5 Instructor Questions about the AI zyBook

The Artificial Intelligence zyBook gives upper-level STEM students a modern, hands-on introduction to AI, from search algorithms to large language models. At our recent webinar, instructors asked the authors what’s inside, who it’s for, and how to use it. Here are the five questions we heard most, with answers from the team who built it.

1. What does the Artificial Intelligence zyBook cover?

The Artificial Intelligence zyBook balances traditional AI foundations with the topics students expect when they walk into an AI course today. Released in September 2026, it spans 13 chapters:

• Classic AI: agents, search, constraint satisfaction, and games
• Machine learning: supervised and unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, and deep learning
• Modern AI: computer vision, natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), and generative neural networks
• Ethics: algorithmic bias, hallucinations, interpretability, and using AI responsibly

Like every zyBook, it follows our say, show, ask approach. A short explanation introduces each concept, an animation brings it to life, and learning questions with immediate feedback catch misconceptions early. AI is a natural fit for animation. In the convolutional neural networks section, for example, students watch exactly how pixels in an image feed into the convolutional structure and build toward the final model.

We publish continuously, so your book keeps growing. Content on logic, probability, and Bayesian reasoning is in active development for future releases.

See the full Artificial Intelligence zyBook table of contents

2. How do students practice coding in the AI zyBook?

Students practice AI coding directly inside the zyBook through integrated Jupyter Notebooks and challenge activities. In the search chapter, for instance, notebooks show students how a search algorithm works by writing the function in Python, then let them change the code and see what happens. You’ll find every notebook listed under Coding Practice in the Content Explorer.

For deeper programming work, the Artificial Intelligence zyBook is also available with zyLabs. These auto-graded labs cover topics like convolutions and neural networks using popular libraries such as Keras and PyTorch. The labs are the only difference between the two versions, and we’re building more of them.

The book’s examples use Python. If you’d like to show the same ideas in another language, such as Java, you can add your own sections and zyLabs using our custom content tools.

Explore how zyLabs auto-grade student code

---

“It’s really tough to understand these concepts without being able to interact with real data, with real examples, with real algorithms.”

Aimee Schwab-McCoy, Director of Analytics and Content Authoring, zyBooks

---

3. Do students need calculus or Python experience?

Students don’t need a calculus background to succeed with the Artificial Intelligence zyBook. When a topic has a calculus foundation, we use a just-in-time approach: the math appears conceptually, as part of the bigger picture, and students aren’t tested on calculus itself. An appendix on vectors, matrices, and derivatives is there when students want a refresher.

Python experience helps, but students with a wide range of backgrounds can keep up. Each Jupyter Notebook steps through the code piece by piece and links to reference materials. If your students need more support, talk to your zyBooks rep about a combo book that adds Python refresher content to your course.

4. How can instructors assess students with the AI zyBook?

Instructors can assess students with the Artificial Intelligence zyBook at every stage, from in-reading practice to full exams:

• Challenge activities check understanding as students learn.
• Close to 500 multiple-choice test bank questions work inside zyBooks or in your LMS.
• Participation activity questions are available when you build your own assessments.
• The zyBooks assessments environment lets you combine test bank questions, challenge activities, and zyLabs in a single assessment, with LockDown Browser support.

That gives you the flexibility to assess students the way your course works best.

Read the zyBooks assessment guide

5. Is the AI zyBook right for my course, including non-majors?

The Artificial Intelligence zyBook is built for upper-level STEM courses, typically the 300-level AI course in computer science, data science, or engineering programs. More than 20 institutions already use it for a standalone AI course. Other instructors combine it with our Machine Learning zyBook or other titles, and you can reorganize chapters to fit your syllabus.

If you’re hearing from your department or dean that every student needs AI skills, we’re building something for you. The new AI Essentials zyBook serves students from any major in a 100- or 200-level general education course. It explains how AI tools work from a conceptual lens and covers practical skills like prompt engineering, reducing hallucinations, and recognizing bias, fairness, and ethics issues.

• November 2026: Seven preview chapters launch, ready for spring 2027 courses.
• March 2027: Full release adds generative AI, regulations and frameworks, responsible AI use, working with AI, and learning with AI.

Join the waitlist for the AI Essentials zyBook

See the Artificial Intelligence zyBook for yourself

Explore the animations, Jupyter Notebooks, and zyLabs that make AI concepts click for your students. Request evaluation access to review the full book, or schedule a demo with a classroom learning solutions expert. Stay tuned for updates!