This free online course on Alison takes you through the rudiments and fundamentals of artificial intelligence.

This course begins by explaining the thoughts and ideas that have influenced the growth of artificial intelligence. You will learn about the definition of artificial intelligence and the different dimensions of artificial intelligence. You will learn about the differences between artificial intelligence, programming and general computational paradigms. You will also learn about production systems and how they capture the essence of artificial intelligence systems.

The course then explains the meaning and types of various search techniques used in solving problems. You will learn about how heuristic functions are formulated. You will learn about the integral role games play in the development of artificial intelligence. You will also learn about how knowledge representation in reasoning forms the backbone of any intelligent behaviour through computational means.

The course then explains resolution as an important rule of inference used in well formed formulas in knowledge representations. You will be introduced to planning in its abstract form, and how it can be used in problem solving. You will also learn how machine learning addresses the fundamental question of how to build computer programs that could learn automatically from experience.

Prerequisites; Learners will need good knowledge and ability in programming in order to study this course.