AI learning paths

Structured paths to go from where you are to working in AI — each one built around real projects, not a reading list.

AllBuild AI systemsApply AI to your jobLead AI in your companyFoundations & research
12 paths

Prompt Engineering

Apply AI to your jobPrompt structure & specificationFew-shot and worked examples
Prompt Engineering

Get reliable output from AI models — on purpose, not by luck.

Beginner → Intermediate · Duration: 3-4 months

AI for Leaders

Lead AI in your companyUse-case framing and scopingSeparating capability from demo theatre
AI for Leaders

Decide what to build, what to buy, and what to refuse — without writing a line of code.

Beginner → Decision-ready · Duration: 1-2 months

AI Automation

Apply AI to your jobProcess mapping and honest time measurementAutomation ROI and the decision to not automate
AI Automation

Automate real work with little or no code — and keep it running after you leave the room.

Beginner → Intermediate · Duration: 3-5 months

LLM Applications

Build AI systemsLLM API design & retry semanticsStructured output & schema validation
LLM Applications

Close the gap between a demo that impresses and a product that holds.

Intermediate → Advanced · Duration: 5-7 months

Generative Media

Apply AI to your jobHow diffusion models actually generateStructural control: references, masks, conditioning
Generative Media

Image, video and audio you can actually deliver — because a brief is not a lottery ticket.

Intermediate → Advanced · Duration: 4-6 months

AI-Augmented Data Analyst

Apply AI to your jobSQL beyond SELECT: joins, windows, CTEsData cleaning and reconciliation
AI-Augmented Data Analyst

Answer the question that was actually asked — and know when your answer is wrong.

Intermediate → Advanced · Duration: 5-7 months

AI Agents

Build AI systemsAgentic loop design from scratchTool interfaces and error surfaces
AI Agents

Systems that decide and act — and fail gracefully when they decide wrong.

Advanced · Duration: 6-8 months

Machine Learning

Foundations & researchPython & pandas for real dataExploratory analysis that finds bugs
Machine Learning

From a messy table to a model you can defend in a meeting.

Intermediate → Advanced · Duration: 6-9 months

Deep Learning

Foundations & researchTensors, shapes and autogradBackpropagation from first principles
Deep Learning

Understand neural networks well enough to debug them at 2am.

Advanced · Duration: 8-12 months

How to use these paths

  1. Pick the path that matches where you want to end up, not the one that sounds most impressive.

  2. Follow the phases in order — each one assumes the previous.

  3. Build every project. A path you only read is a path you did not do.

  4. Expect the timings to slip. They assume steady weekly effort, not a sprint.

Want to walk one of these paths with a coach and a cohort?

Discover the 212AY Academy →