Course Details

Description

Mastering Generative AI and LLMs: An 8-Week Hands-On Journey

Accelerate your career in AI with practical, real-world projects led by industry veteran Ed Donner. Build advanced Generative AI products, experiment with over 20 groundbreaking models, and master state-of-the-art techniques like RAG, QLoRA, and Agents.

What you’ll learn

• Build advanced Generative AI products using cutting-edge models and frameworks.

• Experiment with over 20 groundbreaking AI models, including Frontier and Open-Source models.

• Develop proficiency with platforms like HuggingFace, LangChain, and Gradio.

• Implement state-of-the-art techniques such as RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), QLoRA fine-tuning, and Agents.

• Create real-world AI applications, including:

    • A multi-modal customer support assistant that interacts with text, sound, and images.

    • An AI knowledge worker that can answer any question about a company based on its shared drive.

    • An AI programmer that optimizes software, achieving performance improvements of over 60,000 times.

    • An ecommerce application that accurately predicts prices of unseen products.

• Transition from inference to training, fine-tuning both Frontier and Open-Source models.

• Deploy AI products to production with polished user interfaces and advanced capabilities.

• Level up your AI and LLM engineering skills to be at the forefront of the industry.

Projects

Project 1: AI-powered brochure generator that scrapes and navigates company websites intelligently.

Project 2: Multi-modal customer support agent for an airline with UI and function-calling.

Project 3: Tool that creates meeting minutes and action items from audio using both open- and closed-source models.

Project 4: AI that converts Python code to optimized C++, boosting performance by 60,000x!

Project 5: AI knowledge-worker using RAG to become an expert on all company-related matters.

Project 6: Capstone Part A – Predict product prices from short descriptions using Frontier models.

Project 7: Capstone Part B – Fine-tuned open-source model to compete with Frontier in price prediction.

Project 8: Capstone Part C – Autonomous agent system collaborating with models to spot deals and notify you of special bargains.

Why This Course?

• Hands-On Learning: The best way to learn is by doing. You’ll engage in practical exercises, building real-world AI applications that deliver stunning results.

• Cutting-Edge Techniques: Stay ahead of the curve by learning the latest frameworks and techniques, including RAG, QLoRA, and Agents.

• Accessible Content: Designed for learners at all levels. Step-by-step instructions, practical exercises, cheat sheets, and plenty of resources are provided.

• No Advanced Math Required: The course focuses on practical application. No calculus or linear algebra is needed to master LLM engineering.

Course Structure

Week 1: Foundations and First Projects

• Dive into the fundamentals of Transformers.

• Experiment with six leading Frontier Models.

• Build your first business Gen AI product that scrapes the web, makes decisions, and creates formatted sales brochures.

Week 2: Frontier APIs and Customer Service Chatbots

• Explore Frontier APIs and interact with three leading models.

• Develop a customer service chatbot with a sharp UI that can interact with text, images, audio, and utilize tools or agents.

Week 3: Embracing Open-Source Models

• Discover the world of Open-Source models using HuggingFace.

• Tackle 10 common Gen AI use cases, from translation to image generation.

• Build a product to generate meeting minutes and action items from recordings.

Week 4: LLM Selection and Code Generation

• Understand the differences between LLMs and how to select the best one for your business tasks.

• Use LLMs to generate code and build a product that translates code from Python to C++, achieving performance improvements of over 60,000 times.

Week 5: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

• Master RAG to improve the accuracy of your solutions.

• Become proficient with vector embeddings and explore vectors in popular open-source vector datastores.

• Build a full business solution similar to real products on the market today.

Week 6: Transitioning to Training

• Move from inference to training.

• Fine-tune a Frontier model to solve a real business problem.

• Build your own specialized model, marking a significant milestone in your AI journey.

Week 7: Advanced Training Techniques

• Dive into advanced training techniques like QLoRA fine-tuning.

• Train an open-source model to outperform Frontier models for specific tasks.

• Tackle challenging projects that push your skills to the next level.

Week 8: Deployment and Finalization

• Deploy your commercial product to production with a polished UI.

• Enhance capabilities using Agents.

• Deliver your first productionized, agentized, fine-tuned LLM model.

• Celebrate your mastery of AI and LLM engineering, ready for a new phase in your career.

Who this course is for:

• Aspiring AI engineers and data scientists eager to break into the field of Generative AI and LLMs.
• Professionals looking to upskill and stay competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
• Developers interested in building advanced AI applications with practical, hands-on experience.