How to start with AI and machine learning?

I've been coding for more than 14 years, but I haven't figures out how to really code AI, I've learned to code all my lufe on my own, I have made some basic AI but it's really complex full of recursuve functions, lots of ifs and complex ways of analyzing natural language, all done "handmade". I bet I'm doing it wrong, I'm doing it the way I can. How can I really start with this?