Introduction to Mastering AI Tools

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the core terms and concepts of AI, emphasizing its transformative impact on culture, learning, and professional practices
• To introduce and utilize leading AI tools, focusing on creating a tool to track the latest developments in AI technologies
• Understand the multifaceted capabilities of AI tools, including Text Understanding and Generation, Code Interpretation and Generation
• Know essential strategies, tips, and tricks for optimizing the use of AI tools, drawing on experience to mitigate common frustrations and enhance overall effectiveness
• Gain a deep understanding and application of advanced context management in AI tools, focusing on refining outputs across image and language generation by manipulating various parameters such as roles, mood, genre, and themes. Having mastered the core skills, we can now endeavor to go deeper into possible solutions

Introduction to the world of AI

• The Evolution of AI and Its Impact on Society
• Core Terms and Concepts in AI
• AI's Role in Transforming Education and Professional Development
• Understanding AI Paradigms in Everyday Life
• Labs:
  • Interactive AI Timeline Activity
  • Concept Mapping AI Technologies and Their Impacts

Overview of leading AI tools As AI tools rapidly expand both in number and capabilities, keeping up with their latest news can be daunting. In this module you will create a tool to help you with that using ChatGPT. Day one focuses primarily on ChatGPT and uses Microsoft CoPilot (formerly Bing Chat) and Google Genesis (formerly Bard) for their unique features. ChatGPT offers the most consistent and stable services.

• Introduction to ChatGPT, Microsoft CoPilot, and Google Genesis
• Feature Comparison and Use Cases
• Building a Tool to Stay Updated on AI Developments
• Labs:
  • Developing an AI News Aggregator Using ChatGPT to stay on top of changes in the AI Community
  • Using AI to Learn AI

Showcasing OpenAI ChatGPT Capabilities

• Deep Dive into Text Understanding and Generation
• Code Interpretation and Generation Capabilities
• Exploring ChatGPT's Knowledge Base and Translation Services
• Introduction to Mathematical Calculations, Logic, and DALL·E
• Utilizing the Browser Tool for Real-time Data
• Labs:
  • Practical Applications of ChatGPT in Various Domains
  • Building a Multi-lingual Chatbot
  • Creating Custom Visuals with DALL·E
  • Explanation and Completion of Mathematical Problems in any Domain

Essential Core Skills Development

• Mastering the Art of Asking: Techniques for crafting precise questions to elicit the most accurate and helpful responses from AI tools.
• Managing Incorrect Responses and Non Sequiturs: Strategies for navigating around and correcting misleading or irrelevant AI outputs.
• Leveraging Multiple Output Types: Understanding and requesting various response formats (text, code, tables) to best suit the task at hand.
• Integrating Python for Enhanced Outputs: Utilizing Python within AI environments to display data or perform actions that AI tools may not directly support. (no programming experience necessary)
• Creative Use of Unicode for Content Annotation: Enhancing readability and emphasis in AI-generated content with Unicode characters.
• Context Mastery in Conversations with AI: Techniques for maintaining and leveraging context effectively in ongoing interactions with AI tools.
• Working with Complex Tabular Data: Tips for generating, interpreting, and manipulating complex tables and data structures.
• Enforcing Real-Time Searches: Forcing AI tools to conduct real-time searches or referencing current data for up-to-date information.
• Advanced Prompt Engineering: Crafting sophisticated prompts that leverage conditional logic, specific domain language, and iterative refinement for improved outcomes.
• Labs:
  • Precision Questioning Workshop: Students practice formulating questions designed to yield the most informative and accurate answers from AI.
  • Error Correction and Navigation: Participants engage in exercises to refine AI outputs, focusing on correcting errors and steering the conversation back on track.
  • Python Integration for Advanced Outputs: A lab session dedicated to enhancing AI tool responses with Python scripting, covering basic data visualization and analysis tasks.
  • Unicode Annotation Exercise: A creative workshop on using Unicode characters to annotate and enhance AI-generated text for clarity and visual appeal.
  • Complex Data Manipulation Challenge: Firsthand activities focused on creating, interpreting, and manipulating complex data structures within AI tool responses.
  • Real-Time Information Retrieval: Techniques for crafting prompts that encourage AI tools to use the most current data available, including the use of the browser tool.

Advanced Context from Roles and Mood to Genre and Themes

• Understanding Context Parameters: An overview of how roles, mood, genre, and themes influence AI-generated content.
• Role-based Contextualization: Techniques for assigning roles to AI (e.g., tutor, advisor, storyteller) to shape responses and interactions.
• Mood and Tone Adjustments: Strategies for specifying the mood or tone of AI outputs to align with desired emotional or stylistic objectives.
• Genre-specific Content Creation: Leveraging AI to generate content within specific genres, including literature, journalism, and technical writing.
• Theme-focused Generation: Guiding AI to explore specific themes in depth, whether for educational content, creative writing, or thematic analysis.
• Integrating Advanced Context in Prompts: Crafting prompts that effectively communicate complex context requirements to AI tools.
• Evaluating and Refining AI Outputs: Methods for assessing AI-generated content against context parameters and iteratively refining outputs.
• Labs:
  • Role Assignment: Participants experiment with assigning different roles to AI, observing how this affects the nature and tone of responses.
  • Mood and Tone Manipulation: A series of exercises designed to alter the mood or tone of AI-generated content, with a focus on achieving specific emotional impacts.
  • Genre-specific Content Creation Exercise: Students choose a genre and use AI to create content that adheres to its conventions, analyzing the effectiveness of their prompts and adjustments.
  • Theme Exploration Project: A project where participants guide AI to generate content focused on a particular theme, reflecting on the depth and relevance of the output.
  • Advanced Context Integration Challenge: A comprehensive activity that combines role, mood, genre, and theme adjustments in a single prompt, aiming for a nuanced and targeted AI-generated piece.

Day Summary This course is centered around Core Skills, designed to establish a solid foundation in understanding and effectively utilizing AI tools. These sessions aim to delineate the capabilities and limitations of AI technologies, instilling confidence and setting clear expectations for participants in handling a diverse set of tasks. Through these labs, learners are guided through common errors, challenges, and misconceptions, paving the way for optimal use of AI with minimal frustration. Drawing from the author's extensive experience—spanning thousands of hours of experimentation, overcoming obstacles, and embracing the evolving landscape of AI capabilities—the Core Skills labs encompass a broad spectrum of competencies. This ensures that by the end of the day, participants are not just acquainted with AI tools but are proficient in leveraging them for creative solutions and increased productivity.