Step-by-step installation instructions for everything you need in this course.
Choose your operating system where indicated. If you get stuck on any step, bring your questions to class — we'll get you sorted out.
Python is the programming language we'll use for the entire course. We need version 3.8 or newer.
Go to python.org/downloads and click the big yellow "Download Python 3.x.x" button.
Open the downloaded .exe file. On the first screen:
Then click "Install Now" (the default options are fine).
Open Command Prompt (search for "cmd" in the Start menu) and type:
python --version
You should see something like Python 3.12.x. If you see an error, try:
python3 --version
In the same Command Prompt, type:
pip --version
You should see a version number and a file path. pip comes bundled with Python and is how we'll install additional libraries.
python isn't recognized, you likely missed the "Add to PATH"
checkbox. The easiest fix is to uninstall Python (Settings → Apps), re-download, and re-run the
installer — this time checking that box.
Go to
python.org/downloads and
click the big yellow "Download Python 3.x.x" button. This will download a
.pkg file.
Open the downloaded .pkg file and follow the prompts. Click
Continue through each step and then Install. You may need to enter
your Mac password.
Open Terminal (search for "Terminal" in Spotlight with Cmd+Space) and type:
python3 --version
You should see something like Python 3.12.x.
python3 and pip3 (not
python and pip), because python may point to the old system
version.
In the same Terminal window, type:
pip3 --version
Most Linux distributions come with Python pre-installed. Open a Terminal and check:
python3 --version
If it's 3.8+ you're good. If not, or if it's missing:
Ubuntu / Debian:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv
Fedora:
sudo dnf install python3 python3-pip
pip3 --version
VS Code is a free code editor that makes writing Python much easier with features like syntax highlighting, error detection, and a built-in terminal.
Go to code.visualstudio.com and click the blue "Download for Windows" button.
Open the downloaded file and follow the prompts. On the "Select Additional Tasks" screen, check:
Go to code.visualstudio.com and click the blue "Download for Mac" button. Choose the version for your chip (Apple Silicon or Intel).
Open the downloaded .zip file. Drag Visual Studio Code.app to your
Applications folder. Then open it from Applications.
Open VS Code, press Cmd+Shift+P to open the Command Palette, type
shell command, and select "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH".
This lets you open VS Code from Terminal.
Go to
code.visualstudio.com and
download the .deb (Ubuntu/Debian) or .rpm (Fedora) package.
Ubuntu / Debian:
sudo dpkg -i code_*.deb
Fedora:
sudo rpm -i code_*.rpm
This is required — it adds Python support to VS Code.
Open VS Code and click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar (it looks like 4 squares).
Search for "Python" and install the one by Microsoft (it should be the first result with millions of downloads).
After installing, restart VS Code.
In VS Code, go to File → New File. Save it as hello.py (the
.py extension is important).
Type the following code:
print("Hello, AI course!")
Click the play button (triangle) in the top-right corner, or right-click and select
"Run Python File in Terminal". You should see Hello, AI course! in the
terminal at the bottom.
Git is version control software that tracks changes to your code. We'll start using it in Week 8, but it's good to install early.
Go to git-scm.com/downloads/win and download the installer.
Open the downloaded file. The default options are fine for every screen — just click Next through each step and then Install.
Open a new Command Prompt window and type:
git --version
The easiest way on Mac. Open Terminal and type:
git --version
If Git isn't installed, macOS will automatically prompt you to install the Xcode Command Line Tools. Click Install and wait for it to finish (this can take a few minutes).
Run git --version again. You should see a version number.
Ubuntu / Debian:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install git
Fedora:
sudo dnf install git
git --version
Tell Git who you are. This info appears on your code commits.
Set your name (replace with your actual name):
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
Set your email:
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
We'll install additional packages as we need them throughout the course. Here's how to install them and what we'll use.
Open your terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on Mac/Linux) and use pip:
pip install library-name
pip3 install library-name
You don't need to install all of these right now. Install them as we reach each week.
requests
Makes HTTP requests to APIs
Week 4
pip install requests
python-dotenv
Loads API keys from .env files
Week 4
pip install python-dotenv
openai
OpenAI API client (GPT, DALL-E, etc.)
Week 5
pip install openai
anthropic
Anthropic API client (Claude)
Week 5
pip install anthropic
pandas
Data analysis & CSV processing
Week 9
pip install pandas
numpy
Numerical computing & vectors
Week 11
pip install numpy
matplotlib
Creating charts & visualizations
Week 9
pip install matplotlib
gradio
Build simple web interfaces for AI apps
Week 15
pip install gradio
When you're ready for Week 4, run this single command to install the initial set of libraries:
pip install requests python-dotenv openai anthropic
pip3 install requests python-dotenv openai anthropic
--user to the end of the command, e.g.
pip install requests --user. On Mac/Linux you can also try prefixing with sudo,
though --user is preferred.
API keys are like passwords that let your programs talk to AI services. You'll need these starting in Week 4.
.env files to keep them safe.
Go to openweathermap.org/api and click "Sign Up".
Create a free account with your email.
After confirming your email, go to "API keys" in your account dashboard. You'll see a default key — copy it.
Go to platform.openai.com and create an account.
Navigate to API Keys in the left sidebar and click "Create new secret key".
Copy the key immediately — you won't be able to see it again.
Go to console.anthropic.com and create an account.
Navigate to API Keys and create a new key.
Copy and save the key securely.
In your project folder, create a file called .env (note the dot at the beginning). Add your
keys like this:
OPENWEATHER_API_KEY=your_key_here OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key_here ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here
In your Python code, load them like this:
from dotenv import load_dotenv import os load_dotenv() api_key = os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY")
.gitignore file in
Week 8 to prevent this automatically.
Run this quick check to confirm your setup is ready for the course.
Open VS Code, create a new file called setup_check.py, and paste the following:
import sys print("=" * 40) print(" AI Course Setup Check") print("=" * 40) print() # Check Python
version version = sys.version_info print(f"Python version:
{version.major}.{version.minor}.{version.micro}") if version.major == 3 and version.minor >= 8: print("
✓ Python version is good!") else: print(" ✗ Please install Python 3.8 or newer") print() # Check
required libraries libraries = { "requests": "HTTP requests (Week 4)", "dotenv": "Environment variables
(Week 4)", } optional_libraries = { "openai": "OpenAI API (Week 5)", "anthropic": "Anthropic API (Week
5)", "pandas": "Data analysis (Week 9)", "numpy": "Numerical computing (Week 11)", "matplotlib":
"Visualizations (Week 9)", } print("Required libraries:") for lib, desc in libraries.items(): try:
__import__(lib) print(f" ✓ {lib} - {desc}") except ImportError: print(f" ✗ {lib} - {desc} (not
installed)") print() print("Optional libraries (install when needed):") for lib, desc in
optional_libraries.items(): try: __import__(lib) print(f" ✓ {lib} - {desc}") except ImportError:
print(f" - {lib} - {desc} (not yet installed)") print() print("=" * 40) print(" Setup check complete!")
print("=" * 40)
Click the play button in VS Code or run from your terminal:
python setup_check.py
python3 setup_check.py