Learn AI for Free in 2023: The Expert List of Resources, Guidance, and Announced AI Events (in progress)
Tags: education, learning, ai, llms
Published: 2023-09-26 16:50:36

Hey there! I wanted to share a little sneak peek at a blog post I’m cooking up with a bunch of excellent free resources for learning about artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Now, I know AI seems intimidating — all those complex algorithms and tech lingo. But have no fear! I’ve been digging around to find top-notch courses, tutorials, and tools perfect for beginners and not so total. I’m bookmarking all my faves to pass along to you.

Consider this your starter roadmap to launch into the world of AI for free! I’ll be adding to it as I discover more gems in my own AI learning adventures.

To kick things off, I highlighted some foundational programs from IBM, AI Planet, and CS50AI. Check out the links in bold and underlined when you get a chance! I’m still developing the full content, but wanted to give you this little teaser.

Make sure to check back for updates as I add more resources. And let me know about any favorite free learning tools you think I should feature! The more we share, the better we all get at AI.

Oh, and I’m including a section on major AI events and conferences coming up. These are fantastic for learning about new research and innovations. More on that later!

For now, hopefully, this gives you a boost to fuel your AI education. Let the learning begin, right?

## **Happening Now — Don’t Miss Out!**

![Robot illustration](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/6a6km3uwap3fksf6xbfh.png)

**AI Planet’s LLM Bootcamp**
It is currently underway — AI Planet recently launched an exciting free Large Language Model (LLM) Bootcamp from August 12th — September 24th 2023 (but you can do the projects till October 24th 2023) to help the community stay on top of the latest AI advances.

The bootcamp will explore cutting-edge transformers, open-source LLMs, and frameworks like Langchain and LlamaIndex through live expert sessions and hands-on projects.

Registration is FREE — just sign up at https://aiplanet.com/bootcamps/llm-bootcamp!

Even if it has already begun you can still sign up — Ideal for NLP enthusiasts, data scientists, and developers, the LLM bootcamp will cover topics like attention mechanisms, transforming for NLP tasks, and applying Langchain and LlamaIndex. Don’t miss this free opportunity to dive into the fascinating world of large language models and get hands-on practice with industry-leading AI.

## **Events: AI Conferences Happening Soon**

- **September 27–28, 2023 — Meta Connect 2023 — Online and in VR**
Don’t miss the Meta Connect 2023 lightning talks and sessions highlighting Meta’s latest AI innovations. On Day 2, there will be talks diving into the Llama ecosystem for natural language processing, building next-gen AI experiences with Llama, taking Llama to an enterprise level, and new developments in Meta Spark for mobile. Attend these sessions to learn about Meta’s progress in contextual AI, large language models like Llama, and applying AI advancements to create new products and experiences.

There are two ways to watch Meta Connect 2023:

Online: You can watch the Meta Connect keynote and other sessions on Meta’s website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Twitch channel. The keynote starts at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET on September 27, 2023.
In VR: You can also watch Meta Connect 2023 in VR using the Meta Horizon Worlds app on your Meta Quest 2 headset. This will give you a more immersive experience, and you’ll be able to interact with other attendees and the event space.
To watch in VR, update your headset, download the Meta Horizon Worlds app, and select the Meta Connect 2023 event.

Registration for the virtual or VR event is free at metaconnect.com.

- **September 28, 2023 - Datacamp Radar Conference— Online**
DataCamp is hosting a special edition of their RADAR conference. It’s totally free to attend! They’ve gathered data and AI experts to chat about building critical data skills for the digital age we live in. You know, stuff like machine learning, data visualization, Python programming, and more.

So if you’re interested in future-proofing your career and learning from some smart people in the industry, be sure to register for RADAR.

You can register for the event at [Datacamp Event](https://tinyurl.com/datacampEvent.)

- **October 8–10, 2023- AI Engineer Summit — In Person and Online**
I’m thrilled to share an exciting upcoming event for anyone fascinated by artificial intelligence.

Billed as the “Solvay Conference for AI Engineers,” this premier gathering aims to unite leading minds advancing the AI field, just as the 1911 Solvay Conference brought together pioneering physicists like Einstein.

The Summit agenda features cutting-edge research presentations, lively discussions, and plenty of networking among top AI talent. Attending this influential conference provides an incredible opportunity to gain insider perspectives on new innovations and the future of artificial intelligence directly from those shaping it.

While in-person tickets are limited, you can also participate virtually to live stream sessions as they happen.

Check the link [here](https://c.vialoops.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.ai.engineer%2Fsummit/1/0100018a1d7e5eb4-6a85e467-bdc7-4fe0-8013-1cf777dbeb35-000000/5P3MiV82KLTNAoS7tz4oqjP50ifK-dt0OWrGyNP9q3M=315).

- **November 6, 2023 - OpenAI’s first DevDay conference — In Person and Online**

Mark your calendar for OpenAI’s first DevDay conference on November 6, 2023 in San Francisco — the premier event for AI developers this year.

Sign up using the link below to receive email notifications when in-person registration opens in the coming weeks. Spots are limited, so be ready to secure your place at this groundbreaking gathering.

Can’t attend? The keynote will be livestreamed worldwide so you can tune in for major announcements.

Register for DevDay Updates: https://devday.openai.com/

## **Learn on Your Schedule: Self-Paced AI Courses**
**- CS50 — AI**
I really love CS50. In three words, is FREE, very well-designed, and practical.

This course has had an update on LLMs on August 2023. The tail end of the course has been refreshed to incorporate discussion of large language models like ChatGPT. Aside from changes to the code submission branches, which were updated across all projects, only Lecture 6 and Project 6 underwent significant revisions. The course seems designed to allow a smooth transition for those who started before the 14 August 2023 update. Both versions of Project 6 will be accepted for credit through September 2023.

Now, you have the option to try this course. It already started before 2023. The course’s lectures were filmed with Brian using Python 3.8. You should use Python 3.8, 3.9, or 3.10 to work on the course’s projects. You should not use Python 3.11 or newer, due to its incompatibility with some of the modules used in later projects.

The course provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts and algorithms that power modern AI, including search algorithms, classification, optimization, machine learning, and natural language processing.

Check the link - [CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
](https://cs50.harvard.edu/ai/2023/)

Students gain hands-on experience by implementing Python programs that apply key AI principles. Through coding projects and assignments, they acquire practical skills with AI libraries and frameworks while exploring the theoretical foundations of intelligent systems. The goal is to equip learners with core AI knowledge to enable them to build their own intelligent applications.

What about the deadline which is 31 December 2023? Do not worry, just do it. On 1 January 2024, the course will be updated to a 2024 version. Your progress from 2023 will be carried forward to the 2024 version. After 31 December 2023, you may only submit the 2024 version’s problem sets and will need to satisfy whatever requirements are in place for CS50x 2024.

Overall, this looks amazing way to get an introduction to key AI algorithms and techniques, with lots of practical applications through projects. The course strikes a nice balance between theory and hands-on coding. I’m excited to check it out as I continue expanding my AI skills.

![CS50 AI website](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cjqx9tjkrbzuwnprr3km.png)

-**IBM — Jumpstart Your AI Learning with IBM**
IBM offers one of the most comprehensive, utterly free AI education programs out there. The best part is it takes you from theory to practice with a range of courses for different levels. As a beginner, you can start with their introductory courses to get a solid base of knowledge on key concepts, all for free. Once you have the basics down, you can dive into hands-on guided projects to gain practical experience with popular techniques like generative AI and reinforcement learning, without having to pay a cent. IBM has top experts design these free courses and projects to ensure you are learning industry-relevant skills on the cutting edge. Having real coding practice on your resume will give you a significant leg up. Whether you just want to learn for fun or launch a new AI career, IBM provides the full curriculum you need to become both an AI expert and practitioner, entirely free of charge.

Now that you know IBM offers a comprehensive free AI education program, let’s dive into what’s included. Below you’ll find the complete list of courses and hands-on projects comprising their Fundamentals of AI Learning Path. I’ll summarize each course and project so you can get a sense of the skills you’ll develop and the topics covered at each stage, from beginner foundations to intermediate practice. Whether you’re new to artificial intelligence or looking to expand your skills, this curriculum provides the knowledge and hands-on experience to succeed — 100% free!

<u>The IBM AI Learning Path contains the following 3 introductory courses:</u>

- 
[Introducing AI](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+AI0105EN+v1): Covers AI concepts, real-world impact, and generative AI (AI that can generate new content like images, audio, and text) applications.

- 
[AI Concepts](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+AI0109EN+v1): Explains core AI terminology and techniques like machine learning and neural networks.

- 
[AI Ethics](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+AI0110EN+v1): Discusses ethical considerations around bias, transparency, regulations, and trust.

To get hands-on intermediate experience, IBM recommends 3 guided projects focused on generative AI (AI that can generate new, original content like images, audio, and text):

- 
[The Art of Prompt Engineering](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+GPXX0TGVEN+v1): Learn to optimize prompts and datasets for AI writing assistants.

- 
[Create Your Own Chatbot Website](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+GPXX04ESEN+v1): Build a chatbot with open-source large language models that can generate conversational text.

- 
[Creating Anime Characters using DCGANs](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX0XCEEN+v1): Generate new anime images with deep convolutional GANs (generative adversarial networks).

- 
[Natural Language Processing (NLP) with Hugging Face Transformers](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX0AIAEN+v1): Apply NLP techniques like text classification and summarization with Hugging Face.

- 
[Build an Image Style Transfer Tool using CycleGANs (generative adversarial networks):](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX0KSEEN+v1) Implement style transfer between images with CycleGANs.

- [Create a Voice Assistant with OpenAI’s GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3) and IBM Watson](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+GPXX0IWWEN+v1): Build a voice assistant using GPT-3 and IBM Watson APIs.

- 
[Create AI powered apps with open source LangChain (foundation model for conversational AI)](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+GPXX0W2REN+v1): Build AI apps with the LangChain library for chatbots and generation.

[- Text Sentiment Analysis using Caikit and Hugging Face transformers:](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+GPXX0PYAEN+v1)
 Classify text sentiment with Caikit and Hugging Face transformers.

There are also projects recommended for reinforcement learning (training AI agents by having them interact with an environment) and time series analysis (modeling and forecasting data over time).

<u>Reinforcement Learning Projects:</u>

- 
[Monte Carlo Reinforcement Learning for Simple Games](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX0MNFRU+v1): Implement Monte Carlo methods to play simple games.

- 
[Win Blackjack with Reinforcement Learning](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+GPXX0EP1EN+v1): Build an agent to play blackjack through reinforcement learning.

- 
[Playing TicTacToe with Reinforcement Learning:](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX0XENEN+v1) Create a TicTacToe AI agent with reinforcement learning.

- 
[Unleashing the Power of Reinforcement Learning for Trading](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBMSkillsNetwork+GPXX0SQEN+v1): Apply reinforcement learning techniques for algorithmic trading strategies.

<u>Time Series Projects:</u>

- [Machine Learning for Sequential Data](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX0SPHEN+v1)
: Apply ML models like RNNs (recurrent neural networks, a type of neural network well-suited for sequential data) to sequential time series data.

- [Time Series Forecasting With Prophet:](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX032NEN+v1) Use Facebook Prophet for time series forecasting.

- [Create a Cryptocurrency Trading Algorithm](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX0PICEN+v1)
: Build a crypto trading bot with time series models.

- 
[Forecasting Crypto Portfolios Like a Quant:](https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses/course-v1:IBM+GPXX0R8TEN+v1) Use quant strategies for crypto portfolio predictions.

And that wraps up our roundup of quality free resources to launch your AI education! I hope this gives you plenty of options to start mastering artificial intelligence and machine learning fundamentals. Make sure to bookmark your favorites so you can take advantage of these courses, tutorials, and tools.


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and the list continues...

Thank you for reading this post and enjoy learning with me.

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