The AI Starter Kit
A real-world guide to using AI for people who don’t want to fake it or feel lost
We are surrounded by bold claims about artificial intelligence. Most of them feel disconnected from the way real people actually work.
If you’ve spent any time around education, marketing, leadership, or community work, you’ve probably heard things like:
“AI is the future.”
“You need to use it or get left behind.”
“It’s like having a second brain.”
But here’s what I hear when I talk with thoughtful professionals, teachers, creatives, and leaders:
“I don’t really know where to start.” “I’ve opened the tool... but then I just stare at it.” “What am I supposed to say to it?”
That hesitation is valid. The interfaces look simple, but there’s often no guidance. And culturally, we’re still figuring out how to relate to machines that write, draw, code, sing, and now create high-quality videos—based on just a few lines of input.
So this isn’t a crash course in AI theory. This is a working guide—grounded, practical, and human. If you’ve never used generative AI or have only dabbled, this is for you.
Think of AI as a Capable Collaborator Who Doesn’t Know You Yet
When you start working with generative AI, it doesn’t help to treat it like a genius or a robot. Neither frame leads to useful results. The most helpful mental model is this:
Imagine a coworker who is fast, knowledgeable, and helpful—but unfamiliar with your work, tone, audience, or values. They’re good at tasks like drafting, summarizing, ideation, and planning. They just need direction.
If you give vague or shallow instructions, they’ll flounder. If you give clear guidance with structure, they’ll help you move forward.
That’s what makes generative AI powerful, not just the 'intelligence', but the feedback loop.
Use This Prompting Structure: The C.R.A.F.T. Method
To get anything useful from AI, you need to know how to “brief” it. I use this structure across every project—from coaching educators to writing brand strategy.
C — Context What’s happening? What’s the situation? Include enough background for the AI to understand your goal.
R — Role Tell the AI who to “act like.” For example: a 7th-grade teacher, a creative director, a therapist, a debate coach, a community organizer.
A — Action Say exactly what task you want it to do. Use verbs like write, summarize, analyze, critique, brainstorm, or format.
F — Format Tell it the shape of what you want back. Ask for bullet points, a draft email, a checklist, a slide outline, a three-paragraph story.
T — Tone Guide the voice. Ask for warm, clear, direct, encouraging, formal, playful, etc.
You don’t need to memorize this. Keep it next to your screen and follow the structure when you prompt. It keeps you from expecting AI to read your mind.
Getting Started: A Simple 7-Day Practice Plan
Don't worry, you don’t need to know how to code or “engineer” prompts. You simply copy and paste text, type into the chat, and follow your curiosity.
Choose one of these tasks per day. You can use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity—I’ll explain each in a moment.
Day 1: Summarize What Matters
Take something long. An article, a policy memo, a meeting note. Then paste it into the AI chat and say:
“Act like a communications lead. Give me the three most important decisions or action items from this. Bullet points please.”
This helps you see how AI can reduce mental clutter without skipping what matters.
Day 2: Get Unstuck
Have a problem in your head you can’t quite name? Try:
“I need to write a newsletter introduction for parents. The topic is student stress. Give me five different angles I could use, written in a friendly tone.”
This is how ideas start moving again.
Day 3: Rewrite Something Rough
Paste a sentence you wrote that sounds off. Ask:
“Rewrite this to sound more empathetic.” “Give me a clearer version of this sentence.” “Make this paragraph sound confident and positive without sounding forced.”
The goal here is to learn how different tone and structure feel.
Day 4: Make a Plan
Tell it what you’re trying to do and what you’ve already figured out. Then ask:
“Act like a project manager. I want to launch a podcast. I have a concept but no gear or schedule. Create a realistic 6-week plan with small weekly goals.”
AI isn’t great at perfection, but it is helpful with scaffolding.
Day 5: Learn Something New
AI is one of the best explainer tools you have access to.
“Explain what prompt engineering is to someone who uses spreadsheets and writes emails but isn’t technical. Keep it plain and use examples.”
Once it explains it, ask for a learning plan. 20 minutes per day for a week is enough to get started.
Day 6: Think Creatively Without Pressure
Ask:
“Give me five metaphors for burnout. One from nature, one from sports, one from music, one from cooking, and one from architecture.”
You don’t need to use any of them. But you’ll think differently after reading them.
Day 7: Make Something You Can Share
Ask the AI to turn your idea into something usable.
“Take this paragraph and write a social media post. Include a question at the end.” “Turn these points into a short script for a one-minute video. Keep the tone natural.”
From here, you can move into tools that generate the rest—visuals, music, layout, and more.
The Most Useful Tools for Beginners (As of June 2025)
You don’t need to learn everything. Choose the ones that fit how you already work.
🧠 Writing + Thinking
ChatGPT (GPT-4o) Great for brainstorming, summarizing, writing, and light analysis. The free version is limited. The paid version (GPT-4o) is faster, more accurate, and includes voice and vision features.
Claude 4.0 (by Anthropic) Strong for editing, long document analysis, and thoughtful responses. It feels slower and more careful than ChatGPT, which makes it a good fit for more nuanced or sensitive writing.
Perplexity AI Focused on real-time search and citations. You type a question and it gives a sourced, well-organized answer. Use this when you want current events, data, or articles.
🎵 Music Creation Tools
Suno.ai (v4) You write a short prompt like “acoustic guitar track about resilience”, and it creates a full song—vocals, lyrics, melody. No musical skills required. Great for social storytelling or mood pieces.
Udio Ideal for experimenting with genre, mood, or character-driven songs. It generates different versions and lets you remix or continue a track. Use it for soundtracks, ad backgrounds, or narrative audio.
Both tools are web-based and easy to try. You don’t need a microphone or software. Just an idea and a sentence.
🖼️ Image Generation
Leonardo.Ai Create illustrations, icons, posters, or product concepts. You can edit the images directly and even generate text labels inside them. Good for branding and educational visuals.
Ideogram Specializes in visuals with readable text—like flyers, posters, stickers. Great if you want to communicate visually and clearly without hiring a designer.
Canva Magic Studio Build carousels, pitch decks, and social posts using AI-generated structure and visuals. Especially useful if you need to move quickly or want something polished without too much effort.
🎬 Video Generation
Google Veo High-quality video creation from text. Still rolling out, but produces cinematic scenes from simple descriptions. Strong for trailers, abstract storytelling, or mood videos.
Runway ML Used in commercial settings. Turn still images or text into smooth video sequences. Used by designers and content creators.
Pika Create short, stylized videos quickly. Better for playful, animated, or surreal content. Less realism, more visual expression.
Final Note: You’re Not Behind
If you’re still getting oriented, it's ok, you’re not late.
Starting slowly, asking good questions, and staying grounded in your actual work—those are advantages. Most people are still chasing features and forgetting to ask whether those features solve a real problem.
AI doesn’t have to change your whole life. It can help you do small things more clearly, more calmly, and sometimes more creatively.
Start with that.
When you're ready to try a real task with AI, let me know. I’ll be happy to help you write the first prompt.