AUTA AI Academy crest AUTA AI ACADEMY
Week 1 · Module 1

AI Foundations: How Machines Think

Understand what AI really is, how it learns, and where its limits are - before you ever ask it to do your work.

9 lessons 10-12 question assessment20% of final mark

By the end of this module you will be able to

  • Explain AI, machine learning, deep learning and generative AI in plain language
  • Describe how an LLM turns your words into predictions
  • Identify hallucination, bias and data-risk in AI output
  • Set up a personal free AI toolkit and use it safely
M1.01 Welcome to the AI Era: What AI Really Is (and Isn't)Separate the science from the hype ▶ lessonPDF
M1.02 From Turing to Transformers: A 75-Year Story in 7 MinutesWhy AI exploded now, not in 1990 ▶ lessonPDF
M1.03 How Machines Learn: Data, Patterns, TrainingThe actual mechanics, minus the maths fear ▶ lessonPDF
M1.04 The AI Family Tree: ML, Deep Learning, GenAI, LLMsKnow which tool you are holding ▶ lessonPDF
M1.05 Inside an LLM: Tokens, Context and Next-Word PredictionDemystify the chatbot in 8 minutes ▶ lessonPDF
M1.06 Hallucinations, Bias and Garbage In: Why AI Gets It WrongThe failure modes every user must know ▶ lessonPDF
M1.07 AI Around You: African Use-Cases in Health, Farming, Finance and GovGround the theory in your own context ▶ lessonPDF
M1.08 Your Free AI Toolkit: Set Up Like a Pro in One SittingAccounts, settings and safety defaults ▶ lessonPDF
M1.09 Module 1 Lab: Build Your 'AI in My Life' One-PagerConsolidate, create, and prep for the assessment ▶ lessonPDF

Module 1 assessment

10 multiple-choice questions, instant marking, full explanations, two attempts recorded. 70% to pass.

Start the assessment

Preview: lesson 1 of this module. Every lesson page carries its own video and PDF.

📄 Handbook

Your AI journey starts today.

Enrolment takes two minutes. Lesson 1 takes twelve.

Enrol free Preview Module 1