Right. Let's Actually Use One.
I'm Skits, from Shared Knowledge Technical Solutions. If you've taken AI: Do I Need It?, you know what AI is and what it costs you to be careless with it. This course is the other half: actually using the thing.
In about 12 minutes you'll pick a tool, sign up, and write a prompt that gets you something useful on the first try instead of the fourth. Let's introduce ourselves first.
Quick thing first — what brings you here today?
Same lessons either way. It just helps me know who I'm teaching.
And have you ever actually used one of these AI tools?
Which One Should You Pick?
You need one. Not all of them. Any of these three will do nearly everything a small business or a curious person needs, and all three have a free version that's genuinely useful.
ChatGPT
chatgpt.com
The one everybody's heard of. Huge, capable, well-rounded. If you want the safest default pick, it's this.
Claude
claude.ai
Often the best writer of the three — it sounds less like a robot. Jerry uses this one for the live demo when he speaks.
Gemini
gemini.google.com
Google's. Strong on images, and it's already sitting in your Google account if you have one.
Don't agonize over this.
Pick one. You can switch anytime.
Skits' Tip
People lose weeks comparing AI tools and never use any of them. The differences between these three matter far less than the difference between using one and using none. Flip a coin if you have to.
Signing Up (It's Genuinely This Simple)
- Go to the website — chatgpt.com, claude.ai, or gemini.google.com. Type it in the address bar yourself; don't click an ad or a link in an email.
- Click Sign up. Use your email, or the "continue with Google" button if you'd rather not make another password.
- Confirm your email if it asks. Check the junk folder if nothing arrives.
- That's it. You'll land on a box that says something like "How can I help you today?" — that's where you type.
Do you need to pay?
No. Start free. The free version of all three is plenty to learn on. Only consider paying once you're using it regularly and bumping into limits — and remember from the other course: free plans may use what you type as training material, so keep private details out of it.
Watch out for fakes
There are scam apps and lookalike sites with names like "ChatGPT Pro" charging for what's free. Type the real address yourself. If something's asking for your credit card just to sign up, you're in the wrong place.
Quick Check
Mark each statement TRUE or FALSE:
You have to pay to use AI.
You should sign up for all the major AI tools to compare them.
You should type the AI's web address yourself instead of clicking an ad.
You've got a tool. Now let's make it useful.
Here's the thing nobody tells you: most people who try AI and walk away unimpressed weren't let down by the tool. They just asked badly. The next chapter is the fix, and it's three words long.