Applied AI Engineering: Building with Models
Course Overview
This hands-on course takes students from AI users to AI builders—all with free tools and zero coding experience required. Starting from creating a developer environment, students progress through calling APIs, building RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) systems, custom AI agents, and finally deploying a full-stack AI application. Every module uses free tools only, with OpenRouter's free models router and Google AI Studio as the backbone. By the end, students will have built and deployed their own working AI application. The language is simple, accessible English for beginners.
What You'll Learn
Learning Outcomes
Set up a complete developer environment with VS Code, Python, Node.js, and virtual environments
Make API calls to AI models in both Python and JavaScript with proper error handling and security
Build a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline from scratch using free embedding models
Create custom AI agents with tools and reasoning using the ReAct pattern
Use AI frameworks like LangChain, Vercel AI SDK, and Google AI Studio effectively
Version, template, and A/B test prompts systematically
Build evaluation pipelines with automated checks and LLM-as-judge techniques
Deploy AI applications on free tiers of Hugging Face Spaces, Replit, and Vercel
Monitor, log, and track AI application performance and costs
Build and deploy a complete full-stack AI application as a capstone project
Syllabus Overview
This hands-on course takes students from AI users to AI builders—all with free tools and zero coding experience required. Starting from creating a developer environment, students progress through calling APIs, building RAG systems, custom AI agents, and finally deploying a full-stack AI application. Every module uses free tools only, with OpenRouter's free models router and Google AI Studio as the backbone.
Course Structure
Modules & Lessons
10 modules · 30 lessons
Removing the biggest barrier for beginners—getting the right tools installed and working. Students install VS Code, set up Python and Node.js, learn virtual environments, create an OpenRouter account, get their free API key, and make their first AI model call.
- 01Your First Developer Environment
- 02Virtual Environments & Your First Package
- 03Your First AI API Call (The Magic Moment)
Enroll in
This Course
Ready to advance your skills? Join Applied AI Engineering: Building with Models through FIRAT Academy's enrollment platform.