Six books to learn AI like a craft: one piece at a time, in the right order.

In order, from volume 1 to volume 6: each volume assumes the previous ones and nothing more, because no piece is explained before the pieces it contains. Volume 2 is the exception: it can be read on its own, and the notions from volume 1 that it needs are recalled in one sentence, with a pointer to the original chapter. If you only want one topic, pick the volume that matches your need: accessing models (volume 1), performing tasks (2), giving knowledge and memory (3), connecting the means to act (4), building agents and flows (5), operating and governing (6).

Not for volumes 1 and 2: volume 1 is followed with a few terminal commands given step by step, and most of the tasks in volume 2 need no code at all. From volume 3 on, you build parts: the volume assumes someone who writes a small program, or who works alongside someone who does. Volumes 4 and 5 are mostly developer work, but the second part of volume 5 works just as well by reading the code or leaving it to someone who can write it, and the last part of volume 6 is aimed at management, who write no code. Anyone who orders a part or uses it without having coded it will find what they need to judge a choice and ask the right question.

No. The mathematics is optional: the science is first explained with diagrams and analogies. When a calculation genuinely clarifies a notion, such as a similarity measure, a cost or an error rate, it sits in a clearly marked "Let’s do the math" call-out box that you can skip without losing the thread.

Yes, for three reference systems: Windows 11, macOS on Apple silicon and Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, with notes for other distributions and earlier versions. When a tool does not work natively on one of the three, or when no official page documents it, the book says so instead of guessing.

The facts, tools and prices cited were checked against their primary sources between 20 and 22 September 2026, depending on the volume, and the most volatile items (versions, prices, product states, ongoing operations) were rechecked on 28 September 2026. Every volatile fact carries its date, and the official page of a product always prevails: what lasts is the mechanisms taught, more than the product names.

Each volume is designed for print in 8.5 x 11 inch format, in color, so that figures and tables stay readable. The books are written in full sentences, with a paragraph introducing every table and every figure, so that they could also be offered as an audio version.

Yes. They are intended for educational purposes, including teaching and in-house training. The last chapter of volume 6 is devoted to training employees, with a plan by audience (those who use, those who build, those who decide), and the eight belts make it possible to place a team on a clear scale. Resale, redistribution and reproduction outside that framework require the author’s written permission. Nothing in the books constitutes legal, tax or professional advice.

In French. The Quebec and Canada notes give the locally applicable rules, thresholds and texts, and foreign benchmarks, such as European law, are flagged as such. Product names, commands and the interfaces cited stay in their original language, often English.