Introduction to Generative AI (705.605), an offering in the Engineering for Professionals (EP) program in Artificial Intelligence, was developed as a direct response to one of the most urgent and transformative needs in today’s workforce: the rapid integration of generative AI technologies across industries.
From healthcare and finance to media and defense, employers are seeking professionals who understand how systems like GPT-4, DALL·E, and generative agents operate—and how to build them responsibly, and the course was developed to meet that demand. EP students gain a comprehensive foundation in both the classical roots and state-of-the-art methods in generative AI.
The course bridges theory and practice by combining rigorous technical instruction with hands-on projects that culminate in the design and deployment of an original generative application. Students explore real-world challenges such as prompt engineering, RAG pipelines, and ethical concerns like bias and misinformation—topics that directly mirror those being tackled in industry labs and AI policy circles today. By equipping students with the technical fluency and ethical framework needed to lead in this space.