# Where to Find AI-For-Beginners Documentation: Complete Guide to the Microsoft Curriculum

> Find AI-For-Beginners documentation easily. Explore the Microsoft curriculum including README.md, index.html, and lessons in this GitHub repository.

- Repository: [Microsoft/AI-For-Beginners](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners)
- Tags: getting-started
- Published: 2026-07-03

---

**You can find all AI-For-Beginners documentation in the repository's [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md), [`index.html`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/index.html) (Docsify configuration), and the `lessons/` directory structure, with the interactive web version hosted on GitHub Pages.**

The microsoft/AI-For-Beginners repository provides a comprehensive, self-contained curriculum for learning artificial intelligence. All AI-For-Beginners documentation is organized as a **Docsify-powered static site** that renders Markdown files directly from the repository, making it accessible both on GitHub and via an interactive web interface. The documentation spans from high-level curriculum overviews to runnable Jupyter notebooks and setup guides.

## Primary Documentation Entry Points

The curriculum uses three interconnected entry points to serve different learning preferences.

### Root README and GitHub Pages

The [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) at the repository root serves as the primary documentation hub. It contains a high-level curriculum summary, badge links, and a comprehensive "Content" table that maps lesson numbers to their folder locations. When you visit the GitHub Pages URL (`https://microsoft.github.io/AI-For-Beginners/`), you are viewing the same [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) content rendered through the Docsify engine.

### Docsify Configuration in index.html

The [`index.html`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/index.html) file configures the Docsify engine with `window.$docsify` settings including `routerMode: 'history'` for hash-less routing. This transforms the flat Markdown files into a navigable single-page application. The configuration treats [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) as the homepage and automatically generates navigation from the repository's file structure.

## Lesson Structure and Navigation

Deep learning concepts live in the `lessons/` directory, which follows a strict organizational pattern to maintain consistency across topics.

### Standard Lesson Layout

Each lesson directory (`lessons/<topic>/`) contains:

- A [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) explaining the theoretical foundations
- Jupyter notebooks (`*.ipynb`) with runnable implementations
- An optional `lab/` sub-folder with hands-on exercises

For example, the Perceptron lesson resides at `lessons/3-NeuralNetworks/03-Perceptron/` and includes both the theory README and implementation notebooks.

### Framework-Specific Notebooks

Every lesson provides dual implementations in both **PyTorch** and **TensorFlow**. The notebooks are clearly labeled and contain identical concepts implemented with their respective frameworks. The [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) in each lesson folder links to both versions, allowing you to choose based on your preferred deep learning library.

## Supporting Documentation Resources

Beyond the core curriculum, the repository includes specialized documentation for environment setup and supplementary tools.

### Setup and Environment Configuration

The [`environment.yml`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/environment.yml) file pins exact dependency versions including **TensorFlow 2.17**, **Keras 3.5**, **NumPy 1.26**, **PyTorch**, and **OpenCV**. Detailed setup instructions live in [`lessons/0-course-setup/setup.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/lessons/0-course-setup/setup.md), which explains how to create a Conda environment, run Jupyter locally, or launch the repository in a VS Code dev-container.

### Standalone Examples

The `examples/` folder contains four minimal scripts that demonstrate core AI concepts without requiring the full lesson hierarchy:

- [`01-hello-ai-world.py`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/01-hello-ai-world.py) – Basic environment verification
- [`02-simple-neural-network.py`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/02-simple-neural-network.py) – Minimal neural network implementation  
- `03-image-classifier.ipynb` – Computer vision quickstart
- [`04-text-sentiment.py`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/04-text-sentiment.py) – Natural language processing sample

Reference the [`examples/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/examples/README.md) for execution instructions and dependencies.

### Quiz Application

The Vue.js quiz application resides in `etc/quiz-app/` with its own dedicated documentation. The [`etc/quiz-app/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/etc/quiz-app/README.md) explains how to build, run, and deploy the interactive assessment tool, including ESLint configuration and development server setup.

## How to Access Documentation Locally

You can serve the full documentation site on your machine to browse offline or modify content.

### Clone and Serve the Docsify Site

```bash

# Clone with sparse checkout to skip large translation files

git clone --filter=blob:none --sparse https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners.git
cd AI-For-Beginners
git sparse-checkout set --no-cone '/*' '!translations' '!translated_images'

# Install the pinned environment

conda env create -f environment.yml
conda activate ai4beg

# Serve documentation locally

npm install -g docsify-cli
docsify serve .

```

This launches the interactive documentation site at `http://localhost:3000`, rendering the same content available on GitHub Pages.

### Open Specific Lesson Notebooks

```python
import nbformat as nbf

# Load the Perceptron notebook (PyTorch version)

path = "lessons/3-NeuralNetworks/03-Perceptron/Perceptron.ipynb"
with open(path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
    notebook = nbf.read(f, as_version=4)

print(f"Cells: {len(notebook['cells'])}")
print(f"Metadata: {notebook['metadata']}")

```

### Launch the Quiz Application

```bash
cd etc/quiz-app
npm install   # Installs Vue 2 and ESLint dependencies

npm run serve # Starts dev server on http://localhost:8080

```

## Community and Contribution Guidelines

The [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) file establishes guidelines for pull requests, issue reporting, and community etiquette. It links to the Discord server and Microsoft forum communities where you can ask questions about the curriculum content. Translation efforts and sketchnote illustrations are organized under `translations/` and `lessons/sketchnotes/` respectively, with contribution workflows documented in the main README.

## Summary

- **Primary entry point**: The root [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) serves as both GitHub documentation and the Docsify homepage
- **Interactive site**: The [`index.html`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/index.html) file powers the GitHub Pages version with hash-less routing
- **Lesson structure**: Each topic in `lessons/<topic>/` contains a README, dual-framework notebooks (PyTorch/TensorFlow), and optional labs
- **Environment setup**: [`environment.yml`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/environment.yml) and [`lessons/0-course-setup/setup.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/lessons/0-course-setup/setup.md) provide Conda and container configuration
- **Quick examples**: The `examples/` folder offers standalone scripts for immediate experimentation
- **Assessment tools**: [`etc/quiz-app/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/etc/quiz-app/README.md) documents the Vue.js quiz application

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Do I need internet access to view the AI-For-Beginners documentation?

No, you can view all documentation offline by cloning the repository and opening the Markdown files directly in any text editor. To view the interactive Docsify version offline, run `docsify serve .` after cloning, or simply open [`index.html`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/index.html) in a browser (though search functionality requires a local server).

### What is the difference between the README and the Docsify site?

The [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) and the Docsify site display identical content, but the Docsify site (accessed via [`index.html`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/index.html) or GitHub Pages) adds a navigation sidebar, search functionality, and hash-less routing. The README is the source file; the Docsify site is the rendered interface that makes the documentation browsable like a traditional website.

### How do I switch between PyTorch and TensorFlow examples?

Each lesson folder contains separate Jupyter notebooks with clear filename conventions. Look for notebooks ending in `-PyTorch.ipynb` or `-TensorFlow.ipynb` within the lesson directory. The lesson's [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/README.md) contains links to both versions, and the table of contents in the main README indicates which framework-specific resources are available.

### Where can I find troubleshooting help for local setup?

The [`lessons/0-course-setup/setup.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/lessons/0-course-setup/setup.md) file contains detailed troubleshooting for Conda environment creation, Jupyter configuration, and dev-container setup. For platform-specific issues or dependency conflicts, refer to the [`environment.yml`](https://github.com/microsoft/AI-For-Beginners/blob/main/environment.yml) file to verify exact package versions (TensorFlow 2.17, Keras 3.5, NumPy 1.26) and the repository's Issues tab for community solutions.