ChatGPT
How to use AI beyond the basics and make it part of your everyday life.
Foundations
What AI actually is and which tools to use
Superpowers
Features you didn't know existed
Hands-On
Build your own AI agent, live
The Future
Where all of this is heading
AI is pattern recognition that got really, really good. You've been using it for years.
Netflix
Knows what you want to watch next
Your Phone
Finishes your sentences as you type
Spotify
Builds playlists around your taste
Gmail
Suggests replies to your emails
Who's used ChatGPT? How about Claude or Gemini?
ChatGPT
Widest range of built-in tools. Image generation, voice mode, data analysis, browsing. Largest community.
Claude
Best at long documents, reasoning, nuanced writing, and coding. Follows instructions precisely. Least hallucinations.
Gemini
Wired into Gmail, Docs, Drive, YouTube. Best AI video generation. If you live in Google's world, this is yours.
All three are free. All three are $20/month for the paid tier. Choose based on what fits your world, not price.
Already use Google everything?
Gemini
Want the best writing & analysis?
Claude
Want the widest toolbox?
ChatGPT
Want AI video generation?
Gemini (Veo 3.1)
Most people use whatever loads by default. That's like driving a sports car in first gear.
| Platform | Quick Tasks | Hard Problems |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Default fast model | GPT-5.4 (paid) |
| Claude | Sonnet | Opus |
| Gemini | Flash | Pro |
The quality of what you get out depends entirely on what you put in. A few small changes make a huge difference.
Be Specific
"Write a professional 3-paragraph email to my landlord about a leak in the kitchen ceiling that started Tuesday" beats "write an email about a leak"
Give It a Role
"You are a nutritionist. Create a meal plan for..." gets more focused, expert-level responses than asking cold
Show Examples
"Here's an email I wrote that I like the tone of. Write the next one in the same style." It adapts to your voice.
Iterate
Don't accept the first answer. Say "make it shorter," "more casual," "add a specific example." Treat it like a conversation, not a search.
Who has tried AI and felt like the results were just... meh? What did you ask it?
You already know it can answer questions, generate images, and talk to you. Here's what most people miss.
Custom Memory
Set persistent instructions so it always knows your role, preferences, and context without re-explaining
Multi-Step Reasoning
Give it a complex goal and let it break it down into steps. Strategy, planning, and analysis in one conversation
Compare & Decide
Upload two documents side by side and ask it to compare, contrast, and recommend. Insurance, contracts, vendors
Personalized Plans
Feed it your constraints, goals, and preferences. It builds a plan tailored specifically to your life
Real example
I'm a picky eater but wanted a meal prep plan that matched my workout goals. I gave Claude my favorite foods, my schedule, my height and weight, and my goals. It built a full workout and meal plan that I actually wanted to follow, with meals I loved eating that still hit my nutrition targets.
Is my data safe?
All three platforms let you opt out of training on your data. Don't paste passwords, SSNs, or sensitive credentials. Treat it like a smart coworker: share context, not secrets.
Do I need to pay?
Free tiers are surprisingly good in 2026. You can get real work done without spending anything. Upgrade when you hit limits that actually bother you, not before.
Can I trust the answers?
AI can be confidently wrong. Always verify important facts. Think of it as a brilliant first draft, not a final answer. Claude tends to be most careful about accuracy.
Will it replace my job?
AI replaces tasks, not people. The people who learn to use it will outperform those who don't. That's why you're here tonight.
Google Veo 3.1 — The Leader
8-second video clips with synchronized audio from a text prompt. Landscape and vertical formats. Use a photo as a starting frame. Available on paid Gemini tiers.
Sora — Shut Down
OpenAI discontinued Sora and ended its billion-dollar Disney partnership. The most hyped AI video tool in the world, gone in six months.
- Drop a 30-page report into Claude and get a summary with key action items
- Draft emails in your voice by giving it examples of how you write
- Upload meeting notes and ask for a follow-up action plan
- Paste a spreadsheet and ask it to find trends or anomalies
- Prepare for a meeting by uploading the agenda and asking for talking points
Open ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Type: "Write me a professional email declining a meeting invite politely but suggesting an alternative time."
- Photograph what's in your fridge and ask for dinner ideas
- Compare insurance quotes by uploading documents side by side
- Plan a week of meals based on dietary preferences and budget
- Research school options for your kids with pros and cons
- Draft a complaint letter to your landlord or utility company
Type: "Plan 5 dinners for this week for 2 people. Budget-friendly, under 30 minutes each, and use chicken at least twice."
- Brainstorm and outline a short story, novel, or blog post
- Upload a photo and get composition or lighting feedback
- Generate custom images for invitations or social media
- Create short video clips from text descriptions (Gemini / Veo)
- Get specific revision suggestions on your writing
Type: "Give me 5 creative ideas for a birthday party invitation theme for a 40th birthday. Include a tagline for each."
- Ask it to explain a concept five different ways until one clicks
- Create a personalized study plan for any topic
- Have it quiz you and adjust difficulty based on your answers
- Practice a language with conversation exercises
- Rehearse job interview answers with real-time feedback
Type: "Explain how [something you've always been curious about] works. Start simple, then go deeper when I say 'more.'"
An agent doesn't just answer questions. It takes action.
You ask, it answers
One exchange at a time. No memory. No follow-through.
You delegate, it executes
Multiple steps. Uses tools. Makes decisions. Completes the task.
What's a repetitive task you wish someone else would just handle for you?
Real example
I had personal projects I'd wanted to build for years but kept hitting walls. I used AI to think through the parts I didn't understand, identify problems I hadn't anticipated, uncover hidden costs, and find workarounds. It became a thinking partner, not just a tool.
A free, visual platform for building AI agents. No coding required.
Free Tier
Generous free plan to get started and build real automations
Visual Builder
Drag-and-drop interface. See your entire workflow visually
Gummie
Describe what you want in plain English. It builds the automation for you
Go to gumloop.com and create a free account. We're about to build something together.
Together
We're building an email receipt tracker using Gummie.
Watches your Gmail inbox
Finds emails with receipts
Extracts vendor, amount, date
Logs them to Google Sheets
Let's build a second agent. Tell Gummie what you want, or pick one of these.
Morning Briefing
Summarizes weather, top news, and your calendar into one daily email
Content Repurposer
Paste an article link. Get a social media post, email draft, and key takeaways
Research Monitor
Track a topic you care about and get a weekly summary of what's new
You just described what you wanted in plain English, and the AI built it. No code. No technical background.
An open-source AI assistant that runs 24/7 on your own computer. You talk to it through WhatsApp, Telegram, or text. It manages your life and builds new capabilities on its own.
The reality check
Cisco called it "a security nightmare." China restricted government agencies from using it. It's powerful, early, and not ready for everyone. But it shows where this is all going.
- All three major platforms are free to start. Try them tonight.
- You're probably only using 10% of what these tools can do.
- The right model matters. Switch from fast to smart when it counts.
- Agents let you go from asking questions to delegating tasks.
- The future is an AI that works alongside you 24/7. It's closer than you think.
Everything from tonight in one place. Model comparisons, starter prompts, tools, and links.
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