Generative AI for Beginners: Concepts + Claude Code Build

Course Overview

This course explains generative AI concepts such as LLMs, prompts, RAG, and agents in plain English, enabling learners to understand their practical significance. It then guides learners to build a working AI app from scratch without any coding, using English descriptions to generate the app code.

It covers foundational AI concepts, real-world applications across industries, and responsible AI practices including bias, privacy, and hallucination. The course is designed for beginners and professionals seeking to find AI use cases in their work or build simple AI applications.

Key Takeaways

• Understand generative AI, LLMs, embeddings, RAG, and agents clearly and know when each matters.
• Write and improve prompts using a repeatable four-step loop to get usable AI responses.
• Build a functional AI app by describing it in English without coding or frameworks.
• Implement guardrails in AI apps to prevent fabricated answers.
• Switch AI providers behind the app easily and debug issues with concise bug reports.
• Identify real generative AI use cases in various industries using a transfer playbook.
• Apply a responsible AI checklist addressing hallucination, bias, privacy, and transparency.

Prerequisites

• No programming or math background required.
• A Mac or Windows computer is needed for the app build section.
• For the build: a Claude Code paid plan and a free Google Gemini API key (no credit card required).

Target Learners

• Complete beginners wanting to understand generative AI beyond buzzwords.
• Professionals in marketing, support, product, or software seeking real AI use cases in their work.
• Individuals who want to build and deploy a small AI app without programming skills.
• Career changers and students looking for an honest overview of the generative AI field.
• Not suitable for ML engineers seeking training loops, fine-tuning internals, or mathematical depth.