Designing Autonomous AI (Coursera)

Designing Autonomous AI (Coursera)

When children learn how to hit a baseball, they don’t start with fastballs. Their coaches begin with the basics: how to grip the handle of the bat, where to put their feet and how to keep their eyes on the ball. Similarly, an autonomous AI system needs a subject matter expert (SME) to break a complex process or problem into easier tasks that give the AI important clues about how to find a solution faster.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

In this course, you’ll learn how to distill a business challenge into its component parts by creating an autonomous AI design plan. Using lessons, goal setting, skills, strategies and rewards, you’ll incorporate your SME’s knowledge directly into your AI’s “brain,” the agent that powers your autonomous system. You'll learn when and how to combine various AI architecture design patterns, as well as how to design an advanced AI at the architectural level without worrying about the implementation of neural networks or machine learning algorithms.
At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
• Interview SMEs to extract their unique knowledge about a system or process
• Combine reinforcement learning with expert rules, optimization and mathematical calculations in an AI brain
• Design an autonomous AI brain from modular components to guide the learning process for a particular task
•. Validate your brain design against existing expertise and techniques for solving problems
• Produce a detailed specifications document so that someone else can build your AI brain

What You Will Learn
• You'll gain key AI terminology and understand how to teach and train AI.
• You'll design your own original autonomous AI system.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Defining your AI
The first step in designing an autonomous AI is defining what your AI is going to do and what the goals are? Think about it like describing a game to someone. First you explain what the object of the game is, and then you describe the rules. In this module you'll learn how to do the same for your autonomous AI use case.

WEEK 2
Teaching Skills to your AI
Autonomous AI brains are built from skills. Skills are “units of competence for completing tasks that have sub-goals associated with them.” This week you'll learn to outline the skills you want your autonomous AI brain to learn. First, you’ll identify three different types of skills that you can build into your brains. Then, you’ll learn a strategy that will help easily extract and document skills from subject matter experts you interview. Along the way we’ll look at some design patterns that you can use as templates to start your use case brain designs.

WEEK 3
Organizing Skills in your AI
Now that you understand how to interview a subject matter expert and lay out all the skills that you want your AI to practice, you need to organize those skills in the brain. In this module you’ll learn two organizing paradigms for skills in autonomous AI, and a three-step framework for completing this orchestration. This week you’ll see some brain design patterns for example use cases, to help you with thinking about organizing your own use case brain design.

WEEK 4
Putting it All Together
Now it's time to put it all together. You've defined your AI, you've identified a set of skills that you want to teach your AI and you've used brain design patterns in the paradigms of orchestration to snap those skills together in the right arrangement. There's a few pitfalls to orchestration that you should be aware of and you’ll have lots of opportunity to practice creating variations on brain designs for sample problems. Make sure to share your brain designs from the lab in the forum, so we can discuss them together and learn from each other.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Math for AI beginner part 1 Linear Algebra (Coursera) Coursera
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - KAIST

Math for AI beginner part 1 Linear Algebra (Coursera)

'Learn concept of AI such as machine learning, deep-learning, support vector machine which is related to linear algebra. Learn how to use linear algebra for AI algorithm. After completing this course, you are able to understand AI algorithm and basics of linear algebra for AI applications.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Build and Execute an Organisational AI Strategy (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

Build and Execute an Organisational AI Strategy (Coursera)

AI is the hottest, most exciting technology to burst onto the scene in recent years. Its impact is so big, it is revolutionizing industries all over the globe. If you are an executive, you may be wondering how to harness AI's incredible power for your organization. Well, this course is going to show you how to do just that.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Deep Learning for Business (Coursera) Coursera
Yonsei University

Deep Learning for Business (Coursera)

Your smartphone, smartwatch, and automobile (if it is a newer model) have AI (Artificial Intelligence) inside serving you every day. In the near future, more advanced “self-learning” capable DL (Deep Learning) and ML (Machine Learning) technology will be used in almost every aspect of your business and industry. So now is the right time to learn what DL and ML is and how to use it in advantage of your company. This course has three parts, where the first part focuses on DL and ML technology based future business strategy including details on new state-of-the-art products/services and open source DL software, which are the future enablers.

Oct 19th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics & Societal Challenges (Coursera) Coursera
Lund University

Artificial Intelligence: Ethics & Societal Challenges (Coursera)

Artificial Intelligence: Ethics & Societal Challenges is a four-week course that explores ethical and societal aspects of the increasing use of artificial intelligent technologies (AI). The aim of the course is to raise awareness of ethical and societal aspects of AI and to stimulate reflection and discussion upon implications of the use of AI in society.

Oct 19th 2026
4 Weeks
Machine Learning in Healthcare: Fundamentals & Applications (Coursera) Coursera
Northeastern University

Machine Learning in Healthcare: Fundamentals & Applications (Coursera)

Examines data mining perspectives and methods in a healthcare context. Introduces the theoretical foundations for major data mining methods and studies how to select and use the appropriate data mining method and the major advantages for each. Students are exposed to contemporary data mining software applications and basic programming skills. Focuses on solving real-world problems, which require data cleaning, data transformation, and data modeling.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Enhancing Educational Content with Fliki AI's Text-to-Speech (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

Enhancing Educational Content with Fliki AI's Text-to-Speech (Coursera)

In a world where information is readily available, the ability to effectively communicate and engage an audience has become crucial. With the power of Fliki AI, a cutting-edge text-to-speech and video creation platform, you can transform educational content into captivating and informative multimedia experiences.

Oct 26th 2026
1 Week
General AI Mastery Toolbox: Master AI and Drive Success (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

General AI Mastery Toolbox: Master AI and Drive Success (Coursera)

General Artificial Intelligence (AI) has proven its value in the business world with its multiple uses. The various applications of AI have proved to be of increasing value to businesses in their ability to meet customer demand with efficiency and creativity. To remain in sync with the direction of business entities, individuals need a tool kit to assist them as they master this technology.

Oct 26th 2026
1 Week
Introduction to Digital Transformation (Coursera) Coursera
Siemens

Introduction to Digital Transformation (Coursera)

This course is primarily for professionals, college students, and advanced high school students who are interested in driving the digital transformation by integrating automation, software, and cutting-edge technologies. This course represents a foundational introduction to Digital Transformation, appropriate for learners with a basic familiarity with common business terms and concepts and an interest in digital technology.

Oct 19th 2026
5-12 Weeks
How to Get Into AI (Coursera) Coursera
University of Leeds

How to Get Into AI (Coursera)

AI forms the basis for all computer learning and is the future of all complex decision-making. As such it is becoming increasingly prevalent in daily life. As a result, the outlook is bright for artificial intelligence jobs. In this course, you will learn how to navigate the dynamic field of artificial intelligence (AI), exploring its applications and the evolving landscape of AI-related careers.

Oct 26th 2026
2 Weeks
Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment for GenAI Projects (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment for GenAI Projects (Coursera)

In a world increasingly driven by artificial intelligence, the line between technological advancement and fundamental human rights is more important than ever. “Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment for GenAI projects” is a course that equips you with the skills to navigate the intersection between innovation and our intrinsic rights to privacy, freedom, and equality.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks