Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming

Writing computer programs in Python just got a lot easier! Use AI-assisted coding tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT to turn your ideas into applications faster than ever.

AI has changed the way we write computer programs. With tools like Copilot and ChatGPT, you can describe what you want in plain English, and watch your AI assistant generate the code right before your eyes. It’s perfect for beginners, or anyone who’s struggled with the steep learning curve of traditional programming.

In Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming: With GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT you’ll learn how to:

• Write fun and useful Python applications—no programming experience required!
• Use the Copilot AI coding assistant to create Python programs
• Write prompts that tell Copilot exactly what to do
• Read Python code and understand what it does
• Test your programs to make sure they work the way you want them to
• Fix code with prompt engineering or human tweaks
• Apply Python creatively to help out on the job

Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming: With GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT is a hands-on beginner’s guide that is written by two esteemed computer science university professors. It teaches you everything you need to start programming Python in an AI-first world. You’ll hit the ground running, writing prompts that tell your AI-assistant exactly what you want your programs to do. Along the way, you’ll pick up the essentials of Python programming and practice the higher-level thinking you’ll need to create working apps for data analysis, automating tedious tasks, and even video games.

Foreword by Beth Simon, Ph.D.

About the technology

The way people write computer programs has changed forever. Using GitHub Copilot, you describe in plain English what you want your program to do, and the AI generates it instantly.

About the book

This book shows you how to create and improve Python programs using AI—even if you’ve never written a line of computer code before. Spend less time on the slow, low-level programming details and instead learn how an AI assistant can bring your ideas to life immediately. As you go, you’ll even learn enough of the Python language to understand and improve what your AI assistant creates.

What’s inside

• Prompts for working code
• Tweak code manually and with AI help
• AI-test your programs
• Let AI handle tedious details

About the reader

If you can move files around on your computer and install new programs, you can learn to write useful software!

Table of Contents

1 Introducing AI-assisted programming with Copilot

2 Getting started with Copilot

3 Designing functions

4 Reading Python code – Part 1

5 Reading Python Code – Part 2

6 Testing and prompt engineering

7 Problem decomposition

8 Debugging and better understanding your code

9 Automating tedious tasks

10 Making some games

11 Future directions

Feeling overwhelmed with Python syntax?

You’re not alone. Welcome to Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming, a new approach that combines traditional coding with intuitive, plain English commands using AI.

Discover how AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT can simplify coding. Write software quicker, whether for data analysis, automation, game development, or other projects, all while maintaining your unique thought process and productivity.

Don’t worry about syntax rules—focus on creating high-quality code, and let AI handle the rest. Embrace this new path, and make programming a less daunting task!

Key Lessons

The AI Revolution is here! In Chapter 1, explore how programming (and learning to program) is different in a world with AI coding assistants, and how programmers can best take advantage.

Python’s “Top Ten.” In Chapters 4 and 5, take a look at the top ten Python features you need to be able to recognize, whether you’re using AI assistance or not.

Solve problems from the top down… In Chapter 7, solve BIG problems by breaking them down into little problems via a top-down approach.

Setting it Apart

Written by computer science and programming educators who’ve won numerous prestigious teaching and research awards, Dr. Leo Porter and Dr. Daniel Zingaro, this groundbreaking book presents a new way of getting started with programming.

Harness the power of AI coding assistants and high-level thinking—instead of focusing on what historically makes learning programming hard: syntax. In Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming, gain the skills to use Copilot and ChatGPT to generate code that does what you need it to do, what you tell it to do, and nothing else.

Review

“. . . masterfully blends the basics of programming with the effective use of AI tools to produce code.” —Mehran Sahami, Stanford University

“This is such a well thought out book from the point of view of someone just starting to code post generative AI tools.” —Ana Bell, MIT

“You are about to learn programming with one of the most exciting human task- supporters of this century . . .” —From the foreword by Beth Simon, UC San Diego

“This book accelerates your Copilot programming learning journey beyond what I ever thought possible.” —Austin Z. Henley, Microsoft

About the Author

Dr. Leo Porter is an Associate Teaching Professor of computer science at UC San Diego. He has over a decade of teaching experience and is well-known for his award-winning research on effective pedagogies and assessments in computer science.

Dr. Daniel Zingaro is an Associate Teaching Professor of computer science and award-winning teacher at the University of Toronto. His main area of research is computer science education research, where he studies how students learn computer science material.