Review of the Google AI for Everyone Course
Artificial intelligence is one of the most discussed topics these days. It is the star of every news article, YouTube video and science-fiction production. To some, AI is the technology we sought after, whereas for others, it is turning out to be their greatest fear. The hype is surreal. This hype leads to misconceptions. We start to see this technology as something it really is not: A creature. A saviour. A destroyer. That’s the reason understanding it from a more refined perspective is crucial. This AI course, taught by Laurence Moroney who is a lead AI advocate at Google, will do just that. And as the name suggests, it’s for everyone. So, you don’t need any prior related knowledge of this field. In this article I will give a breakdown of this course, and answer some questions you may have about it.
What is the purpose of this course?
As I mentioned earlier, you don’t need any AI knowledge to understand this course. So obviously, the course does not dive into anything too technical. If your looking for a coding-immersive AI development course, this does not tick all boxes. However, you will still majorly benefit from it.
The purpose of this course is to give learners a brief overview of this new technology, and really cut through the hype around it. Instead of just reading about these state-of-the-art AI applications, you will gain an understanding of the foundation of such models, and the basic theory behind them. I personally was very intrigued by LLMs like ChatGPT and Bard, but after doing this course, my curiosity extended from just their usability to making an effort to understand how they actually work.
Its a free course (you can choose the paid option if you wish), and not that long either, therefore you really have nothing too lose. Only a lot to gain!
How is the course structured?
The course is divided into 3 chapters – What is AI, Understanding AI, ML and DL terminologies and finally ethics and fairness. Every chapter is broken down into several highly engrossing topics, my favourite being the one on neural networks. Each topic begins with an introductory video on the subject from Mr. Moroney, which is followed by several activities and a forum discussion with other fellow learners. These discussions do dive into quite interesting conversations, and it allows you to get others’ perspective on questions posed.
As per the recommendation from edX (platform where this course is available), you should spend 2 – 3 hours per week for 4 weeks. That is approximately the amount of time it took me as well. However, I did spend some extra time doing the activities, as they are a brilliant way to apply the knowlegde gained.
What is the most interesting topic of the course?
To be honest, I found the entire course to be extremely riveting. From the theory and basic foundation of AII models, to actually training your own (simple) model, everything was fascinating. But if I had to choose one, it would be Neural Networks. This seems really complex, but it was approached with a view to brevity. The insightful videos, followed by hands-on tasks really allowed me to get a basic understanding of Neural Networks.
Examples of the activities
There were A LOT of them, which made the course so memorable. Some of my favourite activities were:
- Machine learning – Rock, Paper and Scissors game
- Seeing how a neuron works
- Seeing how a machine learns using neural networks
- What If Tool
These tasks gives you a better understanding of AI, and gives you the opportunity to think analytically.
Conclusion: Is the course worth doing?
I would 100% recommend this course. This course really is for everyone as it approaches complex topics with simplicity. The content is highly intriguing and the numerous activities are thought-provoking and help advance your understanding. Overall, it is an extremely enjoyable course, and by the end of it, you will gain basic knowledge of this field and will be able to engage in some very interesting conversations with your friends or colleagues. So, what are you waiting for, go take the course right now. Trust me, you won’t regret it!
