Purpose

This policy defines how learners are expected to use AI tools during assignments and projects. The goal of this bootcamp is not just to produce working code, but to develop your ability to:

• Think like an engineer
• Understand AI systems deeply
• Build, debug, and explain intelligent systems

Core Principle

Use AI as a copilot, not as the pilot. AI is a tool to assist your thinking, not replace it.

Acceptable Use of AI

You are encouraged to use AI tools to:

• Understand concepts and unfamiliar topics
• Debug errors and troubleshoot issues
• Generate starter code or examples
• Improve code structure and readability
• Explore alternative approaches

Unacceptable Use of AI

The following are not allowed:

• Submitting code you do not understand
• Copying and pasting full AI-generated solutions without modification
• Relying entirely on AI to complete the assignment
• Skipping the learning process by outsourcing thinking to AI
• Claiming AI-generated work as fully your own effort

Required Understanding

For every assignment, you must be able to clearly explain:

1. What your agent does
2. How your tool function works
3. How the agent decides to call a tool
4. How the API response is processed
5. How your final output is generated

If you cannot explain your code, you have not completed the assignment.

AI Usage Disclosure

For each assignment, include a short section titled How I Used AI. Briefly describe:

• What AI tools you used, such as ChatGPT, Claude, or similar tools
• The types of prompts you asked
• What parts of the code were AI-assisted
• What you modified or improved yourself

Learning Expectations

You are expected to:

• Break things and fix them
• Experiment and iterate
• Ask questions when stuck
• Understand before optimizing

Evaluation Approach

Your work will be assessed based on:

• Understanding, which is most important
• Correctness of implementation
• Ability to explain your solution
• Code clarity and structure
• Proper use of tools and APIs

Consequences of Misuse

If it is clear that you do not understand your submission, or that your work is entirely AI-generated without effort, you may be asked to:

• Re-do the assignment
• Explain your work live
• Receive reduced credit

What Success Looks Like

By the end of this bootcamp, you should be able to:

• Use AI effectively without depending on it
• Build real-world AI systems confidently
• Think critically about AI outputs
• Design, debug, and improve intelligent workflows

Final Note

Most people use AI to get answers. Great engineers use AI to build systems. This is the standard we are building toward.