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Start here · Class 01

AI Made Simple

Understand what ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot actually do, pick one, catch its mistakes, and know what you'll never paste in.

One 2-hour session Up to 10 people Live · online or in person
Level
Beginner
Length
2 hours, one session
Price
$99
Format
Live, up to 10 people, online or in person
Before class
About 10 min of prep
Tracks
Personal, Families, Nonprofit
Ask for this class Not sure? Take the assessment

Scheduled once 10 people ask for it. The date and format are confirmed before anyone pays.

Course overview

This is the front door. In two hours we sit down with the big AI chat tools, run the same everyday task in two of them, and talk honestly about what they're good at and where they go wrong. No math, no code, no hype. You leave with one tool set up on your own laptop, a habit for checking what it tells you, and a one-page set of ground rules you wrote yourself.

Before you start: None. If you can send an email, you're ready.

How the two hours run

  1. 8min

    Welcome and one thing you've heard about AI

  2. 17min

    What AI is, in plain language, and your first real conversation

  3. 25min

    The big four, and the same task in two tools

  4. 8min

    Break

  5. 22min

    Why it gets things confidently wrong: catch the planted mistakes

  6. 15min

    What never goes in, and the settings to look at today

  7. 15min

    Write your AI ground rules

  8. 10min

    Pick your main tool and backup, and close

Good to know

  • Free plans cap how many messages you can send in a few hours or a day. That's why we ask you to have a second tool signed in as a backup.
  • These tools change their look every few months. If your screen doesn't match the one on the projector, that's normal; the box where you type is always somewhere.
  • Nothing in this class needs a paid plan. We'll talk honestly about when one might be worth it.

Who this is for

  • Someone who opened ChatGPT once, typed hello, and closed it
  • A retiree whose grandkids keep saying 'just ask the AI' and wants to know what that means
  • An office worker or volunteer who keeps hearing about Copilot or Gemini and wants a plain explanation
  • An adult child who wants to help a parent get started safely
  • Anyone who has heard AI 'makes things up' and wants to know how to tell

What you’ll learn

  • Explain in two sentences what an AI chat tool does when you type into it
  • Tell ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot apart and pick a main tool and a backup
  • Hold a back-and-forth conversation instead of asking one question and giving up
  • Spot a confident wrong answer, including invented facts and quietly changed details
  • Check anything that matters with a three-step habit
  • Decide what is safe to paste and what never goes in, and find the settings that matter

What you’ll do in class

  • Give the same confusing homeowners-association notice to two different AI tools and score which explanation you'd trust.
  • Find the planted mistakes in an AI summary of a library book-sale flyer by checking it line by line against the original.
  • Write and keep your own one-page AI ground rules, including three things you will never paste in.

Try it now · free

A 10-minute taste you can do right now

Copy this into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot. It asks the AI to explain a made-up notice in plain English, which is one of the most useful things these tools do.

Please explain the notice below in plain English, as if you were talking to a friend who has never dealt with a homeowners association. Then give me: (1) a short list of what I actually need to do, (2) the deadline, and (3) any questions I should ask before I do anything. If anything in the notice is unclear, say so instead of guessing.

NOTICE:
Pinecrest Village Homeowners Association. Notice of Assessment and Compliance. Pursuant to Article VII, Section 4 of the Declaration, the Board has approved a special assessment of $185.00 per lot for the resurfacing of common-area walkways. Assessments are due no later than November 15. Owners wishing to remit in two installments must submit a written request to the management office prior to the due date. Additionally, per Section 9.2, exterior trash receptacles must be stored out of view from the street except on collection days. Lots found non-compliant after December 1 may be subject to a fine following notice and opportunity for hearing.

Before you trust the answer, check:

  • Does the amount ($185) and the deadline (November 15) match the notice exactly?
  • Did it add anything that isn't in the notice, like a specific fine amount or a phone number?
  • Did it mention both parts: the payment (including the two-installment option) and the trash-can rule?

Before class · about 10 minutes

  • Create a free account for one of ChatGPT (chatgpt.com), Claude (claude.ai), Gemini (gemini.google.com) or Microsoft Copilot (copilot.microsoft.com). Two is better; Gemini or Copilot is quick if you already have a Google or Microsoft account.
  • Sign in once on the laptop you'll bring, type 'Hello. In two sentences, what can you help me with?' and make sure you get an answer.
  • Bookmark the tool so it's one click away, and know your email password; some sign-ins text you a code.
  • Write down one everyday task you'd like help with (a letter you've been putting off, a confusing notice, a trip to plan). Leave out private details.
  • Pack your laptop charger and reading glasses if you use them.

What you leave with

  • A main AI tool and a backup, both signed in and bookmarked on your own laptop
  • Your one-page personal AI ground rules, with the checking habit and the never-paste list on the back
  • Your own scorecard comparing how two tools handled the same task

Expected outcomes

  • You can explain to a friend, in plain language, what an AI chat tool is and isn't
  • You have a main tool set up and have looked at its chat history and data-use settings
  • You check important answers before acting on them, and you can name three things you won't share
  • You have a written set of ground rules you can put next to the computer

Questions about this class

Is two hours enough?

Enough to understand the tools, pick one, catch a wrong answer, and write your ground rules; that's what we do, start to finish. It isn't enough to practice every everyday use, so you leave with starter prompts to try at home, and there's a follow-on lab if you want a guided afternoon of practice.

I'm not good with computers. Will I fall behind?

The group is ten people at most, and everything is done step by step on your own laptop. The ten minutes of setup before class is what keeps us from losing time to sign-in problems; if you get stuck on it, reply to the email and we'll fix it before the day.

Do I need to pay for any of these tools?

No. The free versions of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are enough for everything in this class.

How is this different from Prompting for Real Life?

This class is about understanding the tools, choosing one, and using it safely. Prompting for Real Life (Class 02) teaches a repeatable way to ask so you get better answers the first time, and you leave it with your own prompt templates.

Tools used

ChatGPT Claude Gemini Microsoft Copilot

Skills you build

AI fundamentalsTool selectionVerification habitsAI privacy basics

Top of the ladder

This is the LifeQuest capstone. From here, learners move into ongoing build sessions and community projects.

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Find Your AI Learning Group.

Bring one task you want to make easier. We organize a class when 10 people with similar work needs are interested. See the class details before you decide to enroll.