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Tagged #AI

GuideTechnology

11 min read

Examples, Output Formats and Structured Output

Showing the AI one or two examples often beats three paragraphs of description. This article covers example-based prompting, choosing an output format, and requesting structured output such as JSON that a program or spreadsheet can use, with the checks that make it safe.

GuideTechnology

9 min read

Give AI the Right Context: Source Material and Long Documents

The single biggest upgrade to AI answers is not a cleverer prompt. It is giving the model the right material to work from and making it show where each claim came from. This article teaches grounding, quote-first answers and how to handle long documents.

GuideTechnology

11 min read

Why AI Sounds Right and Still Gets Things Wrong

Hallucinations are not random glitches. They follow predictable patterns that you can learn to spot. This article explains why fluent AI answers can be false, where errors cluster, and which habits reduce them, with an honest account of what no habit can fix.

GuideTechnology

12 min read

How Language Models Work: Training, Inference, Tokens and Context

You do not need maths to use AI well, but you do need a correct picture of what happens when you press enter. This article explains next-token prediction, training versus inference, tokens and the context window, and the practical habits each idea implies.

GuideTechnology

10 min read

AI, Machine Learning, Generative AI and LLMs: The Map

AI, machine learning, deep learning, generative AI, LLM, chatbot, model, agent: the words get used as if they mean the same thing. They do not. This article draws one simple map so every later article makes sense.

GuideTechnology

12 min read

Start Here: What You Can Do with AI and the Work Loop

A free, 35-article course on using modern AI well: what it is, how to ask, how to check it, and how to build habits that survive the next product update. This first article explains what to expect and introduces the six-step Work Loop you will use throughout.

CourseTechnology

7 min read

AI From Zero to Productive: A Practical Guide to Using AI Well

A free, 35-article course on understanding and using modern AI for learning, work, coding and career growth. It teaches transferable skills, not product tours: how language models behave, how to ask and give context, how to verify answers, how to protect privacy, when to automate, and how to build your own personal AI system.

GuideTechnology

5 min read

How Do AI Chatbots Like ChatGPT and Claude Actually Work?

AI chatbots feel like magic, but the basic idea is simple: they predict the next piece of text, based on patterns learned from huge amounts of writing. Here is how that works and why they sometimes get things wrong.