Core Concepts
Before diving into exercises and pillars, it helps to understand a few foundational ideas. These concept pages give you the mental models you need to use AI well — no technical background required.
- [What We Mean by AI Fluency](/concepts/what-we-mean-by-ai-fluency/) — What AI fluency actually is, why it matters for generalists, and how the five pillars fit together
- [How AI Actually Works](/concepts/how-ai-actually-works/) — What happens when you type something into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
- [Tokenization & Context Windows](/concepts/tokenization-and-context-windows/) — Why AI can only "remember" so much, and what you can do about it
- [Why AI Gets Things Wrong](/concepts/why-ai-gets-things-wrong/) — What hallucinations are, why they happen, and how to catch them
- [Prompt Engineering Basics](/concepts/prompt-engineering-basics/) — How to communicate with AI effectively using clear, structured instructions
- [Agents vs. Assistants](/concepts/agents-vs-assistants/) — The spectrum
Agents vs. Assistants
Plain English: An AI assistant waits for you to ask it something and responds. An AI agent can p...
How AI Actually Works
Plain English: When you type a message to an AI, it doesn't "think" or "know" things. It predict...
Prompt Engineering Basics
Plain English: Prompt engineering is the skill of giving AI clear, structured instructions that ...
Tokenization & Context Windows
Plain English: AI doesn't read words — it reads "tokens" (word chunks). Every AI tool has a limi...
What We Mean by AI Fluency
For: Anyone who wants to understand what AI fluency actually is, why it matters for generalists,...
Why AI Gets Things Wrong
Plain English: AI produces confident-sounding text that is sometimes completely wrong. This isn'...