Google AI Essentials
Completing the Google AI Essentials certification gave me a practical and well-rounded understanding of how artificial intelligence works and how it can be applied responsibly. I learned the difference between rule-based techniques, where AI follows strict logic like blocking spam emails with flagged keywords, and machine learning techniques, which allow AI to adapt based on patterns in data. I explored supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, and saw how training sets shape AI models to perform tasks like predicting rainfall or sorting ripe apples. The course also emphasized the importance of human oversight to avoid AI hallucinations and ethical missteps. I now understand how to craft effective prompts, distinguish between stand-alone tools and integrated features, and evaluate whether a task is suited for AI augmentation, automation, or replacement. These insights have helped me think more critically about how to integrate AI into my workflows while maintaining transparency and control.