AI and the One-Week Novel | Skoltech ISP 2026
Week 1: Jan 14-16 | Week 2: Jan 19-23 | 12:30-15:30
An Experimental Course in Applied AI Architecture
…disguised as a creative writing intensive.
This isn’t another “how to use ChatGPT” course. This is systems thinking for the age of LLMs.
From Prompt Engineering to Context Engineering
Most people still think in terms of Prompt Engineering — crafting the right magic words to get a good response.
The smart people have moved on to Context Engineering — dynamically assembling the right state, memory, and structure so the model can’t get it wrong.
This course teaches the latter.
Deep Dive: Context Engineering →
The Problem We Solve
LLMs are stateless. Every API call is a blank slate.
This works for chatbots. It fails catastrophically for long-form generation — a novel requires memory and consistency that no context window can hold.
We’ve built a system that solves this. You’ll learn how it works. You’ll use it. You might even improve it.
The Tech Stack
🔹 Multi-Model Orchestration — 9+ LLM providers with quality-tier routing and parallel tournament generation.
🔹 Context Assembly Pipeline — Dynamic prompt construction from session state, knowledge graph, voice profile, and story structure.
🔹 Tiered Verification — Three-tier consistency checking. Catches contradictions before they become plot holes.
Stack: SvelteKit, Tauri, Python FastAPI, NetworkX, SQLite, multi-provider LLMs with Ollama fallback.
Two Tracks, One System
✍️ Writer Track
Use the system. Produce a novella.
No coding required. Focus on your story.
🛠️ Architect Track
Improve the system. Submit PRs.
Python, TypeScript, LLM APIs.
Format
| 📅 8 sessions across 2 weeks | 🕐 3 hours each (12:30-15:30) | 💻 Bring your laptop |
Fair Warning
🔻 The domain is creative writing, but the work is engineering.
Ready to Build?
Questions? Check the FAQ or view the full schedule.