AI Engineering Foundations: Build Generative AI Applications

Generative AI is transforming how we build software, but transitioning from using AI tools to engineering them requires a solid grasp of core concepts and architectures. This course bridges that gap, taking you from foundational AI terminology to designing and implementing intelligent application workflows. You will transition from a traditional developer or tech enthusiast into an entry-level AI engineer capable of leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) programmatically. Through clear, step-by-step text explanations and practical code examples, you will learn how to structure prompts, manage context, connect external data sources, and build reliable AI-powered features. What you'll learn: - Understand the core concepts of Generative AI, tokenization, and how Large Language Models process information. - Apply advanced prompt engineering techniques to guide model behavior, handle structured outputs, and ensure reliable responses. - Configure vector databases and semantic search to store and retrieve high-dimensional data efficiently. - Build Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines to ground model responses in your own custom datasets. - Implement basic AI agent architectures and tool-calling patterns to let models interact with external APIs. - Manage application safety, input moderation, and cost optimization strategies for LLM integrations. The course begins with essential definitions and the mechanics of language models before guiding you through context management, vector embeddings, and multi-step AI workflows. You will read comprehensive breakdowns of modern AI design patterns and analyze clean, illustrative code snippets. This course is designed for software developers, technical product managers, and curious beginners who want to start building with AI. No prior background in machine learning or data science is required, though a basic understanding of programming concepts will help you get the most out of the code examples. Start your journey into AI engineering today and learn how to build the next generation of software.