THE HYPE AROUND AI TRAINING

Having been into the world of programming ever-since childhood, and fascinated by the idea of embedding intelligence from a very early stage, its been a long journey to see Intelligent frameworks creeping into most of the digital devices we use in day to day life. Though my fundamental concepts in mathematics and physics were pretty strong, aided with a good engineering discipline, I was looking at exploring the various opportunities to certify my skill set in the Intelligence domain. It was a revelation of sorts and I thought, I must share my experiences with all those who aspire to train & certify themselves or are in the process of doing so.

Before we get into the subject lets get some simple facts straight. Does the mere task of learning a language enable one to use it to create a piece of art? or is learning a language good enough to write an epic, poem or a great work of literature?

Does a brush and paint in the hand make anyone a greater painter?

Can the best of ingredients translate into a great recipe that can make the taste buds scream in orgasmic happiness?

The simple answer to any of these questions is a blunt No. If that be so, mere knowledge of a programming language can never assure a great digital solution for automating any problem.” If you automate a poor use case, then the chaos in the problem is just magnified manifold.” Atleast that has been my experience so far in all my attempts to create any viable solution for any problem statements in any domain.

To get back at the subject of “The hype around AI training”, and my experiences thereof, I shall begin with the commodotisation of the domain. It just costs a bomb! most of the training program seem to charge astronomical figures for a certification program. And mind you, most of these are online and even regular classes that are being offered for astronomical figures are weekend classes. The next question that arises is why is it so damn expensive? Or is it that there is really something more than what meets the eye.

So I decided to take a serious and closer look at these programs. Its then I realized the foolishness quotient of the whole Artificial Intelligence training program. For people wo are lazy and are scared of the world of statistics, probability, algebra and geometric theories, there is a handcrafted package to just skim through the surface. And this is for the leaders who shall float in the surface and guide the AI labourers of the future to create unreal (Artificial) solutions, with the help of their AI leadership program certifications. Whats worst is that they are being certified in the name of some famous universities in the US and Europe. Its all about the brand …!!! Does that brand guarantee any level of leadership to the Intelligence domain? let’s leave this question for time to answer.

My worst fear is that, I shall encounter one of these pseudo AI experts, who would come prepared with jargons and give decisions on critical projects in the future and I would need enough assistance from an augmented Intelligent natural language processing chip, to handle such technological morons with sophisticated words of tact, while keeping my organic brain really cool.

I knew the leadership program that most of these premier training institutes are trying to offer is certainly not for a nut and bolts person like me. So, I explored their most advanced program. The program does contain most aspects of the syllabus that anyone requires to be taught before diving deep into the world of Intelligent system design. But that is where the most important questions arise. Why is it so expensive? Are we going to get trained in some kind of a content that shall crank up our faculties and catapult it to an alien level of IQ? Certainly not ...most of the subjects that is covered as part of AI is elementary high school stuff and if that still does not give enough kick, its higher secondary science. That is all what is mostly used in a majority of the AI frameworks in operation these days. Advanced topics in any case needs years of understanding and practice to be implemented. If its all about high school stuff and most of the actual practical’s happen on a cloud based Collaboratory environment, how does one explain the ridiculous costing of these courses.

The answer to this I realised is the demand and craze that surrounds this subject. Anything from a TV to a toaster, from a washing machine to a vacuum cleaner is all enabled with AI, or are they !! certainly not its just a marketing gimmick. The same gimmick has now found its way to the world of training and certification too. The more the demand, the expensive it is. All that is required is to hide behind a good brand of an educational institute and ensure a certification through some kind of an affiliation and draw the faculties from reputed institutes. A good teacher can make the learning, a pleasant experience and can definitely add value to the process of learning. But for learning, it’s the student and the dedication to the cause that transforms the information to knowledge and knowledge to wisdom.

So before we get carried away by the brand name and the marketing behind it, ensure the whole purpose of the program that one is trying to enroll into really aligns with every aspect of the objective, that one set course for. This applies to every domain. But more so to domains that are popular market buzz words. So there are enough alternatives and really cost efficient programs. So my advice is just look at the quality of the content that is being covered, and even if it is not adequate enough there is enough content to satiate the hunger of learning in the massive cyberspace.

So if anyone tries to take recluse behind the reputation of an institution they graduated from to impose upon a decision in a professional domain, then the choices are very clear. Every opinion needs to be backed up by sound reasoning, logic and strong fundamentals aided with an intelligence which can harness all these aspects to deliver drops of nectar, the sweetness and fragrance of which lasts for eternity. And lastly remember there is no substitute to hardwork, dedication and continuous learning. Wisdom is acquired only through a process of persistent research and of finding answers to the infinite number of questions that arise in this journey. So don’t get caught “by the hype, just drown in the curiosity to learn and swim in the ocean of information, someday you shall reach a shore of knowledge and there at the horizon shall be a tree which bear the fruits of wisdom.”