Which programming languages are best for learning artificial intelligence?

Question

honestly I am so frustrated right now. I have been looking at tutorials for like three days and I still dont even know which button to click first. I want to learn how to do artificial intelligence stuff but every time I search for it I get like fifty different answers and it makes my head hurt. sorry if this is a really basic question but I am just a total beginner with zero coding background. I really want to build this small project for my brothers small business back in Seattle it is just a simple thing to help him categorize customer feedback and emails but I have no idea what language I actually need to learn to make that happen. here is what I am working with:

my budget is basically zero so I need free resources or cheap books

I only have about 5 or 6 hours a week to study because of my full time job

I really want to see some kind of results in maybe three months so I dont lose motivation

I am using a pretty old windows laptop nothing fancy

is Python really the only way to go or are there other ones that are easier for someone who is literally starting from scratch? I heard about something called R but then someone else said that is only for math people and I am definitely not a math person and I just feel so behind already...

NorfolkBroads · Accepted Answer

> is Python really the only way to go I would suggest being careful with that assumption. While Python is standard, the environment setup on an older laptop can be very frustrating for a beginner. You might want to consider Google Colab Cloud Service to avoid local installation issues entirely. For your specific project, make sure to study OReilly Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn Keras and TensorFlow 3rd Edition specifically for the classification chapters. It is a more methodical path than scattered tutorials.

pulfliuvdi · Answer

JavaScript with the Google TensorFlow.js Library is a practical alternative since it runs in your browser and avoids heavy installations. Its better for building apps compared to R, which is mostly for statistics. You could also try Microsoft Lobe Beta Visual ML Software to skip coding entirely. Both are free and work fine on older laptops, tho JavaScript offers more long-term flexibility for your brothers business.

lpkmylmfez · Answer

> is Python really the only way to go or are there other ones that are easier for someone who is literally starting from scratch? Seriously, you hit the nail on the head there!! Python is absolutely the way to go, especially since you are starting from zero coding background. I totally agree with the Python path. One really small point I want to add though is that for your specific goal of categorizing emails, you are gonna want to look at natural language processing libraries once you get the basics down. It sounds super intimidating but its actually so cool!! I used Python for a similar project where I had to sort through thousands of support tickets and it was a total lifesaver. The best part is that Python has this massive community so whenever you get stuck, someone has already asked that question on a forum somewhere else. You wont be alone!! Since you have a limited budget, Python is perfect because everything you need is free. You dont need a fancy computer at all to run basic scripts. My first AI project ran on a laptop that was basically a glorified toaster lol. Just stick with it and dont let the math people scare you off. Most of the time you are just using tools that other people built to do the hard math for you. Its gonna be amazing when you see that first email get categorized automatically!! Keep that energy up because three months is totally doable if you stay focused on just the basics first.