AI and machine learning · Free · ₹0

Generative AI and LLM Foundations

What a language model is actually doing when it answers, why it is confidently wrong sometimes, how to call one from Python on a free route, how to run one privately on your own laptop, and how to test one before you trust it with a datasheet. The concept course under the whole AI track.

4.8EDWartens India · 524+ reviews 13 modules 10h 31m of video English · self-paced

Generative AI and LLM Foundations course cover

Inside the course

Generative AI and LLM Foundations: Syllabus at a glance

Generative AI and LLM Foundations: What you will be able to do

Generative AI and LLM Foundations: Tools and credits

From the lessons

What generative AI is, and what it is not
Simplilearn
How the models are built: Karpathy's introduction
Andrej Karpathy
Using it responsibly in a plant
Microsoft Developer
Calling a model from Python
Microsoft Developer
Embeddings, vector search and the idea of RAG
IBM Technology
Prompting, RAG or fine-tuning; images and low-code
Microsoft Developer

Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.

What you will learn

Explain tokens, context windows, training and hallucination in plain words; choose between hosted and local models for a job; write a structured prompt with a NOT FOUND rule; call free models through the OpenRouter API and run open models with Ollama; understand embeddings, RAG, function calling and agents; and evaluate an assistant with a proper test set.

Explain in plain words what an LLM does when it answers, and why it hallucinates
Choose a model for a job: context length, JSON output, local or hosted, licence
Write a prompt with role, task, context, format and a NOT FOUND rule
Call a free model from Python through OpenRouter, with retries and JSON output
Run an open model privately on your own laptop with Ollama and a Modelfile
Build a datasheet assistant and measure its accuracy and refusal rate with a real test set

Course content

13 modules · 34 lessons · 10h 31m

In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last, and a short quiz.

01What generative AI is, and what it is not3 lessons27m
02How an LLM works: tokens in, probabilities out4 lessons24m
03How the models are built: Karpathy's introduction1 lesson60m
04Choosing a model: hosted, local, open and free2 lessons33m
05Using it responsibly in a plant3 lessons28m
06Prompting fundamentals2 lessons41m
07Calling a model from Python2 lessons29m
08Running a model on your own machine with Ollama5 lessons42m
09Embeddings, vector search and the idea of RAG4 lessons46m
10Function calling, agents and the application lifecycle4 lessons43m
11Prompting, RAG or fine-tuning; images and low-code3 lessons1h 0m
12The datasheet assistant, tested1 lesson3h 19m
13Final assessment0 lessons0m

Requirements

Who it is for: Beginner. No coding needed for eight of the twelve modules; basic Python (the Python for AI course, or equivalent) for the API and project modules.
Software: Google Colab, a free OpenRouter key, optionally Ollama on your own laptop. No paid account anywhere.
Hardware: None required. A laptop with 8 GB RAM runs the optional local models.

Generative AI and LLM Foundations at a glance

Generative AI and LLM Foundations is a free, self-paced online ai and machine learning course from EDWartens India with 13 modules, 10h 31m of video lessons, written notes, practice tasks and assessments, and an optional verifiable certificate.

Price: ₹0, free for good. No trial, no card. Comparable classroom training of this length costs about ₹5,999.
Format: 13 self-paced modules, 10h 31m of video, written notes, a quiz per module and a final assessment.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. No coding needed for eight of the twelve modules; basic Python (the Python for AI course, or equivalent) for the API and project modules.
Brand: Vendor-neutral
Software: Google Colab, a free OpenRouter key, optionally Ollama on your own laptop. No paid account anywhere.
Hardware: None required. A laptop with 8 GB RAM runs the optional local models.
Certificate: Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
Video lessons by: Microsoft Developer, 3Blue1Brown, Andrej Karpathy, IBM Technology, codebasics, Tech With Tim, Amit Thinks, KodeKloud, Simplilearn, edureka! (independent creators, credited below)
Language: English

A shareable EDWartens certificate

Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.

Add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
Link it from a CV or portfolio, the URL is permanent
Publicly verifiable by code, not a PDF anyone can edit
Issued by EDWartens India, the training centre itself

The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.

Stuck? Ask a practising engineer

A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.

Questions answered in the context of the module you are on
The same engineers who teach the AEP programme
Career tools, CV help and public job listings included
Your progress and notes stay in your account for good

Pairs well with

PLC programming · FreeSiemens TIA PortalFrom zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.

PLC programming · FreeSiemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial SeriesEvery S7-1200 instruction, one short video at a time: bits, edges, timers, counters, comparators, maths, MOVE, conversion, analog scaling, jumps and shift registers.

HMI · FreeSiemens TIA Portal HMI: KTP and Comfort Panels with WinCCEvery screen a plant operator touches, built in TIA Portal: tags, buttons, symbols, numeric input, bar graphs, navigation and templates, trends, alarms, recipes, faceplates, pop-ups, users and languages.

Process control · FreeSiemens TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog ProcessingClosed-loop control the way it is done on an S7-1200 or S7-1500: analog in, NORM_X and SCALE_X, PID_Compact configured, tuned and wired to an HMI, analog or PWM out, proved on a free tank simulation.

Learning paths with this course

AI foundations for engineers · 4 coursesFrom zero code to a working AI assistant: Python on engineering data, how large language models actually work, prompting for engineering documents, and AI agents and workflow automation with n8n.

Learner reviews

No reviews yet

Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Generative AI and LLM Foundations, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.

Common questions

Do I need to code?

Not for most of it. Eight modules are concepts you can follow with no code at all. The API, Ollama and project modules use short Python snippets that are given to you; if you have never coded, do the Python for AI course alongside.

Do I need a paid ChatGPT or OpenAI account?

No. The course uses OpenRouter's free models, which need only a free key and no card, and Ollama for local models, which is free and runs on your own machine.

What is the project?

You build the simplest assistant that answers questions from three public datasheets on a free model, then test it with fifteen questions you have verified yourself — including five it cannot know — and report its accuracy and how often it invents an answer. A second, shorter project compares a hosted model with a local one.

Is the course really free?

Yes. Every module, practice task, project and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.

What certificate do I get?

An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have submitted a project and passed the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.

Who made the video lessons?

The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks, the projects and the assessments.

What you walk away with

Your certificate for Generative AI and LLM Foundations

Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for Generative AI and LLM Foundations — Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, admission number, a unique certificate number and its own QR code.

Verifiable by anyone
A unique certificate number and a public verification page. A recruiter checks it in ten seconds.
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
Issuer, credential ID and URL prefilled, with 5 matching skills to pin to your profile.
QR code on the certificate
Scans straight to the verification page, so a printed copy proves itself.
Names what you can do
Lists the topics covered, from how large language models are trained and how they predict tokens to building and testing a document question-answering assistant.
A permanent link
Put it on a CV, a portfolio or an application. The URL never changes.
Earned, not attended
Issued only after every module and a final assessment at 70%, with three attempts. That is why it stands up.

Learning is free. The certificate is optional.

Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, ₹459, GST included, with a receipt.

Issued by EDWartens India (Wartens Automation Private Limited) as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.

Credits

Who made the video lessons

The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.

Microsoft Developerthe Generative AI for Beginners series
3Blue1BrownLarge Language Models explained briefly
Andrej Karpathythe one-hour introduction to large language models
IBM Technologythe LLM and RAG explainers
codebasicsthe Gen AI course and the LLM explainer
Tech With TimLearn Ollama in 15 minutes
Amit Thinksthe Ollama installation and custom-model tutorials
KodeKloudRAG explained for beginners
SimplilearnGenerative AI explained in 5 minutes
edureka!the generative AI, LLM and AI ethics explainers

If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.