How to gain AI experience? - Experience first learning

Mastering AI is a strange chicken and egg situation.

Typically, the workflow goes like this

You undertake a course

You learn AI and you are very inspired

You go back to your day job where in you find that it has nothing to do with AI

some other department?in your company is doing AI - but you are not involved

In any case, what people call AI in your company is actually very rudimentary

six months pass and you find AI itself has changed - and you are back to square one

At Erdos Research , we tried to solve this problem by flipping the model which I called 'experience first AI learning'

Erdos takes a hands-on approach to learning based on the following principles

1) You develop an idea which resonates with your personal interests

2) Working with people who how AI i.e. are more skilled than you - so that you can learn from themI

3) You follow a methodology designed to use LLMs to assist you

4) You take a reflective approach i.e. you see how your work fits into a wider context of AI

5) You develop the idea for education purposes under the commercially permissive MIT licence i.e. if it ever evolves into a startup - its yours with our blessings

The projects are as real-life as possible but you focus on the AI component in an LLM assisted manner within Erdos

If you want to develop the project further on your own, you are free to do so (under the MIT licence you can own the IP of any work you undertake based on your work here)

The Erdos coaching method was inspired by one of my favourite books Mastery by Robert Greene? am privileged to connect to Robert Greene here and? I think there are very few contemporary writers who cover so much depth?

As the name suggests, Mastery is? a comprehensive guide on how to achieve excellence in any field. Greene draws on historical and contemporary examples to illustrate the principles and strategies needed to attain mastery.?

The key ideas are (summarised by chatGPT)

1. Discover Your Life’s Task

Find Your Passion: Identify your true interests and passions early in life.

Apprenticeship: Commit to a period of intense focus and practice to build foundational skills.

Transformational Experience: Embrace challenges and adversity as they lead to significant growth.

2. The Apprenticeship Phase

Embrace Reality: Develop a realistic understanding of your field.

Learn from Mentors: Seek guidance from mentors who can provide insights and feedback.

Practice Deliberately: Engage in deliberate practice to hone your skills.

3. Absorb the Master’s Power

Deep Observation: Observe and learn from those who have already achieved mastery.

Skill Acquisition: Continuously build and refine your skills.

Learning from Failure: Treat failures as learning opportunities and refine your approach.

4. The Creative-Active Phase

Innovation and Experimentation: Apply your skills in innovative ways and experiment with new ideas.

Integrate Intuition: Develop and trust your intuition, which is built through deep immersion in your field.

Continuous Learning: Keep learning and adapting to stay ahead.

5. Awakening the Dimensional Mind

Think Holistically: Develop a broad perspective and see connections between different ideas and disciplines.

Embrace Complexity: Welcome complexity and ambiguity, which are inherent in the path to mastery.

Synthesize Knowledge: Combine and integrate knowledge from various sources.

6. Mastery

Achieving Flow: Strive for a state of flow where your skills and challenges are in perfect balance.

Contributing to the Field: Make significant contributions to your field, impacting others and advancing knowledge.

Legacy: Aim to leave a lasting legacy through your mastery and contributions.

Key Takeaways

• Mastery is a long-term pursuit requiring dedication, perseverance, and continuous learning.
• The path to mastery is unique for each individual but shares common principles that can be applied universally.
• Success is achieved through a combination of hard work, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of oneself and one's field.
• "Mastery" emphasizes that achieving excellence is not about talent alone but about dedication, strategy, and the relentless pursuit of improvement.

This is an experiment - and I am myselves learning a lot - and we have an amazing team in Anjali Jain Ay?e Mutlu Alexander Ash Aditya Jaokar Bürde Apar? Ravindra Gadgil and others related to my work in Oxford.

Also, we are trying to set up an institution and not a startup. So, our thinking is long term

We are still seeking a few foundation members. If this is of interest, please message me here

Image source Mastery by Robert Greene?