How to Talk to AI So It Actually Works
TL;DR
Understanding how AI works is one thing. Knowing how to use it well is another. This guide breaks down the basics of AI — and how better prompting can get you clearer, faster, and more useful results. It’s not about being technical. It’s about learning how to give clear instructions to get what you need.
AI Isn’t Complicated. But We’ve Been Explaining It Badly.
Most people still think of AI as something futuristic or technical. But if you’ve used ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot, you’ve already used AI. You just might not know what’s happening behind the scenes — or how to get the best out of it.
At its core, AI is pattern recognition. It takes in data, finds patterns, and makes predictions. When you give it a prompt, it guesses what a good response looks like based on what it’s seen before.
The better your prompt, the better its guess. That’s why understanding the basics of how AI works and how to talk to it matters more than ever, especially for business users.
What AI Actually Is (And Isn’t)
- Most AI today falls under one label: Narrow AI. That means it’s trained to do one job well like summarise a document, generate code, write a headline. It’s fast, useful, and everywhere.
- General AI : the kind that thinks like a person doesn’t exist yet. Ignore the headlines. Focus on what works now.
The core technology most tools use is:
- Machine Learning: algorithms trained on data to make predictions
- Deep Learning: more complex models using layers (often called neural networks)
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): how AI understands and generates human language
You don’t need to master any code or tech babble. You just need to know what it’s doing and how to steer it to your nuance and requirments.
Why Prompting Matters More Than You Think
Using AI is like giving instructions to an intern. Vague directions = vague output.
A prompt is just that: a set of instructions. But how you frame it changes the result.
Bad prompt:
"Write something about customer service."
Better prompt:
"Write a 3-paragraph summary for a small business website explaining how our customer support team solves issues within 24 hours."
The second one gives:
- Purpose
- Format
- Context
These are the building blocks of good prompting — and they don’t require any technical skill.
Three Prompting Techniques That Actually Work
- Be Specific: Tell the AI what format you want: a list, a paragraph, a summary, a script.
- Provide Context: Add details. Who is the audience? What’s the goal? What's the tone?
- Give Examples: One good input-output pair can guide the model better than a full paragraph of explanation.
Real-World Use Cases for Better Prompts
If you’re a business user, here’s where good prompting pays off:
- Customer Service: Drafting helpful responses faster, or triaging tickets based on tone and urgency
- Content Creation: Writing outlines, social copy, or first drafts you can edit instead of start from scratch
- Team Productivity: Summarising meeting transcripts, pulling insights from reports, or rewriting for clarity
You don’t need to write “perfect” prompts. You just need to know what the AI needs to do its job — and give it that.
Don’t Learn AI. Learn to Use It.
The problem isn’t your lack of technical knowledge. It’s that most tools don’t teach you how to work with AI effectively.
That’s what our AI Fundamentals Bootcamp is for. We teach you how to think, write, and work with AI — using real tools, real tasks, and zero jargon. If you know how to write an email, you can learn this.
FAQ
Q: Do I need to learn coding or data science to use AI well?
A: No. You need to understand what the model expects — and how to frame your request clearly.
Q: Why does the same prompt sometimes give different results?
A: AI tools are probabilistic — they generate slightly different outputs each time, especially if your instructions are vague.
Q: How do I know if my prompt is “good”?
A: A good prompt gives a clear format, goal, and audience. If the result is useful without lots of edits, your prompt worked.
Q: Can I just use templates?
A: Templates help. But understanding why they work gives you flexibility when the task changes.
Q: How do I learn this properly without wasting weeks?
A: Join the Bootcamp. It’s five days of practical, applied AI skills — designed for people who write, lead, or manage, not code.