How to Learn AI from Scratch: 5 Practical Steps for Self-Learners

Self-learners curious about artificial intelligence may find it overwhelming. However, by breaking down the essentials into a few strategic steps, AI becomes an accessible field to explore. This guide offers five foundational steps to help beginners learn AI from scratch by grasping core AI concepts and building practical skills to navigate their learning journey confidently. 

Related: Introduction to Generative AI: History and Evolution of Gen AI That You Should Know

1. Begin with the Basics of AI and Machine Learning

Before diving into algorithms or advanced coding, it’s essential to understand the basics of AI and machine learning. Understanding core concepts builds a solid foundation and provides context for how AI functions and applies across different fields.

What to Learn

• Key Terminology: Familiarise yourself with terms like algorithms, neural networks, supervised and unsupervised learning, and deep learning.
  
• Basic Principles: Understand how AI systems work, including their capabilities and limitations.
  
• Applications: Explore real-world examples of AI in action, from recommendation engines in e-commerce to autonomous driving.
  
• Resources to Use: Look for beginner-friendly courses from trusted educational sources like Coursera. These courses often provide a well-rounded introduction to AI fundamentals.

2. Learn Python Programming

Python is the preferred language for AI. It is known for its simplicity and extensive AI and machine learning libraries. By learning Python, you can implement algorithms, manipulate data, and experiment with models.

What to Focus On

• Basic Syntax: Get comfortable with variables, data types, and control structures (loops, conditionals).
  
• Data Structures: Understand lists, dictionaries, sets, and tuples to organise and manipulate data.
  
• Libraries for AI: Familiarise yourself with essential libraries like NumPy and Pandas for data manipulation, Matplotlib for data visualisation, and Scikit-Learn for machine learning.
  
• Resources to Use: Start with online resources that provide interactive tutorials and hands-on coding exercises. Experts highly recommend Real Python for its practical tips and tutorials tailored to real-world coding applications.

Related: Top 5 Reasons Aspiring AI Developers in Singapore Should Master Python

3. Understand Data and Data Manipulation

Data is the backbone of AI. Learning to collect, clean, and process data will provide the foundation for building models. Real-world data is rarely perfect, and knowing how to handle messy datasets is crucial.

What to Focus On

• Data Collection and Cleaning: Techniques for handling missing values, standardising formats, and identifying outliers.
  
• Data Manipulation with Pandas: This Python library is essential for working with structured data, such as tables and data frames.
  
• Data Visualisation: Learn how to visualise data using tools like Matplotlib or Seaborn to gain insights and understand trends.

• Resources to Use: Seek out courses focusing on Python for data science, emphasising data manipulation and visualisation. For practice, platforms like Kaggle offer free datasets and a community where you can refine your data-handling skills and explore real-world projects.

4. Explore Core Machine Learning Concepts

Machine learning is a subset of AI that enables machines to learn from data and make decisions or predictions. Understanding ML concepts is essential to building AI applications and advancing in this field.

What to Focus On

• Supervised and Unsupervised Learning: Understand the difference between training a model with labelled data (supervised) and finding patterns without labelled data (unsupervised).
  
• Model Evaluation: Learn about accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score metrics to evaluate model performance.
  
• Common Algorithms: Familiarise yourself with key algorithms such as linear regression, decision trees, and k-means clustering.

• Resources to Use: The Machine Learning course by Andrew Ng on Coursera is highly recommended for beginners. It covers fundamental ML concepts with intuitive explanations and real-world applications. Additionally, “Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow” by Aurélien Géron is an excellent book for a practical understanding of ML.

5. Get Hands-On with Projects

Theory is essential, but hands-on practice will cement your learning and give you real-world experience. Working on projects will teach you how to apply AI techniques to solve problems, and is crucial to building confidence and competence in AI.

Ideas for Starter Projects

• Image Classification: Build a simple model to classify images (e.g., cats vs. dogs) using deep learning libraries like TensorFlow or Keras.
  
• Sentiment Analysis: Analyse text data, such as social media posts or reviews, to determine the sentiment (positive, negative, neutral).
  
• Predictive Analysis: Use historical data to make predictions, such as stock price forecasting or predicting customer churn.

• Resources to Use: Kaggle is a fantastic platform for beginners, offering datasets, community support, and guided tutorials for project-based learning. The TensorFlow website also offers several tutorials to help you get started with deep learning projects.

Conclusion

Learning AI from scratch may seem like a big undertaking, but following these steps, you’re already on the right path. Building a foundation through self-study, hands-on projects, and exploring key AI concepts will bring you closer to achieving your AI goals. If you’re looking to fast-track your learning, a short, structured course can provide the focused guidance you need to deepen your knowledge and skills quickly. Vertical Institute offers Data Science and Generative AI courses designed to be completed in just 21 hours, providing a streamlined way to accelerate your journey in AI.

About Vertical Institute

Vertical Institute is shaping the future of work by preparing individuals for tomorrow’s job market. Our courses and certification focus on teaching essential skills and nurturing the next generation of innovators and leaders.

As an Approved Training provider (ATO) accredited by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the Institute of Banking & Finance Singapore (IBF), our courses adhere to the highest standards. They are government-subsidised and eligible for SkillsFuture Credits or NTUC UTAP Funding.