Jeremy Howard of fast.ai introduces "How To Solve It With Code," a new 5-week course designed to address a common pitfall in AI-assisted development: hitting a wall after the initial "magic" fades. The course teaches the "Solveit method," a modern problem-solving approach inspired by George Pólya and fast.ai's top-down learning philosophy, which emphasizes building in small, iterative steps with immediate feedback to maintain human agency and craftsmanship. The course is bundled with access to the new "Solveit platform," a private, cloud-based Linux development environment with integrated AI tools. It also features contributions from Eric Ries, creator of The Lean Startup, who will teach lessons on applying the method to writing and building businesses. The offering is positioned as a way to empower developers, writers, and learners to build enduring solutions and deeply understand their work, in contrast to AI tools that can obscure the process.
Introducing "How To Solve It With Code": A New Course and Method from fast.ai
The Problem with AI Coding: The course addresses the common experience where developers, after an initial magical phase with AI tools, get stuck when they need to make changes, add features, or fix bugs, hitting a wall they can't get past.
The "Solveit Method": As an antidote, Jeremy Howard presents a method based on building solutions in small, manageable steps with quick iterations and immediate feedback. This approach, inspired by George Pólya's "How to Solve It," is designed to foster deep understanding, craftsmanship, and human agency, putting the user in control.
New Course Details: A 5-week, 10-lesson course titled "How To Solve It With Code" starts on November 3rd. Sessions will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3 pm PST and will be recorded for later viewing. The course will teach the method through practical projects like building web apps and data tools.
The Solveit Platform: Students gain access to a new, custom-built software platform. It provides a private, cloud-based Linux development and writing environment that integrates features from tools like ChatGPT, Jupyter, and Claude, designed specifically to support the Solveit methodology. Access is included until the end of 2025.
Risk-Free Enrollment: The course offers a fully automated, 1-click full refund available anytime within the first two weeks. Students also get immediate access to all 16 lessons from the previous preview course upon signing up.
Collaboration with Eric Ries: Eric Ries, creator of The Lean Startup, is a co-founder and will teach lessons on applying the Solveit method to writing and building successful businesses. Course members will get early access to his new book.
Target Audience: The course is for those comfortable with coding (particularly Python) who want to deeply understand their work and build enduring things, rather than just copy-pasting. It's suitable for both experienced AI users and newcomers.
Future of fast.ai: This course is the first of a new series. Future courses are planned to provide deep dives into creating LLMs from scratch, building web apps, server administration, and creating startups, all leveraging the Solveit method and platform.