AI 101

Learn how to use AI — clearly and responsibly

This mini-site is a practical, hype-free guide for students, creators, and teams. You’ll learn what AI can (and can’t) do, how to write great prompts, build simple workflows, and stay safe and ethical.

Jump to Tutorials Prompting Cheatsheet

Last updated: September 06, 2025

AI Basics

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad term for systems that perform tasks that typically require human intelligence—like understanding language, recognizing patterns, or making recommendations.

Key concepts

  • Models: The brains of AI—mathematical systems trained on data to make predictions (for example, the next word in a sentence).
  • Training data: The examples a model learns from. More and better data typically means better performance.
  • Parameters: The internal “knobs” a model tunes while learning. More parameters can mean more capacity, but not always better results.
  • Inference: When the model actually does the task for you—like answering a question or summarizing a report.

Where AI shines

  • Summarizing and drafting text
  • Brainstorming and exploring ideas
  • Transforming formats (notes → email, outline → blog post)
  • Explaining complex subjects in simple language
  • Lightweight analysis and coding help

Where AI struggles

  • Real-time, niche facts without citations
  • Ambiguous requests without context
  • Math and logic under pressure
  • Specialized legal, medical, or financial advice

Prompting Cheatsheet

Good prompts are specific, structured, and grounded in examples. Use this 4-part template:

  1. Role: “Act as a career coach who writes concise bullet points.”
  2. Goal: “Turn my messy notes into a 150-word LinkedIn post.”
  3. Context: “Audience is new grads in tech; keep it friendly, no jargon.”
  4. Output format: “Return markdown with a title, bullets, and a 1-line CTA.”

Clarity beats cleverness

Short, concrete verbs perform better than poetic language. Replace “weave a narrative” with “write a 5-sentence summary.”

Show, don’t tell

Include a mini example of the style or format you want. The model will mirror it.

State constraints

Tell the model what to avoid (“no emojis, no exclamation marks”) and length or tone limits.

Copy‑paste prompt templates 
// Summarize notes → email
You are a helpful writing assistant.
Goal: Turn these notes into a crisp, 120‑word email with a subject line.
Audience: Busy stakeholders; keep tone professional but warm.
Constraints: Short paragraphs, no jargon, include 3 bulleted next steps.
Notes: <paste notes here>
// Brainstorming ideas
Act as a creative partner.
Goal: Generate 10 campaign ideas for a local coffee shop.
Constraints: Each idea in one sentence; include a catchy name.
// Coding help (beginner)
You are a friendly tutor.
Goal: Explain what this code does and suggest improvements.
Constraints: Use plain language; show time/space complexity if relevant.
Code: <paste code here>

Simple AI Workflows

Treat AI like a partner you iterate with. Here are three reliable patterns:

1) Draft → Review → Refine

  1. Ask the model to produce a first draft.
  2. Critique it: what’s missing, what tone changes?
  3. Give targeted revisions until it meets your needs.

2) Decompose → Solve → Synthesize

  1. Break a big task into smaller prompts.
  2. Solve each mini-task separately.
  3. Ask the model to combine the parts into a final result.

3) Retrieve → Ground → Cite

  1. Collect trusted sources (docs, PDFs, web links).
  2. Paste relevant excerpts to ground the answer.
  3. Request citations and quotes with links.

Safety & Ethics

Responsible AI use protects people and organizations. Keep these principles in mind:

Golden rule: if an error would hurt someone, don’t rely on AI alone.

Hands‑On Tutorials

Write a great prompt in 5 minutes

  1. Define the role and goal.
  2. Add 3–5 bullet points of context.
  3. Paste a short example of the style you want.
  4. Set constraints (length, tone, format).
  5. Ask for 2 options and pick the best.

Turn messy notes into a clean brief

  1. Paste notes; ask for a bullet outline first.
  2. Approve the outline; request a draft.
  3. Revise with targeted feedback.
  4. Ask for a final version in your required format.

Use AI for learning

  1. Ask for a simple explanation of a topic.
  2. Request a 5-question quiz to check understanding.
  3. Have the model explain each answer.
  4. Ask for 2 resources to explore further.

FAQ

Is AI always correct?

No. Treat outputs as drafts. Verify anything important with trusted sources.

Can I use AI at work?

Often yes, but check your company’s policy first—especially about data privacy.

Will AI replace my job?

AI changes tasks before it replaces roles. Learn to delegate repeatable chores and focus on human strengths: judgment, taste, and relationships.

About this site

Created as a lightweight, original guide to using AI well. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 so you can remix with attribution. No tracking, no cookies.