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Grokking the Generative AI System Design Interview

Explore the Generative AI System Design with the SCALED framework, reusable building blocks, and 21 real-world designs spanning generation, search, agents, and AI infrastructure.

Created by Khayyam Hashmi
Grokking the Generative AI System Design Interview
What's included
  • 73 lessons across 15 modules
  • 49 quizzes with instant feedback
  • with scoring rubrics
  • with a virtual coach
  • on every lesson
Why this course
  • Architect Production LLM AppBuild RAG assistants and AI agents like ChatGPT and Deep Research.
  • Optimize LLM Serving CostsCut latency and cost per query for GPU fleets at 1M queries a day.
  • Defend GenAI Design Trade-offsJustify model, retrieval, and guardrail choices in design reviews.
  • Ace GenAI Design InterviewsStructure any unseen GenAI design problem in a 45-minute interview.
Who wrote it
Khayyam Hashmi
Computer scientist and Generative AI and Machine Learning specialist. VP of Technical Content @ educative.io.

Dr. Khayyam Hashmi is a seasoned computer scientist and Generative AI and Machine Learning specialist. As a researcher, educator, and the VP of Technical Content at Educative, he is dedicated to making complex computing concepts accessible for learners worldwide. With a PhD in Computer Science from Wayne State University and academic publications in service-oriented systems and intelligent computing, Khayyam excels at fusing an academic perspective with practical software engineering insights. Khayyam’s courses, writing, and research spans technical topics including adaptive AI systems, neural networks, Intelligent tutoring systems, and production-ready software design.

Join 3.1 million developers at

Join 3.1 million developers at

What you'll learn

  • Build GenAI foundations, including post-training, RLHF, reasoning models, and the quality, latency, and cost trade-offs of LLM systems.
  • Design reusable building blocks for retrieval, model serving, evaluation and guardrails, and AI agents.
  • Estimate training compute, inference fleet size, and token-level unit economics with back-of-the-envelope calculations.
  • Prepare for GenAI System Design interviews by running a 45-minute design, recovering from common failure patterns, and defending trade-offs.
  • Apply the SCALED framework to 21 design problems, from text, image, speech, and video generation to agents and AI infrastructure.
  • Evaluate GenAI systems with offline metrics, LLM-as-judge, online experiments, and observability feedback loops.

Learning Roadmap

73 Lessons49 Quizzes

1.

Introduction to GenAI System Design

Introduction to GenAI System Design

Explore generative AI System Design, merging DML, and System Design principles for creating GenAI applications.

2.

GenAI Foundations

GenAI Foundations

Explore foundational machine learning concepts and understand how post-training, RLHF, and reasoning models influence model behavior, selection, latency, and co

3.

Non-Functional Characteristics of GenAI Systems

Non-Functional Characteristics of GenAI Systems

3 Lessons

3 Lessons

Understand how to evaluate GenAI system quality, balance latency, throughput, and cost, and determine when to use LLMs versus deterministic approaches.

4.

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations

Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations

3 Lessons

3 Lessons

Understand back-of-the-envelope calculations for efficiently planning LLM training and deployment.

5.

Retrieval and Context Building Blocks

Retrieval and Context Building Blocks

5 Lessons

5 Lessons

Explore GenAI design building blocks, scalable retrieval, RAG optimization, access control, and context management.

6.

Model Serving and Optimization

Model Serving and Optimization

3 Lessons

3 Lessons

Understand inference engine requirements, explore GenAI optimization techniques, and compare model parallelism strategies and their trade-offs.

7.

Evaluation, Observability, and Guardrails

Evaluation, Observability, and Guardrails

5 Lessons

5 Lessons

Master GenAI evaluation, sharpen RAG debugging, understand production feedback loops, and design robust safety guardrails.

8.

Agentic Building Blocks

Agentic Building Blocks

5 Lessons

5 Lessons

Design reliable, secure, and scalable AI agents with memory, safe tool execution, bounded planning, human oversight, and multi-agent coordination.

9.

The SCALED Framework

The SCALED Framework

3 Lessons

3 Lessons

Explore how to prepare for a GenAI System Design interview and learn a systematic 6-step framework for designing impactful GenAI systems.

10.

Core GenAI Systems

Core GenAI Systems

7 Lessons

7 Lessons

Explore the design principles of various generative AI systems for diverse applications.

11.

Modern GenAI Systems

Modern GenAI Systems

6 Lessons

6 Lessons

Explore advanced designs for AI systems enhancing user interaction and data management.

12.

Agentic Systems

Agentic Systems

4 Lessons

4 Lessons

Explore the System Design of agentic AI systems, from budgeted research agents and governed multistep workflows to customer support.

13.

AI Platforms and Infrastructure

AI Platforms and Infrastructure

5 Lessons

5 Lessons

Explore strategies for designing scalable, efficient generative AI systems across various applications.

14.

Interview Practice and Conclusion

Interview Practice and Conclusion

3 Lessons

3 Lessons

Understand key takeaways from the GenAI System Design course and explore the next steps.

15.

Free GenAI System Design Lessons

Free GenAI System Design Lessons

14 Lessons

14 Lessons

Learn core GenAI system design concepts, from model training and sampling to multimodal, diffusion, audio, and hardware choices in real-world AI systems.
Certificate of Completion
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Fahim Ul HaqGrokking the Generative AISystem Design InterviewFounder & CEO
About this course
WHY I WROTE THIS COURSE
GenAI System Design is emerging as its own interview category at top tech companies, distinct from traditional ML System Design. The architectures, scale considerations, and trade-offs require their own mental models, and this course bridges the gap between understanding generative AI conceptually and architecting these systems end-to-end. You’ll start with GenAI foundations, nonfunctional characteristics, and back-of-the-envelope estimation. Then you’ll learn reusable building blocks for retrieval, model serving, evaluation and guardrails, and agents. The SCALED framework, a 6-step method for unseen problems, ties them together, and you’ll apply it to 21 design problems. These range from text, image, speech, and video generation to search, code assistants, research agents, GenAI gateways, and GPU scheduling. The course closes with interview practice and AI mock interviews, so you’re ready for whatever GenAI or ML System Design problem you’re asked to solve.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Khayyam Hashmi

Computer scientist and Generative AI and Machine Learning specialist. VP of Technical Content @ educative.io.

Learn more about Khayyam

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of a generative AI system?

Key features of generative AI systems include the ability to generate new content, learn patterns in data, and adapt to new information. They can create text, images, music, and even code. Another key feature is their ability to provide real-time responses, which is crucial for interactive applications. This real-time capability is essential for applications like chatbots and live content generation.

What are the common models in generative AI?

Common models include variational autoencoders (VAEs), generative adversarial networks (GANs), large language models like GPT, and diffusion models like Stable Diffusion and SORA. These models use different techniques to generate data. We choose a model based on the use case; for example, GANs are typically used to generate images.

What are examples of generative AI systems?

Examples include text-to-text generation systems like ChatGPT and Gemini, text-to-image generation tools like DALL•E and Midjourney, text-to-speech systems like ElevenLabs, and text-to-video generation systems like Mochi 1 and SORA. These systems showcase the diverse applications of generative AI.

How do I prepare for a generative AI System Design interview?

You can prepare for a GenAI System Design interview by studying the core AI and ML concepts, practicing System Design problems, reviewing common interview questions, and building a strong portfolio of projects. Mock interviews can also be beneficial. You should also learn design frameworks like the SCALED approach to solve unseen problems during the interview.

How do you evaluate the performance of a generative AI system?

We use evaluation metrics (automated and human) to test the performance of GenAI systems. They vary depending on the application. Common methods include measuring accuracy, diversity, fluency, and coherence. Common metrics include BLEU score, CLIP score, ROGUE score, Fréchet inception distance (FID), and mean opinion score (MOS).

What is the difference between generative AI and machine learning?

Generative AI and machine learning are predictive methods but focus on different things. Machine learning makes discriminative predictions, like classifying data, while generative AI makes generative predictions, creating new content. Both learn from data and improve over time, but machine learning focuses on recognizing patterns, while generative AI uses those patterns to generate new data. They represent two powerful branches of AI, each with unique applications and capabilities.

In an interview, how can I demonstrate my understanding of generative AI System Design concepts?

To excel in a generative AI interview, clearly explain your reasoning using examples of case studies. Choose appropriate data and models, like GPT for text, and detail the training process, including techniques like fine-tuning. Finally, outline a robust deployment System Design, showcasing how the model integrates into a real-world system, like a conversational chatbot AI.

What are the best resources for learning about generative AI System Design?

Online courses like “Grokking the Generative AI System Design” provide a solid foundation in the core concepts. Supplement this with research papers and blogs to stay updated on the latest advancements. Then, you should analyze real-world systems like ChatGPT or DALL•E to understand their design choices. Finally, practice designing systems for common generative AI tasks (text-to-text, text-to-image, etc.), exploring different solutions and their tradeoffs to deepen your understanding.

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