acquisition to deployment.
9.3 Presentation and Documentation * Clearly communicating project methodology, results,
and impact. * Building a professional portfolio (GitHub, personal website).
Examples & Exercises for Module 9:
●​ Guided Capstone Project: Provide a few project ideas to choose from or allow students
to propose their own.
●​ Code Review and Feedback: Peer review and instructor feedback on project
implementation.
●​ Presentation Practice: Rehearse project presentations.