Getting Started with AI

by Stephen Wu, a retired engineering manager, spent several years building AI workflows for his teams and now trying to make AI something everyone can understand and use successfully

You're curious about AI but might not know where to start. Maybe you've heard people talk about ChatGPT or Claude, or maybe someone told you AI could help with something specific and you want to see for yourself. This section gives you everything you need to go from curious to comfortable using AI for real tasks.

What You'll Learn Here

Getting started with AI is simpler than you might think. You don't need to download anything, pay for anything (at first), or understand how AI works technically. You just need to understand what it's actually good at, try it with something real, and build from there.

This section covers three key areas to help you get started effectively.

Understanding What AI Can Do

Before you try AI, it helps to know what you're working with. AI isn't magic, and it's not good at everything. Understanding its strengths and limitations upfront saves you frustration and helps you use it more effectively.

What can AI actually do for me? - Start here to understand AI's practical capabilities and see a real example of using AI to explore a career change. You'll learn what tasks AI excels at, where it struggles, and how to think about AI as a thinking partner rather than an oracle.

This scene covers four essential questions: what tasks AI is good at versus not good at, how to decide when to use AI versus do something yourself, the differences between major AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, and whether you need to pay for AI or if free versions are sufficient.

Actually Starting to Use AI

Once you understand what AI can do, the next step is actually trying it. This is where theory meets practice. You'll learn the concrete steps to get started and develop confidence through real use.

How do I start using AI if I've never tried it? - This scene walks you through your first experiences with AI: how to sign up for a tool, what to try first, how to evaluate whether AI's answers are helpful, and how to phrase questions when you're not sure how to ask what you want.

The goal isn't to become an AI expert. It's to get comfortable enough that AI becomes a practical tool you can reach for when it makes sense.

Learning From How Others Use It

Seeing how real people use AI in their daily lives helps you imagine how it might fit into yours. These aren't hypothetical use cases—they're the actual ways people incorporate AI into their work, learning, personal tasks, and creative projects.

How do people actually use AI in daily life? - This scene shows you concrete examples of AI in action: using AI for work tasks like writing emails and analyzing information, learning new skills and understanding complex topics, handling personal tasks like planning and decision-making, and working on creative projects.

You'll see patterns in how people use AI effectively and start recognizing opportunities in your own life where AI might genuinely help.

Your Path Forward

Start with the first scene to understand what AI can do. Then move to the second scene to actually try it yourself. Finally, explore the third scene to see how it fits into daily life.

You don't need to read everything at once. Pick what's most relevant to where you are right now. If you've never used AI, start with understanding what it can do. If you've tried it once or twice but felt lost, focus on how to start using it effectively. If you're already comfortable with basics but want to expand your use, explore how others are using it daily.

The key is to learn by doing. Read enough to get started, then try AI with a real task. You'll learn more from one genuine attempt than from reading everything here without trying anything.