Part 0 — Start here: how to use this guide
Read this part. It is short and it will save you weeks.
0.1 Who this guide is for
| You are... | This guide works if... |
|---|---|
| A developer who has never touched ML | Yes — this is the target reader |
| A student starting AI | Yes |
| A product/technical manager | Yes — skip the "Practice" sections if you don't want to code |
| Someone who has used ChatGPT and wants to know how it works | Yes |
| An ML engineer wanting reference material | Use the companion guide instead |
Assumed knowledge: you can install software, open a terminal, and read basic
Python (if, for, functions, lists). If you can't read Python yet, do
§0.5 first.
Not assumed: calculus, linear algebra, statistics, neural networks, or any AI vocabulary. Every symbol and term is explained on first use.