Learning AI at edX

Now is an excellent time to learn about artificial intelligence! With the AI Boot Camp at edX, students will gain hands-on experience with supervised and unsupervised machine learning models, neural networks, and natural language processing. Glenna Mowry, Vice President of Learning Innovation at edX shares insights on what students can expect from this cutting-edge program and the career opportunities it opens up.

How is edX thinking about AI right now? How do you see AI impacting tech in a way that it hasn’t before?

Over the past year, we’ve rallied our partners and several teams across our business to quickly transform edX.org into a top destination for AI learning content. We’ve created AI-powered tools on edX to give learners even more ways to discover career-relevant learning pathways and access real-time support. We’ve launched robust and flexible AI reskilling and upskilling opportunities for companies seeking to attract, train, and retain their talent. And we’re leveraging AI to enhance the services we provide our partners, everything from marketing support to faculty training.

edX has launched a new, dedicated AI Boot Camp! What can students expect to learn in the AI boot camp?

Students can expect to learn how to: 

• Create Python-based scripts to automate the cleanup, restructuring, and rendering of large, heterogeneous datasets.
• Interact with APIs using Python Requests and JSON parsing techniques.
• Create in-depth graphs, charts, and tables utilizing a wide-variety of data-driven programming languages and libraries. 
• Apply machine learning techniques to gain knowledge and solve problems.
• Use unsupervised machine learning models to categorize unlabeled data.
• Use supervised machine learning models trained on labeled data to make predictions about data.
• Evaluate and improve the performance of machine learning models by using test data, metrics, and optimization techniques.
• Use neural networks and deep learning models to make predictions about data.
• Determine the sentiment of vector-encoded text using NLP and transformers.
• Apply the fundamentals of NLP and transformer models to describe how Generative AI creates content. 
• Describe recent innovations in AI and their impact on the field of AI.

Who is developing the AI Boot Camp? Do you have AI experts or enthusiasts on the curriculum or instruction team? 

We have a team of experienced curriculum developers with extensive experience building boot camp curricula, teaching, and with technical skills in data science, machine learning, and AI. 

Which generative AI tools will edX start with?

In this boot camp, we really want to start students with the fundamentals of AI tools and then dig into generative AI tools.

AI tools are emerging rapidly – how will the curriculum iterate over time?

A cornerstone of our boot camp curriculum is group projects where students work together to design and build a solution to some problem or area of interest of their choice, as long as it meets technical requirements. We expect our students to be some of the earlier adopters with new AI tools during their projects, and we’re incredibly excited to see all of the amazing things they discover as new tools crop up. 

Beyond that, we know that the industry is changing every day, so we aim to teach our students the fundamentals of using AI tools. We also have an entire module dedicated to emerging topics in AI which will change over time as the AI landscape shifts. 

What kinds of projects will AI Boot Camp students work on?

Students have homework assignments related to the content as well as three group projects throughout the course:

1. The first project focuses on exploratory data analysis (EDA) and using their analysis to forecast predictions in one of three topics: finance, healthcare, or their own choice.
2. During the second project, students use their newly acquired skills in machine learning to build an application and train machine learning models, optimize the models, and evaluate model performance in order to choose the best model for their application. 
3. The final project asks students to use AI to solve a problem of their choice, using any skills they’ve developed in the course in addition to new AI tools and resources related to a career path they’re interested in. 

What types of machine learning/AI jobs could a graduate of the AI Boot Camp land?

Jobs and career choices can be heavily influenced by our students’ previous experiences and skills. Students who complete the program could be qualified for many different roles, including:

• AI Automation Engineer
• AI Engineer
• AI Data Analyst
• AI Business Analyst
• Data Scientist
• Machine Learning Engineer
• AI Consultant
• AI Research Analyst

How is the AI Boot Camp offered by edX different from the Data Boot Camp?

Because data science and AI are closely related fields, the data science and AI boot camps have topics in common, such as Python, Pandas, and machine learning. However, the AI bootcamp delves into additional AI topics, such as Natural Language Processing, Transformers, and Generative AI, as well as covering topics such as Neural Networks and Deep Learning in more depth.

edX covers so many tech verticals with its technical boot camps – which career tracks are most susceptible to change from AI? 

We’re seeing the influence of AI across all industries and I think many career tracks are susceptible to change from AI but a lot of the change is how do you adapt your workflow, your day to day to use these new tools to your advantage. For instance, you could get further on an assigned ticket as a junior software engineer without as many code reviews from a senior engineer if you utilize GitHub Copilot to check your code as you go. As a marketing professional, how are you utilizing generative AI to help you write first drafts to maximize content for SEO and match your company’s style and voice? Using AI tools to make your work more efficient and more accurate are also ways to continue upskilling in your own career. 

Is AI being integrated into edX’s other boot camps? 

We see our students integrating AI already into so many of their projects, but our plan is to ensure that all of our boot camps include relevant AI tools for their topics. We currently include AI applications and prompt engineering in our Software Development Boot Camp and UX/UI Boot Camp,  and machine learning and AI tools have been included in our Data Boot Camp for a while. 

In the midst of headlines like “AI is Replacing Software Engineers,” why is this the right time to be changing careers into tech? 

Although hiring for some job titles in tech may be decreasing, demand for AI-related jobs has been growing. In the midst of this generative AI boom, a broad range of companies are seeking employees who understand AI and can implement AI solutions to business problems. We are seeing this happen in real-time, as Indeed reported an increase in AI-related job postings, in the software development sector specifically, earlier this year.

While we will likely see some roles replaced by AI, many economists expect to see an equal or greater number of new roles created due to AI. The World Economic Forum's most recent “Future of Jobs Report” details that companies plan to place a premium on employees with AI skills. All this tells us that investing in AI upskilling is a smart bet for those looking to shift careers. 

Any other advice for folks who are interested in AI right now? 

It’s a great time to be learning about AI! There is so much excitement and enthusiasm, and many people are creating AI resources and sharing perspectives on AI. Keep in mind, AI has a long history that predates tools like ChatGPT, and there are many different types of AI besides generative AI. Learning and understanding the fundamentals (perhaps on edX!) will help you think about the new advancements and applications. My personal recommendation is to find an email newsletter, podcast, whatever it may be that you like that talks about news and advances in AI. The field is constantly changing, but with many exciting new tools and opportunities. 

This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with edX.