Can a non-techie, a non-programmer, or a non-computer person learn Artificial Intelligence (AI)? This question, in a variety of forms, is being asked with increasing frequency in 2024.
That people should be wondering about this is normal. In less than a decade, AI went from a tech niche exclusive to a handful of hyper-specialists to an everyday tool used in an astonishing variety of industries.
This article will be dedicated to exploring exactly the above question in depth – and we will start from the assumption that underwrites it, namely…
Should I Learn AI?
The question “Should I learn AI?” contains an inherent ambiguity, as it can be read in one of two different ways.
The first is this: should I learn how to work in the AI industry, how to engineer AI software, and how to understand and write the algorithms that make AI work?
The answer to this question is – not necessarily, and especially not for non-techies. AI engineering is becoming increasingly popular, but it remains a highly specialistic field of tech. Unless you already have some solid skills in software development, it’s probably not the right place to start for a career shift.
The second way to interpret the question is this: should I learn how to use AI in my everyday work, and how to integrate it in my daily tasks, both on and off the job?
The answer this time is a very emphatic yes, particularly with regards to AI’s professional applications. The contemporary job market is competitive, and a strong command of AI tools in your field will not only make you a more attractive prospect to employers – it will guarantee that you stay relevant as your industry develops.
This isn’t just because you can use the AI tools yourself. Consider also that as AI products and features keep booming (customer service chatbots, tutors, recommenders, email helpers, etc.) companies have to start addressing questions of a new type.
How is AI commonly used in our industry? How do we handle AI giving incorrect responses? Which third-party AI products do we need? What are the regulations surrounding AI?
These increasingly important questions require a very special knowledge of AI that lies at the intersection of technology and business. Any professional who can provide their company with this type of intelligence will be very valuable indeed, no matter what their industry.
How To Learn AI Without A Technical Background
So you’ve decided you want to learn AI even if you’re not a wizard with computers. How do you get started?
If your purpose is to learn how to build the software itself, on a technical level, then your best bet is to start by learning data science. It’s the discipline that is most foundational for AI technology, and you can repurpose in that direction after a little bit of work experience.
On the other hand, if you want to learn how to use AI tools in your everyday work, then there are 3 steps that you should follow.
1. Understand the underlying concepts behind AI
First things first, you need to understand what you’re working with. Begin by researching and familiarising yourself with the main concepts that underlie AI technology.
Specifically, you should become familiar at the very least with the meanings of these terms:
- Machine learning
- Deep learning
- Generative AI
- Natural language processing (NLP)
- Large language models (LLMs)
You should know what each of these things are and do. Look for material online, or if you want to be more thorough, take an introductory course in AI.
2. Become proficient with the basic AI tools
The first step to becoming an AI pro is to get good with those tools that are most widespread and whose applications are the broadest. Generally, this means tools for text generation, image generation and video generation. The most famous in these respective categories are, of course, ChatGPT, Midjourney and Synthesia, although you should at least give a shot to other options as well.
These tools are typically built to be as intuitive and easy as possible, meaning that using them will make you feel like there’s nothing to learn about them – just open the app, type your request, and get your result.
In reality, knowing how to prompt the machine properly so as to get the results you are looking for is an art in and of itself. No less important is knowing which tools are available (beyond the most famous three) and which one works best for which type of task.
As above, look for material online, or take a course. Learning how to use these tools will be essential.
3. Become proficient with specialised AI tools
Having learned how to use the most popular tools will have given you the know-how to start working with others that are less famous, but more targeted to your particular field.
For example, AI can be used for all sorts of quantitative work. If your job involves Microsoft Excel sheets, you’ll probably want to learn how to use GPT Excel, which generates spreadsheet formulae customised to your purposes. If you must analyse numbers and data, applications like Julius AI can streamline these processes for you.
Think also of specialistic applications for those popular tools mentioned above. If you are a non-techie, that probably means you don’t know how to write computer code. Well, most of the more advanced LLMs out there are capable of writing basic code for you! (Although be wary of using these machines for writing anything more than simple, elementary code – they do have limits).
While there are plenty of online resources to accomplish steps 1 and 2 in this process, this final part of your learning doesn’t have as much material readily available. Prepare yourself for some good, old-fashioned trial and error, and keep at it until you can get these tools to do what you want them to do.
Can A Non-Tech Person Learn AI For Free?
Once again, we must distinguish between learning how to write/program AI, and learning how to use AI tools.
For learning how to program AI, the answer is probably no, you cannot learn such things for free. The level of the technologies used is simply too high, and the free resources available today don’t really go beyond the basics.
For learning how to use AI tools, it’s a different story. Becoming proficient with a specific tool like ChatGPT can be done by yourself, and there are certainly plenty of resources online. Becoming a genuine, all-round AI expert, on the other hand, is probably more efficiently done with a course.
Are There Any AI Courses For The Non-Technical?
While there are plenty of courses in data science and other tech disciplines related to AI, there are few non-university courses that teach AI programming from scratch. This is because, as we said above, AI technology is generally very advanced.
For those who wish to learn how to use AI tools on the job, at WBS CODING SCHOOL we have crafted the AI for Business Course, designed specifically for that purpose. It offers a comprehensive overview of how AI can be applied in a wide variety of industries, and specific training for those tools that will enhance your productivity and skills.
Become An AI Expert
AI has already revolutionised the workplace for so many different industries, and the process is only going to accelerate in the coming years. Many are concerned that these new machines will steal their jobs, but the reality is somewhat different.
Professionals in their field will remain, but there will be a marked separation between those professionals who use AI and those who don’t. The former will be significantly more productive, more efficient, and ultimately will remain more relevant to the changing realities of work.
An AI expert is not necessarily only someone who can create AI – it can also be someone who knows how to use it in their field. Become that person, and let the future of work become your own best future – by beginning to build it today.
