What is AI

An interactive investigation – not a textbook. A series of mysteries, one misconception at a time.

Begin with lesson 1

Lessons

  1. Lesson 1What counts as AI?Is ChatGPT the whole story – or just one chapter?
  2. Lesson 2The Day AI Stopped Following RulesWhy can’t we just write the rules?
  3. Lesson 3Why Data Changed EverythingIf computers could learn in the 1980s… why did AI explode only recently?
  4. Lesson 4How Does a Machine Actually Learn?If nobody writes the rules, what actually changes while a machine is learning?
  5. Lesson 5Neural NetworksHow can a collection of simple units learn something as complicated as recognizing a face?
  6. Lesson 6Deep LearningWhat becomes possible when a neural network can build on its own earlier representations?
  7. Lesson 7From Features to RepresentationsWhat information actually matters?
  8. Lesson 8TransformersWhat if each word could look directly at the words it needs?
  9. Practice 1Working With LLMsWhy do experienced AI users get dramatically better results from the same model?
  10. Practice 2 · ClaudeThe First Job You Hand OffWhat changes the first time AI does the work instead of just answering questions?
  11. Practice 3 · GeminiJust Because It CanWhen you connect AI to your real data, who decides what it's allowed to touch?