Building AI Applications with Watson APIs

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/building-ai-applications

Introduction

## Course Review: Building AI Applications with Watson APIs on Coursera **Introduction** In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the ability to integrate various AI services into applications is indispensable. Coursera's course, "Building AI Applications with Watson APIs," stands out as a comprehensive program for learners eager to harness the power of Watson’s AI services, including Discovery, Speech to Text, Assistant, and Text to Speech. This review examines the course's structure, content, and unique offerings that can significantly enhance your development skills using IBM Watson. ### Course Overview The course is designed to equip you with the skills to write an application leveraging multiple Watson AI services effectively. By the end of the course, you will have a toolkit for combining these services and will be capable of building interactive information retrieval systems, providing a hands-on approach to understanding AI integrations. The friendly yet professional tone employed throughout the course materials promotes an engaging learning experience. ### Syllabus Breakdown **Module 1: Introduction and Creating a Chatbot** This introductory module lays the foundation for the course, outlining prerequisites and scope while discussing the technologies to be used. The hands-on approach begins immediately as you start creating a student advisor chatbot using Watson Assistant. The practical orientation of this module paves the way for the subsequent deeper dives into the Watson services. **Giving It a Voice** One of the unique aspects of the course is the focus on enabling audio interactions for your chatbot. This module teaches how to integrate Watson Speech APIs with your Watson Assistant chatbot. By learning different interaction modalities, you prepare your application to cater to a wider range of users, enhancing accessibility and user experience. **Deployment** Deployment is a critical aspect of application development, and this module addresses how to deploy your chatbot across popular platforms such as Facebook Messenger and Slack. Understanding deployment strategies will empower you to reach your target audience more effectively, making your AI application more relevant and user-friendly. **Final Project** The culmination of the learning experience is the Final Project, where you will utilize all the skills acquired throughout the course to develop a fully functional Coursera Student Advisor chatbot. This final assessment not only solidifies your learning but also allows you to showcase your skills by leveraging multiple Watson services creatively. **(Optional) Enhancing Your Chatbot with Discovery** This optional module dives into Watson Discovery, which is a powerful tool for analyzing unstructured data. By understanding how to integrate Watson Assistant with Discovery, you can create chatbots that can delve deeper into data and draw insights, thus providing enriched interactions. The inclusion of IBM Cloud Functions in this module illustrates the course’s comprehensive approach to building advanced AI applications. ### Recommendations This course is highly recommended for: 1. **Beginners and Intermediate Developers**: If you're starting your journey into AI or looking to expand your capabilities in integrating AI services, this course is perfect for you. The gradual accumulation of complexity prepares learners at all levels effectively. 2. **AI Enthusiasts**: If you are passionate about AI technology and want to understand how to leverage these systems in practical applications, this is a suitable learning path. 3. **Developers Looking for Real-World Applications**: The practical focus on building a chatbot, deploying it, and enhancing it with advanced features means that you will walk away with applicable skills that can be used in various real-world scenarios. ### Conclusion Overall, "Building AI Applications with Watson APIs" on Coursera is a well-structured, engaging, and informative course that equips learners with essential skills to navigate the development of AI applications. With its practical projects, engaging content, and comprehensive coverage of Watson services, it is an excellent investment for anyone serious about working in the field of AI. By immersing yourself in this course, you can confidently create innovative AI solutions and advance your career in technology. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your skill set and join the evolving world of AI!

Syllabus

Module 1: Introduction and Creating a Chatbot

In this module, we'll discuss the course prerequisites, scope, and the technologies that we'll be using. We'll also get you set up for using key Watson services on the IBM Cloud. And, we'll start to create a student advisor chatbot by leveraging Watson Assistant.

In this module, you'll learn about the various options available to enable interaction with your chatbot via audio rather than textual means. In the labs, you'll work on integrating Watson Assistant with Watson Speech APIs.

This module will teach you how to deploy your chatbot to various channels, including Facebook Messenger and Slack.

In this module, you'll put it all together, by using your newfound skills for the creation of a Coursera Student Advisor. This chatbot will leverage at least two Watson services, including Watson Assistant and DB2.

In this module, you'll learn about Watson Discovery, a paid service and a great tool to extract insight from large volumes of unstructured data. You'll also learn about how integration between Watson Assistant and Discovery works in principle. We'll then use IBM Cloud Functions to integrate your Chatbot with Watson Discovery.