Book excerpt: See how an AI assistant can bring your ideas to life immediately! Once, to be a programmer you had to write every line of code yourself. Now tools like GitHub Copilot can instantly generate working programs based on your description in plain English. An instant bestseller, Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming has taught thousands of aspiring programmers how to write Python the easy way—with the help of AI. It’s perfect for beginners, or anyone who’s struggled with the steep learning curve of traditional programming. In Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming, Second Edition you’ll learn how to: • Write fun and useful Python applications—no programming experience required! • Use the GitHub Copilot AI coding assistant to create Python programs • Write prompts that tell Copilot exactly what to do • Read Python code and understand what it does • Test your programs to make sure they work the way you want them to • Fix code with prompt engineering or human tweaks • Apply Python creatively to help out on the job AI moves fast, and so the new edition of Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming, Second Edition is fully updated to take advantage of the latest models and AI coding tools. Written by two esteemed computer science university professors, it teaches you everything you need to start programming Python in an AI-first world. You’ll learn skills you can use to create working apps for data analysis, automating tedious tasks, and even video games. Plus, in this new edition, you’ll find groundbreaking techniques for breaking down big software projects into smaller tasks AI can easily achieve. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology AI has changed the way we write computer programs forever. You describe in plain English what you want your program to do, and AI coding assistants like Github Copilot can generate the code for you instantly! If you can use a web browser and move files around on your computer, you can create useful software. This book shows you how. About the book Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming, Second Edition teaches you how to create your own games, tools, and other simple applications using Copilot and the user-friendly Python language. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can go from an idea to a working program! Authors Leo Porter and Dan Zingaro guide you step by step as you go from simple functions, like a small program that tells you if a password is strong enough, to complete games, like Bogart and Wordle. As you go, you’ll learn just enough Python to understand and improve what Copilot creates. About the reader No experience required! About the author Dr. Leo Porter is a Teaching Professor at UC San Diego. Dr. Daniel Zingaro is an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Toronto. The technical editor on this book was Peter Morgan.