Elements of AI is a free online course developed at the University of Helsinki that addresses the theory behind AI. The course is intended for people who want to learn what AI is, what can and cannot be done with AI. The study group provides a context for the material.
If you are interested in getting your hands into the code, Daniel van Strien is hosting a study group for the Fast.ai course Deep Learning for Coders.
Enter your email address in this form if you would like to join a summer cohort beginning July 2020.
Though Elements of AI is designed to be completed at your own pace, the study group meets regularly, for one hour each week, to review the course one chapter at a time. Working through and discussing the material together provides encouragement to complete the course and helps to ground the theory of AI and concerns surrounding its applications in real-world needs and interests in galleries, libraries, archives, museums and records management.
Some comments from library staff who completed the course in a study group cohort:
"I would absolutely recommend it, as it debunks several common misconceptions about what AI is and how it works. It presumes little outside knowledge, which is great for a diverse staff such as the one we have at Stanford Libraries."
"I would recommend this course to whoever is interested in it. The course is very well written. The structure is well organized and easy to understand for beginners."
"Doing a piece each week and having time to discuss it with others was very valuable."
"I really enjoyed this course and I would recommend it to my colleagues. I had a wonderful time and really learned a lot."
The Elements course is organized in six chapters, so the study group will meet via video (Zoom) for seven weeks. The first meeting is a kick-off for introductions to each other and the material. Everyone completes the chapter material themselves. The study group meeting is time to discuss the material, ask questions, and share ideas. It can take anywhere from 30-90 minutes to complete each chapter and the meetings are 45 mins to 1 hour.
Study group cohorts can contribute to the repository wiki to share related materials.