Track 1 of 2 · 4 phases · 22 topics · about 2 h
AI fundamentals
How language models work, and how to build with them.
From tokens to production, in dependency order. Four phases, each of which makes the next one make sense.
Phases
How does text become something a model can compute on?
Before any model does anything interesting, your strings have to become numbers. This phase is about that conversion and everything it quietly decides for you.
Phase 2 · The model
🔒 LockedWhat is actually happening inside, and what does that cost?
A transformer is a fixed amount of arithmetic per token. Once you can count that arithmetic, latency, memory and price stop being mysterious.
Unlocks at 4 of 4 topics in Phase 1 — 0 done. Unlock anyway.
Phase 3 · Building with it
🔒 LockedHow do I compose a system around a non-deterministic component?
The model is one call in a larger system. This phase is the engineering around it: what you put in the context, what you get back, and how you know it works.
Unlocks at 5 of 6 topics in Phase 2 — 0 done. Unlock anyway.
Phase 4 · Systems
🔒 LockedHow do I run this in production?
Loops, tools, queues, budgets and the failure modes that only show up under load. Ordinary distributed systems work, with one unusual component in the middle.
Unlocks at 5 of 6 topics in Phase 3 — 0 done. Unlock anyway.