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Foundations of AI and Machine Learning

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Foundations of AI and Machine Learning

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.5

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Intermediate level

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Flexible schedule
4 weeks at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
94%
Most learners liked this course

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.5

270 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
4 weeks at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
94%
Most learners liked this course

Build your Software Development expertise

This course is part of the Microsoft AI & ML Engineering Professional Certificate
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft

There are 5 modules in this course

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to fundamental components of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI & ML) infrastructure. You will explore the critical elements of AI & ML environments, including data pipelines, model development frameworks, and deployment platforms. The course emphasizes the importance of robust and scalable design in AI & ML infrastructure.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1. Analyze, describe, and critically discuss the critical components of AI & ML infrastructure and their interrelationships. 2. Analyze, describe, and critically discuss efficient data pipelines for AI & ML workflows. 3. Analyze and evaluate model development frameworks for various AI & ML applications. 4. Prepare AI & ML models for deployment in production environments. To be successful in this course, you should have intermediate programming knowledge of Python, plus basic knowledge of AI and ML capabilities, and newer capabilities through generative AI (GenAI) and pretrained large language models (LLM). Familiarity with statistics is also recommended.

This module provides a comprehensive introduction to the essential elements of AI/ML infrastructure, focusing on the components and processes that underpin effective ML and AI systems. This module will cover the critical aspects of infrastructure required to support robust AI/ML applications, from data handling to model deployment. By the end of this module, you'll have a solid foundation in AI/ML infrastructure, equipping you with the knowledge to contribute to and manage AI/ML projects effectively.

What's included

14 videos18 readings9 assignments

14 videosTotal 68 minutes
  • Introduction to the AI/ML engineering advanced professional certificate program4 minutes
  • Introduction to the foundations of AI/ML infrastructure4 minutes
  • A day in the life of an AI/ML engineer4 minutes
  • Getting started with Jupyter Notebooks in Azure Machine Learning Studio6 minutes
  • Introduction to AI/ML infrastructure6 minutes
  • Data sources and pipelines, frameworks, and platforms5 minutes
  • Introduction to data sources and pipelines5 minutes
  • Examples of data sources and pipelines6 minutes
  • Introduction to model development approaches and frameworks5 minutes
  • Introduction to deployment platforms5 minutes
  • Importance of deployment platforms5 minutes
  • Features and requirements for effective deployment6 minutes
  • Summary: AI/ML applications4 minutes
  • Industry exemplar: Model deployment4 minutes
18 readingsTotal 259 minutes
  • Welcome to the Coursera Community2 minutes
  • Discussion: AI/ML engineer responsibilities10 minutes
  • Microsoft updates2 minutes
  • Practice activity: Setting up your environment in Microsoft Azure30 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Setting up your environment in Microsoft Azure (Optional)0 minutes
  • Selecting the right model deployment strategy in Microsoft Azure15 minutes
  • Practice activity: Selecting the right model deployment strategy in Microsoft Azure45 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Justifying your choice of model selection (Optional)0 minutes
  • Course syllabus: Foundations of AI and Machine Learning Infrastructure15 minutes
  • The structure and role of data sources and pipelines explained10 minutes
  • In-depth exploration of data sources and pipelines10 minutes
  • Model development frameworks and their applications explained10 minutes
  • Key considerations in selecting a model development framework10 minutes
  • Practice Activity: Selecting an appropriate framework for a complex business issue45 minutes
  • Explication of framework selection10 minutes
  • A practical guide: Deploying AI/ML models15 minutes
  • Practice activity: Deployment platforms30 minutes
  • Walkthrough: The predictive maintenance business problem (Optional)0 minutes
9 assignmentsTotal 117 minutes
  • Reflection: Setting up your environment in Microsoft Azure3 minutes
  • Reflection: Selecting the right model deployment strategy in Microsoft Azure3 minutes
  • Practice activity: Matching components to functions15 minutes
  • Knowledge check: Components of AI/ML infrastructure30 minutes
  • Knowledge check: Data sources and pipelines20 minutes
  • Reflection: Framework selection 3 minutes
  • Knowledge check: Deployment platforms10 minutes
  • Reflection: Deployment platforms3 minutes
  • Graded quiz: AI/ML applications30 minutes

This module delves into the sophisticated techniques and best practices required for effective data acquisition, cleaning, and preprocessing in the context of AI and ML. Emphasizing the importance of data integrity and security, this module will equip you with the skills needed to manage data sources for various applications, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) in large language models (LLMs) and traditional ML systems. You will also learn how to ensure data security throughout the AI development life cycle. By the end of this module, you'll be proficient in advanced data acquisition, cleaning, and preprocessing techniques, and will have a solid understanding of data security best practices, enabling you to manage data effectively and securely in AI development.

What's included

9 videos19 readings7 assignments

9 videosTotal 47 minutes
  • Overview of data sources6 minutes
  • Methods for acquiring data6 minutes
  • Importance of data cleaning and preprocessing5 minutes
  • Hear from an expert: The value of consistent taxonomy3 minutes
  • Introduction to RAG5 minutes
  • Best practices for maintaining efficient data sources for RAG5 minutes
  • Hear from an expert: Security considerations when working with data6 minutes
  • Summary: Data management in AI/ML6 minutes
  • Hear from an expert: Industry exemplar5 minutes
19 readingsTotal 310 minutes
  • Tools and libraries for data acquisition: a focus on SQL15 minutes
  • Practice Activity: Setup of a Basic Data Scraper in Python45 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Setup of a local python data scraper (Optional)0 minutes
  • Practice Activity: Fetch a Document Using a Python Web Scraper25 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Fetch a Document Using the Python Web Scraper (Optional)0 minutes
  • Manage Missing Values, Outliers, Normalize, and Transform Data15 minutes
  • Practice activity: Setup a local data cleaning and preprocessing tool45 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Setup of a data preprocessing tool (Optional)0 minutes
  • Practice activity: Apply the preprocessing tool to a dummy dataset for ML application30 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Data cleaning and preprocessing (Optional)0 minutes
  • Discussion: Data cleaning and preprocessing outliers10 minutes
  • Comparison of data sources for RAG and traditional ML pipelines20 minutes
  • Error identification in data collection20 minutes
  • How to identify errors in data collection (Optional)0 minutes
  • The importance of data security in AI development10 minutes
  • Common data security practices10 minutes
  • Real-world case studies of data breaches10 minutes
  • Practice activity: Auditing ML code for security vulnerabilities55 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Auditing ML code for security vulnerabilities (Optional)0 minutes
7 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes
  • Reflection: Local set up of basic scraper in Python3 minutes
  • Reflection: Fetching a document using the Python web scraper3 minutes
  • Reflection: Setting up of a local data cleaning and preprocessing tool3 minutes
  • Reflection: Data cleaning and preprocessing3 minutes
  • Knowledge check: Best practices in data security15 minutes
  • Reflection: Auditing ML code for security vulnerabilities3 minutes
  • Graded quiz: Data management in AI/ML30 minutes

This module offers a comprehensive exploration of popular ML frameworks, libraries, and pretrained LLMs. You will gain hands-on experience with these tools, learning to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and select the most suitable ones based on specific project needs. By the end of the module, you'll be equipped to implement basic models and adapt their framework choices to optimize performance for diverse applications.

What's included

7 videos18 readings5 assignments

7 videosTotal 41 minutes
  • Key features and use cases for frameworks and models6 minutes
  • Applicability of pretrained LLMs5 minutes
  • Guide to implementing a simple model in TensorFlow6 minutes
  • Guide to implementing a simple model in PyTorch6 minutes
  • Criteria for selecting frameworks based on project needs6 minutes
  • Summary: Selecting a framework5 minutes
  • Hear from an expert: Industry exemplar6 minutes
18 readingsTotal 430 minutes
  • Introduction to popular ML frameworks10 minutes
  • Overview of pretrained LLMs10 minutes
  • Practice activity: Selecting and justifying a framework 60 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Selecting and justifying a framework (Optional)0 minutes
  • Strengths and weaknesses of various ML frameworks15 minutes
  • Comparison of ML frameworks10 minutes
  • Real-world case studies of ML frameworks10 minutes
  • Discussion: Strengths and weaknesses of your selected framework 10 minutes
  • Introduction to implementing models10 minutes
  • Apply pretrained LLMs for specific tasks10 minutes
  • Practice activity: Implementing a model90 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Implementing a model (Optional)0 minutes
  • Best practices for adapting frameworks to projects10 minutes
  • Real-world case studies of framework selection and its impact on industry projects10 minutes
  • Practice activity: Selecting a framework for a phantom project85 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Framework selection based on project needs (Optional)0 minutes
  • Practice activity: Implementing a model for business deployment90 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Implementing the model for the business (Optional)0 minutes
5 assignmentsTotal 42 minutes
  • Reflection: Selecting and justifying a framework3 minutes
  • Reflection: Implementing a model3 minutes
  • Reflection: Framework selection based on project needs3 minutes
  • Reflection: Implementing the model for the business3 minutes
  • Graded quiz: Selecting a framework30 minutes

This module provides a detailed exploration of the critical aspects of deploying ML models into production environments. You will learn to identify the key features of deployment platforms, prepare models for real-world use, implement version control for reproducibility, and evaluate platforms based on their scalability and efficiency. By the end of this module, you will be equipped to effectively deploy ML models in production environments, manage their lifecycle with version control, and select the most suitable deployment platforms based on scalability and efficiency considerations.

What's included

7 videos16 readings6 assignments

7 videosTotal 43 minutes
  • Key features to consider in deployment platforms6 minutes
  • Introduction to Microsoft Azure8 minutes
  • Preparing models for deployment5 minutes
  • Additional steps to prepare a model for production deployment6 minutes
  • Importance of version control 5 minutes
  • Ensuring reproducibility5 minutes
  • Summary: Platform deployment8 minutes
16 readingsTotal 330 minutes
  • Best practices for packaging and containerizing models10 minutes
  • Tools and frameworks for model deployment10 minutes
  • Instructions: Preparing a model for deployment10 minutes
  • Practice activity: Preparing a model for deployment60 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Preparing a model for deployment (Optional)0 minutes
  • Tools and practices for version control (Git, DVC)20 minutes
  • Implementing version control for reproducibility30 minutes
  • Practice activity: Implementing version control for reproducibility 30 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Implementing version control for reproducibility (Optional)0 minutes
  • Criteria for evaluating deployment platforms10 minutes
  • Real-world case studies of successful AI/ML deployments10 minutes
  • Practical tips on choosing the right platform for specific project needs10 minutes
  • Practice activity: Selecting a deployment platform for a dummy project60 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Evaluating deployment platforms (Optional)0 minutes
  • Practice activity: Justifying a platform choice in a presentation to a C-suite executive70 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Justifying a platform choice in a presentation (Optional)0 minutes
6 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes
  • Knowledge check: Deployment platforms15 minutes
  • Reflection: Preparing a model for deployment3 minutes
  • Reflection: Implementing version control for reproducibility 6 minutes
  • Reflection: Evaluating deployment platforms3 minutes
  • Reflection: Supporting your platform choice3 minutes
  • Graded quiz: Platform deployment30 minutes

This module offers an in-depth exploration of the evolving role of AI/ML engineers within corporate environments. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the responsibilities associated with this role, including data management, framework selection, deployment, version control, and cloud considerations. The module also emphasizes the integration of infrastructure and operations to optimize outcomes and provides strategies for networking and finding mentorship within the AI/ML community. By the end of this module, you will have a clear understanding of the AI/ML engineer's evolving role in the corporate landscape, the key operational priorities for effective infrastructure management, and strategies for building a professional network and finding valuable mentors in the field.

What's included

9 videos16 readings4 assignments1 peer review

9 videosTotal 56 minutes
  • Overview of the AI/ML engineer's responsibilities6 minutes
  • Typical Tasks and Projects7 minutes
  • Hear from an expert: Data quality in the corporate setting4 minutes
  • Balancing model development, deployment, and maintenance8 minutes
  • Hear from an expert: Understanding the problem before building AI solutions5 minutes
  • Summary: AI/ML concepts in practice9 minutes
  • Course summary7 minutes
  • Example: Pitching to the C-suite8 minutes
  • Congratulations on completing the course!2 minutes
16 readingsTotal 192 minutes
  • Required skills and competencies10 minutes
  • Practice activity: Role-playing as a hiring manager60 minutes
  • Walkthrough: The decision-making process (Optional)0 minutes
  • Prioritizing tasks and managing workflows10 minutes
  • Ensuring AI/ML systems are scalable, reliable, and functional10 minutes
  • Practice activity: Prioritizing tasks as an AI/ML engineer30 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Prioritizing tasks as an AI/ML engineer (Optional)0 minutes
  • Importance of networking and professional relationships7 minutes
  • Strategies for finding and connecting with mentors in the field7 minutes
  • Benefits of mentorship for career growth and development6 minutes
  • Practice activity: Creating a networking action plan for the AI/ML industry25 minutes
  • Walkthrough: How to create a successful networking plan (Optional)0 minutes
  • Further reading resources10 minutes
  • Introduction to industry journals, blogs, and conferences10 minutes
  • Recommendations for further development7 minutes
  • Walkthrough: Preparing for a pitch to the C-suite (Optional)0 minutes
4 assignmentsTotal 39 minutes
  • Reflection: The role of AI/ML engineers in a corporate context3 minutes
  • Reflection: Key priorities for AI/ML engineers3 minutes
  • Reflection: Networking and mentorship3 minutes
  • Graded quiz: AI/ML concepts in practice30 minutes
1 peer reviewTotal 45 minutes
  • Course assignment: Drafting your pitch to the C-suite45 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

You’ll learn how AI and ML systems move from raw data to production, with a strong focus on data pipelines, framework choice, and deployment. It starts with the core parts of an AI/ML environment, then builds into data management, model preparation, and platform decisions for real workflows. You’ll apply that through guided activities such as comparing model options for customer churn and preparing a model for deployment.

Yes, intermediate Python is part of the recommended background. The course uses Python in activities like web scraping, data cleaning, and model work, so it doesn’t spend much time teaching the language itself. Basic familiarity with AI and ML concepts is also expected, and some statistics plus awareness of newer GenAI ideas will make the material easier to follow.

It’s a good fit if you already have some Python and a basic sense of how AI/ML models work. The course is intermediate and spends more time on infrastructure, deployment, and framework decisions than on beginner-level coding or math review. If you’re starting from zero, a more introductory course will likely feel easier.

Plan for about 36 hours total, or roughly four weeks at around 9 to 10 hours a week. The pace is manageable if you move steadily through the lessons and readings, then leave time for practice activities and quizzes. The course includes lessons, readings, quizzes, guided exercises, and a peer-reviewed pitch assignment.

Yes, there’s hands-on work, but it’s mostly guided practice rather than one large project. You’ll do activities such as setting up an Azure environment, building a basic Python scraper, implementing a simple model, and packaging a model for deployment. That makes the course useful if you want to apply each idea as you learn it, not just read about infrastructure choices.

The course focuses on the parts of AI/ML work that surround and support model building. You’ll cover data sourcing and preprocessing, framework selection, deployment planning, version control, and the security and scalability issues that matter in production. It also looks at how AI/ML engineers make technical decisions in business settings and explain those choices clearly.

After finishing, you should be able to map out an AI/ML workflow from data sourcing through deployment and explain the tradeoffs behind your choices. You’ll be able to compare frameworks, prepare a model for production, and judge which platform fits a project’s needs. For example, you could take a business case like customer churn or predictive maintenance and outline the data pipeline, model approach, and deployment plan.

It leans more toward concept-first learning with guided practice than toward open-ended project work. You’ll get hands-on exercises throughout, but they mainly reinforce how AI/ML systems move from data to deployment in real settings.

This course is a strong choice if you want AI/ML from a production and infrastructure angle, not just a model-training angle. It connects data management, framework selection, deployment, version control, and stakeholder communication, with many examples centered on Microsoft Azure workflows. If you want to understand how AI/ML systems are built, managed, and explained in a real business context, this course is a better fit than a model-only introduction.

Financial aid available,

¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.