Intro to AI: a beginner’s guide to artificial intelligence from MIT Technology Review

It feels as though AI is moving a million miles a minute. Every week, it seems, there are product launches, fresh features and other innovations, and new concerns over ethics and privacy. It’s a lot to keep up with. Maybe you wish someone would just take a step back and explain some of the basics. 

Look no further. Intro to AI is MIT Technology Review’s first newsletter that also serves as a mini-course. You’ll get one email a week for six weeks, and each edition will walk you through a different topic in AI. 

Sign up here to receive it for free. Or if you’re already an AI aficionado, send it on to someone in your life who’s curious about the technology but is just starting to explore what it all means. 

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Week 1: What is AI? 

We’ll review a (very brief) history of AI and learn common terms like large language models, machine learning, and generative AI. 

• Week 2: What you can do with AI 

Explore ways you can use AI in your life. We’ve got recommendations and exercises to help you get acquainted with specific AI tools. Plus, you’ll learn about a few things AI can’t do (yet). 

• Week 3: How to talk about AI 

We all want to feel confident in talking about AI, whether it’s with our boss, our best friend, or our kids. We’ll help you find ways to frame these chats and keep AI’s pros and cons in mind. 

• Week 4: AI traps to watch out for 

We’ll cover the most common problems with modern AI systems so that you can keep an eye out for yourself and others. 

• Week 5: Working with AI 

How will AI change our jobs? How will companies handle any efficiencies created by AI? Our reporters and editors help cut through the noise and even give a little advice on how to think about your own career in the context of AI. 

• Week 6: Does AI need tougher rules? 

AI tools can cause very real harm if not properly used, and regulation is one way to address this danger. The last edition of the newsletter breaks down the status of AI regulation across the globe, including a close look at the EU’s AI Act and a primer on what the US has done so far. 

There’s so much to learn and say about this powerful new technology. Sign up for Intro to AI and let’s leap into the big, weird world of AI together.