AI Foundations

Start from zero: understand what AI really is, prompt it well, pick the right tool, and build your first useful AI workflow.

9 lessons · 3 knowledge checks · a final exam · a certificate of completion — free, and no account needed.

What you will be able to do

• You will be able to explain in plain words what a large language model does and why it sometimes gets things wrong.
• You will be able to write a prompt that states the task, the audience, the format and the constraints, and get a usable answer on the first or second try.
• You will be able to tell when to use a chat assistant, an app with AI built in, or the API, and choose sensibly for your situation.
• You will be able to give the AI the right context (your document, your facts, your example) so its answer fits your situation instead of a generic one.
• You will be able to use images and voice with an AI assistant for everyday tasks like reading a photo of a form or dictating a draft.
• You will be able to turn a one-off prompt into a repeatable weekly workflow, and check its output safely before you rely on it.

What is inside

1. How AI Thinks and Talks

   What a language model really does, where it goes wrong, and how to ask it clearly.

   1. What Is an LLM? How AI Actually Works
   2. What AI Can and Can't Do: Limits, Hallucinations & Knowledge Cutoffs
   3. Prompting Basics: How to Ask for Exactly What You Want
   4. Knowledge check 1 (knowledge check)
2. Picking and Feeding Your Tool

   The three ways to use AI, choosing between the big assistants, and giving them the right context.

   1. Three Ways to Use AI: Chat vs. App vs. API
   2. Choosing Your Tool: ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini
   3. Why Context Matters: Feeding the AI the Right Information
   4. Knowledge check 2 (knowledge check)
3. From Text to Real Workflows

   Images and voice, your first repeatable workflow, and the habits that keep you safe and accurate.

   1. Beyond Text: Working with Images and Voice
   2. Building Your First Useful AI Workflow
   3. Staying Safe & Smart: Privacy, Accuracy, and Good AI Habits
   4. Knowledge check 3 (knowledge check)

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