Generative AI is reshaping how we work, study, and create — yet most people use tools like ChatGPT without understanding what's happening under the hood. This course closes that gap. It takes you from the very basics to a clear, confident grasp of how generative AI and large language models actually work, with no advanced math or coding required.

In this course, you will learn how to:

• Explain what generative AI is and how it differs from traditional predictive AI
• Recognize what today's models can create — text, images, audio, video, and code — and how multimodal systems combine them
• Understand how large language models work, from tokens and next-word prediction to the role of training data
• Follow how models are built through pre-training, fine-tuning, alignment, and reinforcement learning from human feedback
• Write clearer, more effective prompts and make the most of context windows
• Identify key limitations — hallucinations, bias, and knowledge cutoffs — and know when not to rely on an LLM
• Use generative AI responsibly, with sound privacy, intellectual property, and fact-checking practices

By the end, you'll be able to reason confidently about how these systems work, choose the right tool for a task, and craft prompts that get genuinely useful results. You'll know how to spot when an AI's output can't be trusted and how to verify it — a skill that separates casual users from capable ones.

These abilities apply everywhere generative AI is taking hold: drafting and research, coding assistance, content creation, study support, and everyday problem-solving across virtually every profession. As AI fluency becomes a baseline expectation for students and working professionals alike, understanding what's behind the tools has shifted from optional to essential.

The course blends clear theory with practical insight, and reinforces your learning with quizzes, practice tests, and downloadable materials so the concepts stick. Whether you're a student, an engineer, or simply an AI-curious professional, you'll walk away ready to experiment safely and put these tools to work with real understanding.