Your introduction to AI,
in 10 small steps.
No jargon, no signup, no homework. Work through these ten steps at your own pace — most people finish in an afternoon — then come back for five minutes a day to keep the habit going.
- 1
What AI actually is
Demystify the basics. AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are pattern-matching machines trained on huge amounts of text. They predict the next word — that's it. Once you see them this way, prompting starts to make sense.
Try it: Open your favourite AI chatbot and ask it: "Explain in one paragraph how you work, in plain English." Read the answer twice. - 2
Pick your chatbot
ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot — they all work with the same prompting techniques. Pick one with a free tier and stick with it for this course so you build muscle memory in one place.
Try it: Create a free account on one chatbot. Bookmark it. Put it on your phone home screen if you can. - 3
Your first real prompt
A vague question gets a vague answer. A specific prompt gets a specific answer. Today you'll feel the difference for yourself.
Try it: Ask: "Give me ideas for dinner." Then ask: "Give me 5 quick weeknight dinner ideas using chicken, that take under 30 minutes, for a family with two fussy kids." Compare. - 4
Give the AI a role
Telling the AI who to be (a teacher, a coach, an editor, a friendly accountant) instantly improves the answer. This is the heart of the RTF framework: Role · Task · Format.
Try it: Pick something you'd like help with this week. Prompt: "Act as a [role]. Help me [task]. Give it to me as a [format]." - 5
Be specific about format
Bullet list? Table? Email? 200 words? Telling the AI what shape you want the answer in is one of the biggest unlocks beginners miss.
Try it: Take yesterday's prompt and add: "Format the answer as a short table with 3 columns." Notice how much more useful it becomes. - 6
Give it context
The AI doesn't know you, your job, your kids, or last week's meeting. Anything you'd tell a new assistant on day one, you should tell the AI in your prompt.
Try it: Write a prompt that starts with one sentence of context ("I run a small bakery in Manchester with 3 staff…") before asking your question. - 7
Iterate, don't restart
The first answer is rarely the best one. Treat the AI like a colleague — push back, ask for shorter, longer, simpler, more specific. Each follow-up gets closer to what you want.
Try it: Ask any question. Then reply with: "Make this shorter and punchier." Then: "Now rewrite it for a 12-year-old." Watch it adapt. - 8
Meet the frameworks
Frameworks are little recipes for great prompts. RTF, RACE, TAG, BAB, RISEN — each has 3–5 named slots that prompt you to include the right details. Once you know two or three, prompting feels structured instead of guesswork.
Browse frameworksTry it: Browse the frameworks page and read just one explainer end-to-end. - 9
Use AI for something real this week
The fastest way to learn is to use AI on something that actually matters to you — a real email, a real plan, a real decision. Stop practicing on examples.
Try it: Pick one task on your to-do list. Use a framework prompt to help you do it. Time saved counts as proof. - 10
Build the daily habit
You're done with the basics. From here, the only thing that matters is reps. Five minutes a day with one fresh prompt will take you further than any course.
See today's promptTry it: Bookmark today's prompt. Sign up to the daily newsletter. Come back tomorrow.
You did it. Now keep the streak.
Five minutes a day. One fresh prompt. That's the whole habit.