Start here · No experience needed

A good place to start
is something small.

If AI still feels unfamiliar, you’re in the right place. Let’s understand the idea, try a simple request, and see what makes an answer useful.

For complete beginnersAbout 5 minutes to read

Try your first small experiment

You only need to take the next step.

First, the idea

What do we
mean by AI?

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a broad name for computer systems that do tasks such as recognising patterns, working with language, or creating content.

Here, we’ll mostly use AI assistants: tools you can give a question or a task in everyday language. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are examples. You might ask one to explain an unfamiliar word, organise your notes, or help draft a message.

They can give useful answers. They can also miss the point or invent a detail. Your part is to explain what you need and check what comes back.

One tool is enough

Choose a comfortable place to practise.

ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can all help with a first conversation. Choose one you can access, check its privacy settings and start a new chat. Type a small request, read the answer, then ask a follow-up in the same conversation.

Use fictional details while learning. You do not need a paid feature for the examples on this page. Compare official tool and access information.

A good first project is a short reminder, a three-day study plan or a checklist from your own notes. Choose something whose result you can check, rather than a high-stakes decision.

Your first small experiment

Ask. Read.
Ask again.

You can try this in an assistant you already use, or work through the sample below. You don’t need to create an account to learn from the example.

You askGive it a small task.
AI respondsTreat it as a draft.
You reviewCheck, then ask for a change.

Ask for something you can check

A simple explanation is a good first task. The words you give the assistant are called a prompt. There’s no special language you have to learn.

Try this prompt

Explain what a budget is to someone who has never made one. Use a simple example with fictional amounts, keep it under 100 words, and ask me one question to check my understanding.

Use fictional details while you practise. Keep passwords, personal records and other private information out of your prompt.

See whether the answer helps

Written sample · Your answer may differ

A budget is a plan for how you’ll use your money. Imagine you have 100 tokens: you set aside 50 for essentials, 30 for things you enjoy, and 20 to save. That’s 100 in total. The amounts can change; the point is to decide where your money will go. If you spent 10 extra tokens on something fun, what would you change?

Check the numbers: 50 + 30 + 20 = 100. Check the explanation: does it help you describe a budget in your own words? The token split is just an example, not a rule for managing real money.

See one answer to the sample question

You could move 10 tokens from another category, or choose not to spend the extra 10. If you move them from savings, the new split is 50 + 40 + 10 = 100.

The useful part is noticing the tradeoff. You’re checking your understanding, not memorising the amounts.

Ask for one useful change

If the answer is confusing, you can say so. Try: “Make that simpler. Use an example about planning a small picnic instead.”

Read the new answer. Is it easier to understand? Did any important detail get lost? This back-and-forth is part of using AI, not a sign that you did it wrong.

Try explaining it to a different audienceOptional challenge. Come back whenever you’re ready.

Ask for an explanation for a student, then for someone running a small shop. Keep the underlying idea the same. Check whether the examples fit each audience and whether the numbers still add up. Improve one unclear sentence yourself.

A useful habit from the beginning

You’re still
in the picture.

Good AI use involves more than asking a clever question. These four skills help you stay thoughtful about what you ask and what you do with the answer.

Delegate

Delegation

Choose what to hand over. AI can help draft your message. You decide what it needs to say.

Describe

Description

Explain what you need. Share the useful facts, who it’s for, and what a good result looks like.

Discern

Discernment

Look closely at the result. Does it make sense? Are the details right? Is anything missing?

Diligence

Take care with what you use. Protect private information and take responsibility for what you share.

These are the four connected skills in the AI Fluency Framework by Rick Dakan and Joseph Feller, developed into a course with Anthropic. The explanations here are adapted for beginners. Explore the original framework ↗ · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. They are habits to return to, not a rigid checklist to finish once.

Your route through the lessons

One useful step at a time.

Then choose images or video, a small digital project, or an automation plan. There is no saved progress or required order.

Your next step

Let’s make your
first prompt useful.

We’ll write a short reminder for a fictional reading club. You’ll see what to put in your prompt, practise spotting a weak answer, and learn how to improve it.

If you’re already comfortable with the basics, the lesson’s Go Further challenge helps you turn a good prompt into one you can reuse.

Try the prompting lesson See the other pathways