Beginner's Guide to AI: Here's What You Really Need to Know

I've been studying and working with AI for the past 300 days. When I first started using artificial intelligence, I was blown away by the number of tools out there. Every time I opened YouTube or scrolled social media, there was some new app claiming to use AI to do something magical. I got sucked in—subscribed to a bunch of them, spent more money

Paying for unneeded subscriptions

than I want to admit, and ended up disappointed. Most of them didn’t do what I hoped. But because they were labeled "AI-powered," I assumed they were the next big thing. Turns out, they weren't. I wasted time and money chasing shiny objects.

Eventually, I realized something important: most of what I was trying to do with these paid tools, I could already do with the free versions of the big-name large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and even DeepSeek(it's relativly new, but these days everything is new).

So here’s the truth: you don’t need to learn every AI tool to get started. In fact, I’d argue you shouldn’t.

AI Most Tools Are Built for Specific Use Cases

A lot of AI tools like Midjourney, Canva, and CapCut are amazing—but they’re built for people who already know what they want to create. Midjourney is for people looking to generate high-end images. Canva uses AI to help streamline designs. CapCut adds AI features to speed up video editing. But if you’re just starting out, and you don’t even know what you want to create yet, these tools can overwhelm more than they help.

Instead, start simple.

Use the free versions of major LLMs to explore what’s possible.

Here’s a quick guide to some of the best free options available right now:

AI Tool	Pro	Con	Free Version Limitation
ChatGPT (Free)	Easy to use, great at writing, summarizing, and brainstorming	No image generation or web browsing	GPT-3.5 only; no access to GPT-4 or DALL·E
Gemini (Free)	Integrates with Google tools, helpful for productivity	Can feel robotic or generic	Limited conversation memory and access to premium features
Claude (Free)	Writes clearly, handles long documents well	Not ideal for creativity or humor	Daily message limits; slower than paid version
DeepSeek (Free)	Powerful reasoning and multilingual support	Lesser known; lacks polish of other tools	Limited image/text combo prompts; slower uptime

Start With General Tools Before You Specialize

The more you experiment with these free tools, the more you’ll understand how all of AI works. It’s like learning how to drive one car—you’re not locked into just one model. The better you get at using one LLM, the easier it becomes to use others.

Using AI as a tool makes work simplier

And here’s something a lot of people overlook: AI is a force multiplier. But the force it multiplies is you—your ability to think, communicate, create, and get things done. So it’s not about finding the perfect tool, it’s about getting better at expressing what you want.

What’s Prompt Engineering? (Don’t Let the Term Scare You)

In case i haven't mentioned it before... “Prompt engineering” sounds intimidating, but it’s really just a fancy way of saying: learn how to talk to the AI. It’s about arranging your thoughts in a clear way, so the AI knows what you want it to do. That might mean giving it a bit of background, explaining your goal, or even asking it to give you a few ideas to get started.

No coding. No tech background. Just thoughtful communication.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need every AI app. You don’t need to pay upfront. You just need curiosity, a free account (or two), and a willingness to learn how to talk to these tools.

Start small. Explore. Build confidence.

And remember: it’s not about mastering AI overnight. It’s about learning how it can support the way you think and work.