--- title: "I’m new to this: a practical AI learning path" description: "Get from a blank chat box to a result you can use and check." author: Graham date: 2026-09-06 url: https://powerofai.ca/paths/new --- # I’m new to this: a practical AI learning path Get from a blank chat box to a result you can use and check. A useful first conversation, then a little confidence. Get from a blank chat box to a result you can use and check. Take these at your own pace. Mark completion after practicing, not as a qualification. ## 1. AI beyond search: your first useful conversation Move from asking for an answer to working through a task, with a complete first conversation and a small exercise. Practice: Pick one ordinary task for tomorrow. Ask for three options. Choose one, correct one assumption, then ask for a final checklist. [Open lesson](/learn/ai-beyond-search) ## 2. How to get better answers with follow-up questions Learn five ways to repair an AI answer: clarify, constrain, compare, demonstrate, and check. Practice: Take an answer you found disappointing. Name one problem, write a targeted follow-up, and compare only that part of the result. [Open lesson](/learn/better-follow-up-questions) ## 3. How to fact-check an AI answer without checking everything Find the claims that matter, follow them to evidence, and separate what is supported from what is merely plausible. Practice: Try the source detective lab. For each claim, decide whether the supplied source supports it before revealing the explanation. [Open lesson](/learn/check-ai-answers) ## 4. Learn with AI while keeping the thinking yours Turn explanations into practice with hints, questions, teach-back, and a final attempt without help. Practice: Study one small idea for ten minutes. Then close the chat and explain it using a new example. [Open lesson](/learn/learn-with-ai-without-outsourcing) ## Your small project Plan something small for this week. Revise one assumption, verify the key detail, and save the final checklist. [Keep your learning notes](/notebook).