Manual inventory checks every day: where should you start?
Use inventory and barcode projects to examine records, stock movements and corrections, then choose one step to improve.
AI tutorials and practical notes
100 short lessons for beginners, from the first question to agents and office tasks. Each includes steps, a practice prompt and troubleshooting. Two project-based articles are also included.
New here? Start with these five lessons
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Company information is scattered: what should you prepare for a knowledge base?
Draw on a customer-support project to organize documents, check answer sources and define when a person must take over.
What is AI? Start with one small task
AI stands for artificial intelligence and includes recognition, prediction and generation, using approaches such as rules or learning from data.
AI chat or search: which should you use?
Search helps you find pages; AI chat helps compose an answer.
What should your first AI task be?
Choose something small, checkable and reversible, such as turning personal notes into tasks.
How do beginners choose an AI tool?
Choose a task before choosing a tool.
How do you spot an AI hallucination?
An AI hallucination is plausible content without adequate grounding.
What should you avoid uploading to AI?
Check whether a service is approved for the data before writing a prompt.
Did the AI actually read the whole file?
A successful upload does not prove every page was read.
Can AI images replace product photos?
Generated images can help discuss composition and style, but may alter dimensions, ports, text or materials.
AI jargon: ten terms worth separating
Separate models, tools, connections and execution support before reading product claims.
A first-week AI learning plan
Build the habit of completing one task correctly before collecting jargon.
What is an LLM, and is it the chat app?
An LLM is a large language model.
How does a language model generate an answer?
A language model generates successive text units conditioned on context rather than copying a complete fixed answer.
What is a token, and is it one character?
A token is a unit used to process text: a character, part of a word or another segment.
What is a context window, and why does chat lose details?
A context window limits information processed in one request.
Training versus inference: does chatting train the model?
Training changes model parameters; inference uses a model on current input.
What is a neural network without the equations?
A neural network maps inputs to outputs through layers of computation with adjustable parameters.
What are embeddings, and how does semantic search work?
An embedding represents content numerically for similarity comparisons.
What is RAG, and why use it for a knowledge base?
RAG retrieves relevant information before generating an answer from it.
Prompting, RAG or fine-tuning: where should you start?
First identify whether the gap is instructions, current information or a consistent specialized behavior.
Is a bigger model always better for your task?
Size is not the only criterion.
What is a prompt, and how do you write one?
A prompt contains instructions and relevant information.
How much background should you give AI?
Provide background that changes the decision: who uses the result, the current process, the blockage and the desired outcome.
How does an example improve your prompt?
Examples turn vague requirements into visible output patterns.
How do you get a consistent table or field format?
Define field names, order, allowed values and missing-data handling.
How do you split a task AI keeps getting wrong?
Split work into checkable stages: read, identify questions, draft and verify.
How can AI ask useful questions without stalling?
Ask only about missing details that change scope, cost or correctness.
How do you rewrite text without changing its meaning?
Freeze facts and commitments before improving wording.
How do you compare options without invented scores?
Choose criteria and evidence before weights.
How should you correct an off-target AI answer?
Identify the wrong passage, the reason and the correct rule.
How do you save a useful prompt as a template?
Save the task specification rather than one successful answer.
What is an AI agent compared with chat?
An agent combines a model with tools, feedback and multiple actions toward a goal.
A safe first task for an agent
Start with a reversible task such as creating an inventory in a practice directory.
Which permissions should you give an agent?
Permissions should match the task.
Why is an agent's plan not proof of completion?
A plan states intended actions; a receipt records what happened.
Workflow or agent: which should a business try first?
A workflow follows predefined steps; an agent can choose steps based on feedback.
Why should an agent check between actions?
A fast sequence can amplify an early mistake.
Can you rely on agent memory?
Memory may retain preferences or summaries, but it is not a task ledger.
How do you stop endless agent retries?
Set scope, retries, budget and handoff conditions before execution.
What are multiple agents, and do you need them?
Multiple agents divide work among execution or review roles.
What should an owner check before using an agent?
Check what it can access and change, who reviews outputs and how mistakes are reversed.
What is an agent skill? Is it another AI?
A skill packages task instructions and optional resources for a compatible agent.
What is SKILL.md, and what belongs in a skill folder?
In the Agent Skills format, SKILL.md contains metadata and instructions, with optional scripts, references and assets alongside it.
Skill or prompt template: which do you need?
A prompt template is often enough for an occasional small task.
What should you check before installing a skill?
Skills may include scripts and network instructions.
How do you make a meeting-notes skill repeatable and testable?
Write reusable meeting-note rules, then test the same rules on different examples.
What is MCP in plain language?
MCP is an open protocol for connecting AI applications to external data and tools.
MCP connects but a query fails: how is it different from an API?
An API exposes programmatic functions.
Why start an MCP connection with read-only access?
A read-only pilot tests whether the right information can be found without changing business records.
A skill is installed but not working. What now?
Installation, enablement, task selection and successful execution are separate states.
What is prompt injection in a webpage?
External pages, files or skills can contain instructions intended to override the task.
What is an agent harness, and why does it matter?
In agent discussions, a harness is the surrounding execution setup: tools, state, permissions and checks.
Can a non-programmer make a small tool with AI?
Try a small local task, but generated code is not automatically safe or usable.
What should you understand before AI edits code?
You need not understand every syntax detail, but should know what changes, why, affected behavior and recovery.
What is a terminal, and why does AI suggest commands?
A terminal runs text commands for programs and the operating system.
Local preview versus publishing: what's the difference?
A local preview is reachable on your computer or a chosen network.
What is an acceptance test for AI-generated software?
Acceptance tests check requirements rather than only a successful build (turning source into runnable or publishable files).
How do you stop AI bug fixes from causing more bugs?
Reproduce, diagnose, make a minimal change and retest (checking again using the same steps).
What belongs in a checkpoint for a long AI task?
A checkpoint records the goal, completed and pending work, file locations, constraints and next action.
What is a dependency, and why does installation add files?
A dependency is external code your program uses, sometimes with dependencies of its own.
How should you handle API keys when AI reads code?
An API key is a credential, not an ordinary example value.
What is GitHub useful for if you do not code?
GitHub hosts code and project collaboration, including documentation, issues and versions.
What is a repository, and is it a cloud drive?
A repository holds project files and revision history.
How do you read a README?
A README is often the entry point.
Source ZIP or release: what should you download?
A source ZIP is usually a snapshot, not a ready-to-run app.
What is a commit compared with saving a file?
Saving changes a file; a commit records a set of changes in history with a message.
What is a branch, and why use one?
A branch lets work proceed on a separate line of development for comparison and merging.
What is a pull request, and does it publish changes?
A pull request proposes changes for review and merging.
How do you write a useful GitHub issue?
A useful issue includes environment, reproduction, expected and actual behavior, and errors.
Does open source mean unrestricted commercial use?
Visible source does not mean unrestricted use.
How do public and private repositories affect privacy?
Public repositories can be read and copied; private ones restrict access but are not a reason to store secrets as ordinary files.
What is WorkBuddy useful for at work?
WorkBuddy is an AI assistant product for tasks involving files and tools.
How do you create a WorkBuddy task and find its output?
Specify input, action, output and limits.
How can WorkBuddy preview file organization first?
Generate a proposed name mapping before renaming.
How do you create and check a meeting-notes file in WorkBuddy?
Start with text notes; audio transcription depends on configured capabilities.
Using WorkBuddy for spreadsheets: start with exceptions
Start by checking fields and row counts before detecting exceptions.
How do you get a useful WorkBuddy document draft?
Provide audience, purpose, known facts and prohibited promises.
How should you choose WorkBuddy skills?
Choose skills for missing task capabilities rather than installing every popular option.
What should you check before connecting WorkBuddy accounts?
Connectors expose external services within a particular authorization scope.
How should you respond to WorkBuddy permission prompts?
Translate a permission prompt into concrete actions: which directory, file, command or external destination.
What if a WorkBuddy task stalls or produces no file?
Distinguish queueing, running, errors and waiting for approval.
How do you draft email without inventing commitments?
State the relationship, purpose, confirmed facts and prohibited commitments.
How do you separate meeting decisions from suggestions?
Minutes preserve decisions and unresolved matters rather than merely formalizing conversation.
What rules come before AI spreadsheet cleaning?
Define fields, units and missing values before formatting.
Why start AI inventory checking with an exception list?
Book, physical, in-transit and reserved stock are different measures.
What must AI never invent in product copy?
Dimensions, materials, certifications, compatibility and results need evidence.
How should you review an AI translation before sharing?
Check numbers, conditions, negation and terminology rather than fluency alone.
How do you use AI for a weekly report honestly?
Separate completed, ongoing, planned and blocked work.
What is OCR, and what should you check on a receipt?
OCR turns image text into machine-readable text but can misread digits and table structure.
How do you start a business knowledge base?
Choose one recurring question area and organize current versions, owners and scope.
How do you turn experience into a usable procedure?
Interview the actual operator and document steps, prerequisites, exceptions and completion checks.
An owner's first AI step is not buying a system
Find one repeated, describable and checkable task.
Which business tasks should AI try first?
Prioritize repeatable tasks with stable inputs, checkable outputs and recoverable mistakes.
How do you design a small AI pilot?
Test one scenario with a small approved sample set and a defined period.
What costs belong in an AI implementation budget?
Costs can include subscriptions, usage, configuration, development, training, review and maintenance.
How should an owner measure AI's benefit?
Measure total task time, errors, rework and review, not generation speed alone.
How do you evaluate an AI implementation provider?
Ask a provider to explain inputs, deliverables, limits and acceptance for one of your workflows.
What is FDE, and why might a business owner care?
FDE commonly means Forward Deployed Engineer, a role working close to customer workflows to implement technology.
How do you train staff who are reluctant to use AI?
Start with a familiar small task and teach review and escalation.
Who maintains an AI tool after delivery?
Documents, accounts, models and business rules change.
What should an owner prepare for an initial consultation?
Describe the business, current process and most troublesome step.
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