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Using AI Tools and Python to Automate Tasks

Published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.

Beginner content levelBeginner

Automating repetitive tasks for noncoders

Course outcomes

  • Understand the basics of Python scripting (writing simple code) without prior programming experience
  • Explore ways to leverage current AI tools to help you learn Python faster
  • Learn how to automate tasks such as file organization and data entry to increase personal and professional productivity
  • Leverage simple Python scripts to use external AI tools

Course description

Join expert Lucas Soares to dive into the world of Python scripting and discover how to automate tasks that can simplify your life. This comprehensive two-day course is designed specifically for nondevelopers and nontechnical individuals. You’ll learn to write simple Python scripts without any prior coding experience, and automate repetitive tasks and integrate external AI tools to bypass expensive subscription fees. By the end of this course, you’ll be equipped with practical skills to automate some of your personal workflows.

What you’ll learn and how you can apply it

  • Learn to write Python scripts that handle repetitive tasks such as file organization, data entry, and more
  • Build a strong foundation for further exploration into programming and automation
  • Apply these skills to save time and reduce manual effort in daily activities
  • Use AI to add capabilities like natural language processing, data analysis, and content generation to your scripts

This live event is for you because...

  • You’re a nontechnical professional who’s looking to increase productivity through automation.
  • You want to learn practical skills to automate tasks without diving deep into programming.
  • You’re interested in integrating AI capabilities into everyday tools without a complex setup.
  • You aim to streamline your workflow by learning to leverage AI tools effectively in simple programs.

Prerequisites

  • Familiarity with the ChatGPT interface or any LLM interface
  • Basic research and computer skills (no prior programming experience required)
  • Optional: To follow along with hands-on demonstrations, access to a subscription-based AI coding assistant—such as Cursor, Claude, or a similar service—is recommended.

Recommended preparation:

Recommended follow-up:

Schedule

The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.

Day 1

Introduction (45 minutes)

  • Presentation: Overview of the power of Python scripting and AI integration
  • Hands-on exercise: Setting up the Python environment on your computer

Python scripting basics (75 minutes)

  • Presentation: Understanding scripting versus programming; introduction to Python syntax and basic commands.
  • Hands-on exercises: Writing your first Python script; working with variables and data types; exploring simple arithmetic operations and string manipulations
  • Q&A
  • Break

Functions and working with data (45 minutes)

  • Presentation: Functions in Python; working with data in Python
  • Hands-on exercises: Working with functions: interacting with tables, CSVs, and simple databases in Python
  • Q&A
  • Break

Automating everyday tasks (75 minutes)

  • Presentation: Automating file operations (organizing files, renaming, moving); reading from and writing to files (text files, CSVs); introduction to control structures (loops and conditionals)
  • Hands-on exercises: Creating a script to organize files based on file type; writing a script to automate data entry from a CSV file
  • Q&A

Day 2

Demystifying code for the nondeveloper (45 minutes)

  • Presentation: Rules and frameworks to simplify your automations as a nontechnical developer; the technical building blocks of a Python automation
  • Hands-on exercise: Step-by-step process to automate everything
  • Q&A

Automating your browser with Python (45 minutes)

  • Presentation: Automating repetitive tasks in your browser
  • Hands-on exercises: Automating log-in and website operations for Letterboxd; exploring tools for extracting data from websites; filling out forms with Python
  • Q&A
  • Break

Integrating AI through AI APIs (75 minutes)

  • Presentation: Introduction to APIs and how they work; overview of AI services (OpenAI, Claude, Llama 3, etc.); setting up access to AI APIs (creating accounts, obtaining API keys)
  • Hands-on exercises: Making API calls using Python’s requests library; writing a script that sends a prompt to an AI model and processes the response
  • Q&A
  • Break

Building AI-enhanced automation projects (75 minutes)

  • Presentation: Combining automation with AI for enhanced functionality
  • Hands-on exercises: Developing a personalized email assistant that drafts emails based on key points; creating an intelligent scheduler that organizes appointments using AI; extracting data from receipts and storing in a CSV; building your own AI/automation scripts
  • Q&A

Your Instructor

  • Lucas Soares

    Lucas Soares is a machine learning engineer who has worked at K1 Digital and Biometrid, where he developed computer vision and NLP models for applications such as document verification, OCR-based applications, and recommender systems. Lucas has also developed various ML models, including neural networks, Siamese networks, convolutional neural networks, LSTMs, and genetic algorithms.

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Skill covered

Python