--- title: "AI for beginners: start here" url: https://aiguideson.com/courses/ai-for-beginners-start-here/ summary: "What AI chat tools like ChatGPT and Claude are, what they get wrong, and how to use one safely. You’ll make a free account, have your first conversation, learn to check what it tells you, and then finish by making something useful for your week." level: "Beginner" lessons: 5 minutes: 45 published: 2026-10-03 updated: 2026-10-03 author: "Jack Stovell" publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited" language: "en-GB" --- # AI for beginners: start here What AI chat tools like ChatGPT and Claude are, what they get wrong, and how to use one safely. You’ll make a free account, have your first conversation, learn to check what it tells you, and then finish by making something useful for your week. Beginner · 5 lessons, about 45 minutes in total · Free. ## What you build A week of evening meals and one shopping list for your household, made with an AI chat tool, checked by you, and saved as a document you can print or keep on your phone. Our worked example is a made-up household of two adults and two children, one of them vegetarian. The household is made up. The plan and shopping list are exactly what Claude wrote for our prompt, pasted into a plain document. Not for: People who already use AI chat every week. Try "Prompting for beginners" instead. ## Who it’s for - Anyone who has never used an AI chat tool - People who tried one once and didn’t know what to do with it - Anyone who wants to know what’s safe to type in before they start ## What you need - A computer, tablet or phone with a web browser - An email address, if you want a free account (you can try ChatGPT without one) - No technical knowledge - A notes app, word processor or email draft to save what you make in lesson 5 (one already on your device is fine) ## Tools and what they cost - **Claude (Free plan)**: An AI chat tool you can use for every lesson. Cost: Free. The Free plan is listed as "Free for everyone". Prices on the page are shown in local currency; our capture from a European server on 2026-10-03 shows €0. You must be 18 or over. (checked 2026-10-03; source: https://claude.com/pricing) - **ChatGPT (Free plan)**: The other AI chat tool you can use for every lesson. Cost: Free. The pricing page lists a Free plan, "Best for trying out ChatGPT". You can also try ChatGPT without an account. Our headless browser did not load the prices of the paid plans, so we don’t quote them. ChatGPT is not meant for children under 13, and 13 to 18 year olds need a parent’s consent. (checked 2026-10-03; source: https://chatgpt.com/pricing/) ## The lessons ### Module 1: Meet AI chat tools 1. [What AI chat tools are, and what they get wrong](https://aiguideson.com/courses/ai-for-beginners-start-here/what-ai-chat-tools-are/) (8 minutes): What happens when you type to ChatGPT or Claude, what they’re good at, how they get things wrong, and what never to type in. 2. [Make a free account and choose your privacy settings](https://aiguideson.com/courses/ai-for-beginners-start-here/make-a-free-account/) (8 minutes): Pick ChatGPT or Claude, sign up for free, and find the setting that decides whether your chats are used to train the AI. Module badge: Signed up and safe. Mark lessons 1 and 2 of "AI for beginners: start here" complete. ### Module 2: Use it well 3. [Your first conversation](https://aiguideson.com/courses/ai-for-beginners-start-here/your-first-conversation/) (10 minutes): Ask for something small and real, read the reply, ask for changes in the same chat, and check what it filled in by itself. 4. [Check what it tells you](https://aiguideson.com/courses/ai-for-beginners-start-here/check-what-it-tells-you/) (9 minutes): Ask a question with a checkable answer, compare it with the official source, and learn the warning signs of a made-up answer. 5. [Make something useful: a week of meals and a shopping list](https://aiguideson.com/courses/ai-for-beginners-start-here/make-a-meal-plan/) (10 minutes): Tell the AI about your household, get five meals and one shopping list, check it, ask for changes and save it to print. Module badge: First real job done. Mark lessons 3, 4 and 5 of "AI for beginners: start here" complete. ## At the end Finish all 5 lessons and you’ll get a certificate of completion, with its own verification link and an "Add certificate to LinkedIn profile" button. AI starter: Mark all 5 lessons of "AI for beginners: start here" complete. Issued with a certificate of completion and as an Open Badges 3.0 credential. Completion is self-reported: we do not check what you make. ## Sources - [Claude: Plans and pricing](https://claude.com/pricing) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Claude Help Center: Get started with Claude (access, the 18+ age requirement, Free plan usage limits)](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8114491-get-started-with-claude) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Claude Help Center: Claude is providing incorrect or misleading responses](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8525154-claude-is-providing-incorrect-or-misleading-responses-what-s-going-on) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Claude Help Center: Claude is producing links that don’t work and falsely claiming it has sent emails](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8241188-claude-is-producing-links-that-don-t-work-and-falsely-claiming-that-it-has-sent-emails-or-produced-external-documents-what-s-going-on) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Claude Help Center: Who can view my conversations? (be mindful about sensitive information)](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8325621-i-would-like-to-input-sensitive-data-into-my-chats-with-claude-who-can-view-my-conversations) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Anthropic Privacy Center: How do I change my model improvement privacy settings?](https://privacy.claude.com/en/articles/12109829-how-do-i-change-my-model-improvement-privacy-settings) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Anthropic Privacy Center: Is my data used for model training?](https://privacy.claude.com/en/articles/10023580-is-my-data-used-for-model-training) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Claude Help Center: Use incognito chats](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12260368-use-incognito-chats) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Claude Platform Docs: Reduce hallucinations](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/test-and-evaluate/strengthen-guardrails/reduce-hallucinations) (checked 2026-10-03) - [ChatGPT: Pricing](https://chatgpt.com/pricing/) (checked 2026-10-03) - [OpenAI Help Center: What is ChatGPT? (free to use; you own the output)](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6783457-what-is-chatgpt) (checked 2026-10-03) - [OpenAI Help Center: Does ChatGPT tell the truth?](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8313428-does-chatgpt-tell-the-truth) (checked 2026-10-03) - [OpenAI Help Center: Data controls in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7730893-data-controls-in-chatgpt) (checked 2026-10-03) - [OpenAI Help Center: Is ChatGPT safe for all ages? (13+, parental consent 13 to 18)](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8313401-is-chatgpt-safe-for-all-ages) (checked 2026-10-03) - [OpenAI Help Center: How do I create a good prompt for an AI model?](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/4936848-how-do-i-create-a-good-prompt-for-an-ai-model) (checked 2026-10-03) - [ChatGPT: Log in or sign up page](https://chatgpt.com/auth/login) (checked 2026-10-03) - [ChatGPT: front page (usable without signing in)](https://chatgpt.com/) (checked 2026-10-03) - [GOV.UK: UK bank holidays](https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays) (checked 2026-10-03) - [Vegetarian Society: Which cheeses are suitable for vegetarians, and which aren’t?](https://vegsoc.org/news/vegetarian-cheese/) (checked 2026-10-03) ## Questions people ask ### Do I have to pay for anything? No. ChatGPT and Claude both have free plans that cover every lesson. ### Should I use ChatGPT or Claude? Either. The lessons work the same in both. Our examples were made with Claude, so your replies won’t match ours, whichever you choose. ### Can I do this course on my phone? Yes. Both tools work in a phone’s web browser, and the lessons are short. Lesson 5 is easier if you can print, but you can just keep the plan on your phone instead. ### Is it safe to type personal things into an AI chat? Treat it like something other people may read. Don’t type bank or card details, health records, passwords or confidential documents. Lesson 1 explains why, and lesson 2 shows you the privacy settings. ### Will the AI give me the same answers as yours? No. AI tools give a different answer each time, so what should match is the shape: a plan, a list, and the things to check.