Introduction to LLMs and Hugging Face
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Introduction to LLMs and Hugging Face
This course is part of Building LLMs with Hugging Face and LangChain Specialization
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There are 4 modules in this course
This course introduces the Large Language Models (LLMs) and the Hugging Face ecosystem, combining conceptual understanding with hands-on implementation to help you build intelligent, language-driven systems. Whether you’re exploring AI for the first time or looking to deepen your understanding of modern NLP architectures, this course provides a clear and practical path into the world of transformer-based models and open-source innovation.
Through guided lessons and real-world demonstrations, you’ll explore how LLMs process language, learn from massive datasets, and generate context-aware responses. You’ll also gain hands-on experience using Hugging Face tools to load, evaluate, and fine-tune models, prepare datasets for NLP tasks, and build pipelines for classification, sentiment analysis, and question answering. The course culminates with a project that integrates fine-tuned models, external APIs, and a user interface to create a fully functional knowledge assistant. By the end of this course, you will be able to: • Understand transformer architecture and attention mechanisms that power modern LLMs. • Differentiate between pre-training and fine-tuning approaches and apply them using Hugging Face tools. • Compare open-source and proprietary LLMs, evaluating trade-offs in performance and accessibility. • Prepare and tokenize datasets for efficient model training and evaluation. • Build, test, and deploy NLP pipelines for real-world applications. • Extend agents with external data sources and integrate APIs securely. • Develop and test an end-to-end intelligent assistant powered by fine-tuned models. This course is ideal for AI developers, data scientists, and ML enthusiasts who want to understand and apply LLMs using open-source frameworks. A basic understanding of Python and machine learning will be helpful, but not required. Join us to explore the Introduction of large language models, master the Hugging Face ecosystem, and gain the practical skills to fine-tune, connect, and deploy intelligent systems that power the future of AI.
Explore the core concepts behind Large Language Models (LLMs) — how they’re built, trained, and optimized. Learn about transformer architecture, attention mechanisms, tokenization, and the differences between open-source and proprietary models. By the end, you’ll understand how modern AI systems like GPT and BERT think, learn, and generate language responsibly.
What's included
11 videos5 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt
11 videos•Total 51 minutes
- Specialization Introduction•6 minutes
- Course Introduction•3 minutes
- Introduction to Large Language Models•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Exploring a Pretrained Transformer Model on Hugging Face Hub•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Inspecting Tokenization and Embedding Process•6 minutes
- Pre-Training vs. Fine-Tuning in LLMs Explained•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Comparing Model Families (BERT vs. GPT vs. T5) in Hugging Face Pipelines•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Exploring Model Layers and Parameters in Transformers Library•7 minutes
- Open-Source vs. Proprietary LLMs: Key Differences•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Loading and Testing a Model from Hugging Face Hub•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Evaluating Model Outputs and Identifying Bias or Drift•5 minutes
5 readings•Total 85 minutes
- Welcome to Introduction to LLMs and Hugging Face•15 minutes
- Transformer Architecture and Attention Explained•20 minutes
- Compare and Analyze Pretrained LLMs•20 minutes
- AI Bias Analysis in Open Models•20 minutes
- Summary of Understanding Large Language Models•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 48 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Fundamentals of LLMs•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Model Architectures and Training•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Open and Closed Model Ecosystems•6 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Understanding Large Language Models•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Introduce Yourself•10 minutes
Dive into the Hugging Face ecosystem, the most powerful open-source platform for NLP and LLM development. Learn how to explore models, manage datasets, and build pipelines for tasks like sentiment analysis and text classification. Through hands-on demos, you’ll gain practical experience with Transformers, Datasets, and Hub integrations.
What's included
9 videos4 readings4 assignments
9 videos•Total 37 minutes
- Getting Started with the Hugging Face Ecosystem•4 minutes
- Understanding the Hugging Face Hub and Model Cards•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Introduction to Hugging Face Platform•4 minutes
- Data Cleaning and Preparation for NLP Models•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Loading and Exploring a Text Dataset with Hugging Face Datasets•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Preprocessing and Tokenizing Text Data for Model Training•5 minutes
- Building Fast NLP Pipelines for Prototyping•4 minutes
- Demonstration 1: Using the Transformers Pipeline for Sentiment Analysis•5 minutes
- Demonstration 2: Building a Custom Text Classification Pipeline Prototype for the Capstone Project•4 minutes
4 readings•Total 55 minutes
- Overview of Hugging Face Libraries and Tools•15 minutes
- Dataset Splitting and Normalization for NLP•15 minutes
- Common NLP Tasks with Hugging Face Tools•15 minutes
- Summary of Exploring the Hugging Face Platform•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 48 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Getting Started with Hugging Face•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Working with Datasets•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Building Pipelines for NLP Tasks•6 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Exploring the Hugging Face Platform•30 minutes
Learn how to extend LLMs into intelligent AI agents by integrating them with external APIs, logic, and memory. Master fine-tuning techniques, build data-aware assistants, and create interactive apps using tools like Streamlit. This module focuses on practical agent design, decision-making, and deployment readiness.
What's included
16 videos5 readings4 assignments
16 videos•Total 70 minutes
- Fine-Tuning LLMs: When and Why It Matters•3 minutes
- Demonstration: Contextual Fine-Tuning of Model •4 minutes
- Demonstration: Fine-Tuning Transformers on Domain-Specific Dataset•4 minutes
- Integrating External Data into AI Agents•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Connecting to a Web API for Real-Time Information•6 minutes
- Demonstration: Adding Decision Logic and Memory to Your Agent - I•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Adding Decision Logic and Memory to Your Agent - II•4 minutes
- Designing an End-to-End AI Assistant Architecture•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Capstone Setup Rag Faiss Gemini Langchain•5 minutes
- Demonstration: Ingestion Pipeline•6 minutes
- Demonstration: RAG Build Faiss Index Gemini Embeddings•5 minutes
- Demonstration: Faiss Retriever Gemini Query Similarity Search•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Langchain Agent•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Langchain Agent Tools•4 minutes
- Demonstration: Streamlit App Rag vs Agent •4 minutes
- Demonstration: Capstone Wrap-Up: RAG Data, Prompts, and UI•6 minutes
5 readings•Total 83 minutes
- LLM Hyperparameter Tuning and Batch Management•20 minutes
- Extend Your Agent with External Data•20 minutes
- Accessing Code Resources for Demonstration Videos•3 minutes
- Test Full Knowledge Assistant Workflow•30 minutes
- Summary of Connecting Agents and Tools•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 48 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Fine-Tuning Fundamentals•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Integrating External APIs and Logic•6 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Building and Testing Your Knowledge Assistant•6 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Connecting Agents and Tools•30 minutes
Consolidate your learning with a hands-on project that combines LLMs, Hugging Face tools, and intelligent agent design. Complete your final graded assessment and reflect on your journey to mastering AI-powered application development.
What's included
1 video1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt
1 video•Total 2 minutes
- Course Summary•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 60 minutes
- Practice Project: Building a RAG + Agent System for Enterprise Search•60 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- End Course Knowledge Check: Introduction to LLMs and Hugging Face•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Describe your Learning Journey•10 minutes
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Frequently asked questions
Basic knowledge of Python and fundamental machine learning concepts is recommended.
The course covers LLM architecture, Hugging Face tools, fine-tuning, API integration, and deployment.
It’s designed as a multi-module program that can be completed in about 4–6 weeks with regular practice
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