Artificial Intelligence Hub resources
Learning materials to help Penn State researchers build skills in artificial intelligence (AI), whether they are just getting started or deepening existing expertise. Entries come from Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) Upskilling Fellows and the wider ICDS community.
This hub is for anyone wondering where do I start with AI, which learning resources have others found particularly useful, or which tools are my colleagues actually using. Each entry names a real person who tried the resource and says how useful they found it. All opinions are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of ICDS or Penn State.
The AI Hub’s own website is at ai.psu.edu.
Start here
If you are new to AI and want a short list of starting points, then consider:
- AI Essentials: Faculty Resources (Penn State) — Penn State’s foundational AI literacy materials for faculty, including a quick-start guide and course-integration resources. Level: Beginner. Best for: Research, Productivity, Teaching context.
- AI at Penn State: Resource Library — The university’s central collection of AI guidance, tools, and training. Level: Beginner to Intermediate. Best for: Research, Productivity.
- Anthropic: Learn — Vendor-provided courses and guides on using large language models effectively, including prompting and building with AI. Level: Beginner to Intermediate. Best for: Coding, Productivity, Research.
Then browse the full collection by category below.
Browse by category
Resources are grouped by type so you can find the kind of material that fits how you like to learn.
| Category | What you’ll find | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | Structured, multi-module courses and certificate programs | resources/courses |
| Tutorials and guides | Shorter how-to walkthroughs, cheat sheets, and written guides | resources/tutorials-and-guides |
| AI models | Notes on specific models (e.g., Claude, GPT, Gemini, open-weight models) and when to use them | resources/ai-models |
| AI tools and harnesses | Assistants, agents, IDEs, notebooks, and platforms for getting work done | resources/ai-tools-and-harnesses |
| Books and articles | Longer reading, papers, and reports | resources/books-and-articles |
| Videos and talks | Recorded talks, lectures, and video series | resources/videos-and-talks |
| Community repositories | Full GitHub repositories shared by Penn State colleagues | resources/community-repos |
Not sure which category fits? Put it in the closest one. A maintainer can move it later.
Before you use an AI tool for university work
Check what is approved for your data. Penn State’s AI Comparison Table and AI Tools: Help Me Choose are the authoritative guides on approved tools and data-sensitivity levels.
Add a resource
You do not need to be an advanced AI user to contribute. Researchers from all disciplines are welcome, and we want perspectives from people just getting started as well as those with extensive experience.
Full instructions are in CONTRIBUTING.md. In short: open a pull request, fill in the “Suggest a resource” issue form, or email icds@psu.edu with the subject line “ICDS Upskilling Learning Repository: Suggestion”. A title, a link, a couple of tags, and one sentence about how useful you found it is plenty.
Looking for another subject area? See all five ICDS hubs.