Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML) is in the forefront of technological development. There are many programs and discussions about in the media. It is often talked about as a thing, an entity in itself. That it has the power to take over the world, destroy jobs and even humankind. This has created so much hype and mystery around this cutting edge technology which inevitably spills over into fear.

Yet AI can be relatively simple to understand although it is true that at the research end it can be (and is) quite bewildering. I suppose the main thrust of what this website and eBook courses is all about is demystifying the concept of coding in general and AI in particular. With everything there is always a context to this. This is not so much about the advances in AI and technology but the people behind it and their motive or purpose in developing it.

Most people learn Machine Learning from Python and maybe Keras, TensorFlow or PyTorch. If you want a job as a data scientist then that is probably the best route to take. However, there is a more elegant way with p5.js and ml5.js (which is based on TensorFlow anyway). It is a better place to start as you can migrate onto Python later on. The principles are the same.

If you want to develop this further in what is becoming a growing new field and that is Embedded AI. This is where a small machine learning model runs inside a micro-controller the size of your (mine anyway) finger. First you will need to get a grasp of the fundamentals of robotics (I have tutorials coming and an eBook available) see my page on robotics if you are interested.

Artificial Intelligence is constantly in the news and has found a new audience. People are using it in their millions (and have been for many years) because of the likes of ChatGPT and Bard. Yet few have any inkling of what AI or machine learning is. This book takes you step by step through the process from a complete beginner to having a working understanding of what AI is and how to build your own.