Artificial Intelligence is the most trending topic in the tech world. Every developer, programmer, and technophile is going mad about its various possibilities in future. And those who have just entered into the world of programming are attracting towards how they can build an AI system themselves.
The most important and the difficult task is to get started. These two words seem to be a guide with an easy path, but they take us on a journey where we get the major impediments. There is no option other than to start it now if you want to enter into the world of making AI by yourself. You just to be consistent with your practice; learn through the problems and never stop.
- Pick a language
There are various languages like LISP, Prolog, C++, JAVA, to build AI. But the most popular and widely used language is Python. It is a versatile programming language which we can use in various fields from WebD to Software Development and applications. Also, it is easy to use in machine learning due to the availability of numerous libraries.
- Install Python
Before you start with the learning or sharpening your Python skills, it is necessary to install software for proper implementation of the language. Since we are going to use the concept of soft computing and machine learning for AI, you should download Anaconda for that purpose.
- Learn the language and practice a lot
Before starting with advanced steps, you must have complete knowledge of Python. It doesn’t mean that you have to go to the core and read all possible books. There are various online tutorials available like:
CodeAcademy
Coursera
Learn Python the hard way
Google Developers Python Course
Learn X in Y minutes
Choose whichever suits you the best and remember to refer the Python documentation later on, when you need to refresh specific points in future.
- Machine Learning
It is a crucial step before we move to real applications and building of AI. Get the basic knowledge of machine learning through books and online materials. Practice various data algorithms that give you an idea of how to manage and analyze the results from a given of information. You can go for an online course on Coursera by Andrew Mg and Tom Mitchell’s course on Machine Learning.
- Python Packages
To implement our practical knowledge of Machine Learning, you would have to use some open-source scientific Python libraries. There are few of them to name: Pandas, Matplotlib, Numpy, Scikit-Learn, etc. You can also go for specific ones like PyDatalog, AIMA, EasyAI, SimpleAI for AI and others like PyML, PyBrain, MDP for Machine Learning.
- Practice
When you complete the above individual steps, it’s the time to combine them and apply practically. Scikit-Learn is de facto the standard library of Python for machine learning. It is best to start with this. In the beginning, try to implement various familiar algorithms like K-means clustering, regressions, decision trees, etc.
- First AI Project
Now that you have got enough knowledge of the key language and machine learning concepts, you can start building your first AI system. Chatbots are almost a new love for programmers. Learn about XPath, Regex, and REST before you start with this process. It will make your life much easier. Also, you can go for AIML package to build an AI chatbot.
The Internet has an extensive range of resources for you to learn and grasp things. It’s only you who has to be consistent with your dedication and passion for programming and building new stuff by yourself. So start today itself because you’ve got this!
