Lesson 1: What AI Really Is
At its core, AI is pattern recognition. It looks at information — words, images, numbers — and predicts what comes next based on examples it has seen. It doesn’t “think”; it reacts and helps you decide faster.
Lesson 2: How to Talk to AI
The real skill isn’t coding — it’s communication. Start simple, then iterate. Try:
Prompt:
“Explain the basics of how solar panels work as if you were teaching a high school class.”
Then refine:
“Now summarize that in one paragraph for a 5th grader.”
You just practiced iteration — guiding the model step-by-step like a capable assistant learning your preferences.
Lesson 3: Your First Productive Use
Pick one daily task that slows you down (emails, summaries, documentation). Try it right here:
Congratulations — you just saved time with AI. The goal isn’t to replace people; it’s to remove friction from routine work.
Lesson 4: Safety Checklist
- Protect privacy: Don’t paste sensitive data into tools you don’t control.
- Verify outputs: Treat results like drafts from a fast intern.
- Know where data goes: Read settings and docs; prefer local tools when needed.
- Be transparent: Disclose when AI helped create content.
Lesson 5: What’s Next
- Prompting 101 — structure tasks, give context, and iterate.
- Small Business Toolkit (coming soon) — automate routine comms and basic analytics.
- Accessibility Workflows (coming soon) — STT/TTS pipelines and low-friction tools.
- Local & Open-Source Tools (coming soon) — run models privately when you need control.