AI Specialization Program

• Soft AI Academy
AI Specialization Program
•
Technical Tracks
AI Engineering & Data

🔹 WEEK 1–2: Core AI Foundations + Data Engineering Lite

Theme: Think Like an AI Engineer

What is AI Engineering?

Math for ML (linear algebra, probability – practical focus)

Python for AI Systems

Data Structures & Algorithms basics

Git & GitHub workflow.

Datasets & Data Pipelines:

Pandas / Polars

Handling messy datasets (missing values, multilingual African text)

Feature engineering basics.

Model lifecycle overview.

Outcome:

Students can manage data, version code, and understand system flow.

🔹 WEEK 3–4: Machine Learning, Deep Learning & MLOps Basics

Theme: Build & Evaluate Models Properly

Supervised vs Unsupervised Learning

Regression & Classification

Model evaluation metrics

Overfitting, bias, variance

Neural Networks fundamentals

Introduction to PyTorch

Training loops & experimentation

Model versioning (MLflow/DVC intro)

Basic model serving

Intro to monitoring & drift awareness

Bias detection (Fairlearn/AIF360 intro)

Outcome:

Students can build, evaluate, and manage ML models responsibly.

🔹 WEEK 5–6: NLP, Computer Vision, Generative AI & Deployment

Theme: Modern AI Systems & GenAI Engineering

NLP fundamentals

Transformers & LLM architecture

Hugging Face ecosystem (Datasets, Transformers)

Prompt engineering mastery

RAG systems (FAISS/Chroma intro)

Simple agents (tool-calling / ReAct concept)

Basic fine-tuning (LoRA/QLoRA concept-level hands-on)

LLM evaluation & hallucination checks

Computer Vision basics (classification/detection)

AI automation pipelines.

Deployment basics:

FastAPI / Streamlit

Docker intro

Hugging Face Spaces deploy demo.

Monitoring & guardrails

Outcome:

Students can build and deploy GenAI-powered systems.

🔹 WEEK 7–8: Production-Ready Capstone

Theme: Ship a Real System

Students must:

✔ Identify real African problem

✔ Collect or simulate dataset

✔ Build ML/DL model

✔ Integrate GenAI or RAG component

✔ Evaluate performance

✔ Conduct bias/ethics testing

✔ Deploy working demo

✔ Write technical documentation

✔ Present portfolio-ready case study

Capstone includes:

Code repository

Deployed demo link

System architecture diagram

Ethics & bias mitigation explanation

Model evaluation report

Outcome:

Portfolio-grade system..

Creative & Entrepreneurial Tracks:

Empower creators and builders to innovate with AI.

AI for Creators & Media Professionals — AI design tools, video & audio generation, writing & storytelling assistants, branding workflows

AI for Entrepreneurs & Startups — AI-powered business model design, market research automation, rapid prototyping with AI tools.

Research Track:

AI Research Foundations

Advanced theory, research methodologies, experimentation, literature review, contributing to Africa's AI research ecosystem, preparing for academia or R&D roles.ses.

Program Highlights

100% hands-on: Real African use cases, projects, and challenges

Mentor support from industry experts

Portfolio-building capstone + potential certifications

Accessible AI Learning (aligned with Soft AI's mission to empower Africans)

Focus on impact: Solve local problems, create jobs, and drive Africa's AI transformation.