- Understand the acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in this course.
- Identify several common AI tools available to you.
- Practice formulating an effective prompt to ask an AI for information.
Using AI as Your Coding Co-Pilot
In this course, you are encouraged to use modern tools, and that includes Generative AI. Think of an AI as a super-smart tutor that can help you when you're stuck. But just like with a calculator, you still need to understand the underlying concepts.
You must be able to explain any line of code you submit.
Choosing Your AI Co-Pilot
There is no single "best" AI; many excellent tools are available for free. A great skill for a programmer is knowing how to switch between tools if one isn't giving you the answer you need or if you hit a usage limit.
Sometimes, the free versions of these tools have daily message limits. If you ever run out on one, simply switch to another and continue your work! Here are a few to get you started:
- OpenAI's ChatGPT (The most well-known)
- Google's Gemini
- Microsoft's Copilot
Your First AI Task: Concept Deep Dive
Let's practice using AI as a learning tool. For this task, you will use one of the AIs listed above to explain a concept and then share your results in the Discussion Forum.
Instructions
- Choose one of the AI tools from the list above. We recommend trying one you haven't used before!
- Ask it the following question by typing or pasting this exact prompt: "Explain what a 'data type' is in Python. Describe the difference between a string, an integer, and a float, and give a simple code example of each one."
- Create a new thread in the "Unit 1 AI Discussion" forum.
- In your post, copy and paste BOTH your original prompt and the complete answer that the AI gave you. Don't forget to mention which AI tool you used!
This activity is about the process, not just the answer. It gets you comfortable with using different AI platforms and crafting good prompts. You might even notice that different AIs give you slightly different answers!
Interactive Sandbox
Use this space to practice writing code and complete the "Your Turn" activities above.