Getting Started with AI Engineering
🚧 This learning path is in beta! We're continuously improving our content based on community feedback. Have suggestions, found outdated resources, or want to contribute?
- Discord: Join our community discussions at https://discord.gg/Zp4ZMvBJxY
- GitHub: Open an issue or submit a pull request to our repository
- Feedback: Help us make this path even better for future learners!
AI Engineering Role Overview​
- What you Need to Know
-
Role Definition and Responsibilities
- Build AI-powered applications using existing models and APIs
- Integrate machine learning capabilities into software products
- Design user interfaces and experiences for AI applications
- Optimize AI application performance and user experience
- Resources:
- AI Engineer Role Guide - Google - AI engineering career overview
- What is an AI Engineer? - IBM - AI engineering responsibilities and skills
- AI Engineering Best Practices - Google's ML engineering guidelines
-
Career Benefits and Market Demand
- High demand with competitive salaries and growth opportunities
- Work with cutting-edge technology and innovation
- Direct impact on user experience and business outcomes
- Multiple career paths in product development and technical leadership
- Resources:
- AI Engineer Salary Guide - Glassdoor - Compensation benchmarks and trends
- AI Job Market Report - Indeed - Market demand and opportunities
- Remote AI Jobs - AngelList - Startup and remote AI opportunities
-
Prerequisites and Foundation​
- What you Need to Know
- Essential Prerequisites Review
- Complete programming foundation (Python, JavaScript, web development)
- Understand mathematics and statistics basics
- Learn data handling and API integration
- Develop cloud computing and AI/ML concept knowledge
- Resources:
- Complete Prerequisites Guide - Comprehensive foundation requirements
- Python for AI Development - Python skills for AI
- JavaScript for AI Applications - TensorFlow.js for web AI
- Essential Prerequisites Review
Learning Path Structure​
- What you Need to Know
-
Five Progressive Modules Overview
- Module 1: AI Fundamentals (4-6 weeks) - Core concepts and frameworks
- Module 2: LLM Integration (6-8 weeks) - Language models and prompt engineering
- Module 3: Computer Vision (6-8 weeks) - Image processing and vision APIs
- Module 4: AI Application Development (8-10 weeks) - Full-stack AI applications
- Module 5: Production Deployment (6-8 weeks) - Scaling and monitoring AI systems
- Resources:
- Module 1: AI Fundamentals - Begin your AI engineering journey
- Module 2: LLM Integration - Language model integration
- Module 3: Computer Vision - Vision AI applications
-
Personalized Learning Pathways
- Complete Beginners: 12-18 months full curriculum with strong programming focus
- Experienced Developers: 8-12 months focused on AI integration and deployment
- Data Scientists: 6-10 months transitioning to application development
- Resources:
- AI for Developers - Microsoft - AI development learning path
- Machine Learning for Software Engineers - ML concepts for developers
- Full Stack Deep Learning - Production ML systems course
-
Professional Development Resources​
- What you Need to Know
-
AI and ML Frameworks
- TensorFlow and Keras for deep learning
- PyTorch for research and development
- Scikit-learn for traditional machine learning
- Resources:
- TensorFlow Tutorials - Complete TensorFlow learning guide
- PyTorch Tutorials - PyTorch fundamentals and advanced topics
- Scikit-learn User Guide - Machine learning library documentation
-
AI APIs and Services
- OpenAI API for language models
- Google Cloud AI and Vision APIs
- AWS AI services and SageMaker
- Resources:
- OpenAI API Documentation - GPT and language model APIs
- Google Cloud AI APIs - Vision, language, and ML APIs
- AWS AI Services - Pre-built AI capabilities
-
Essential Tools and Platforms​
- What you Need to Know
-
Development Environment Setup
- Python development with Jupyter notebooks
- VS Code with AI/ML extensions
- Git and GitHub for version control
- Resources:
- Jupyter Notebook Tutorial - Interactive development environment
- VS Code for Data Science - IDE setup for AI development
- GitHub for Data Science - Version control for AI projects
-
Cloud Platforms and Deployment
- Google Colab for free GPU computing
- Hugging Face for model hosting and sharing
- Streamlit and Gradio for AI app prototyping
- Resources:
- Google Colab Tutorial - Free cloud-based Jupyter environment
- Hugging Face Hub - Model repository and deployment
- Streamlit Documentation - Rapid AI app development
- Gradio Documentation - ML model interfaces
-
Community and Professional Networks​
- What you Need to Know
- AI and ML Communities
- Join active AI engineering communities for networking and learning
- Participate in hackathons and AI competitions
- Contribute to open-source AI projects
- Resources:
- r/MachineLearning - ML research and engineering discussions
- AI/ML Twitter Community - AI researchers and practitioners
- Kaggle Community - Data science competitions and learning
- Papers with Code - ML research and implementations
- AI and ML Communities
Success Metrics and Career Progression​
- What you Need to Know
-
Technical Competency Milestones
- Build and deploy AI-powered web applications
- Integrate multiple AI APIs and services
- Optimize AI application performance and user experience
- Implement monitoring and feedback systems for AI applications
- Resources:
- AI Project Portfolio Ideas - Project inspiration and examples
- ML System Design - System design for ML applications
- AI Product Management - Product thinking for AI
-
Professional Development Goals
- Build portfolio of AI applications and case studies
- Contribute to open-source AI tools and libraries
- Develop expertise in specific AI domains (NLP, computer vision, etc.)
- Mentor others and share knowledge through content creation
- Resources:
- AI Portfolio Examples - Portfolio project examples
- Technical Blogging for AI - Platform for sharing AI knowledge
- AI Conference Speaking - Conference and meetup opportunities
-
Getting Started Action Plan​
- What you Need to Know
-
Week 1: Environment Setup and Exploration
- Set up Python development environment with AI libraries
- Create accounts on AI platforms (OpenAI, Hugging Face, Google Colab)
- Complete first AI tutorial and build simple application
- Resources:
- Python AI Environment Setup - Development environment configuration
- First AI Project Tutorial - TensorFlow quickstart
- OpenAI API Quickstart - First API integration
-
Weeks 2-4: Core Skills Development
- Complete AI fundamentals training and hands-on exercises
- Build first AI application using pre-trained models
- Learn prompt engineering and API integration techniques
- Resources:
- AI Fundamentals Course - University of Helsinki AI course
- Prompt Engineering Guide - Effective prompt design
- Pre-trained Model Hub - Ready-to-use AI models
-
Month 2-3: Practical Application
- Build portfolio projects demonstrating AI integration skills
- Deploy AI applications to cloud platforms
- Implement user feedback and monitoring systems
- Resources:
- Streamlit Gallery - AI application examples and inspiration
- Heroku AI Deployment - Cloud deployment guide
- AI Application Monitoring - Experiment tracking and monitoring
-
Ready to Begin? Start your AI Engineering journey with Module 1: AI Fundamentals and learn to build intelligent applications that transform user experiences!