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A.I. Basics

Here it Goes

The best friend you never knew you needed™

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Fuckin' A.I. am I right guys? 

"Is there anything we can do with AI in this space?"

"I made an app!" 

"My uncle made an app!"

"Vibe coding!!!!"

First, read about the Ethics of using A.I. and then read on... 

Artificial Intelligence is being used broadly as term to describe almost-Turing-approved large language models (LLMs) as well as tools that use machine learning. 

Ex. Machine Learning - Computer Vision, which uses an algorithm. 

Ex. A.I. - ChatGPT Chatbot using an LLM

Ex. A.I. and Machine Learning - Topaz Video A.I. 

Machine learning is not A.I. but, fine, we can call it that just to make things easier to categorize. 

Model & Trim Level

There are three primary models used as the basis for tons of other tools. There are others out there, but for the general public, this is what will sound familiar. 

  1. OpenAI's ChatGPT is good for a lot of things. it excels in image generation, general chat bot support and it's pretty good with code, too. 
  2. Anthropic's Claude is good for a lot of the same things. It's not as good with image generation - in fact doesn't advertise it as an ability, but it's better with code IMHO. 
  3. Google's Gemini is good for a lot of the same things and is also embedded into Google Apps for better or worse. It's pretty good for solving problems, and image generation is pretty decent too, but image edit has a lower max resolution than OpenAI (as of May 2026, anyway). Gemini really loves to hallucinate its own abilities and tries to do things it can't actually do. It's really good at spreadsheet stuff - like generating formulas. It is less good with things like "turn all the yellow cells blue." Use Claude and Apps Script instead. 

Trim Level is what I affectionately use to describe a version of each model. OpenAI uses "Pro" and "Nano" and a version number (GPT Pro 5.5); the generic version being just GPT and the version number. Claude uses different code names from version to version (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku), but also has a version number (Opus 4.6). 

So You Think You Can Dance? 

At its core, AI is helpful in lots of small ways. Imagine old-school Google answering your questions with continued context and follow-up, and if you're paying for the model, without advertising!

Dumb usages of AI that are pretty spot on :

  • Getting specific stains out of specific clothes. 
  • Cooking instructions. How long should I grill this chicken? 
  • I've got these ingredients, what can I make in 45 minutes? 
  • Troubleshooting complicated European-style appliances. 
  • Finding a car/bike based on your requirements.
  • What insurance coverage do I need for this and am I already covered by X, Y, Z policies? Cite sources, please! 
  • Finding cool places to explore within a certain region. 
  • Organize your travel itinerary based on receipts.
  • What is this piece of art called and/or what does it mean?

The most important thing with using A.I. is gauging whether what you're being told is true or false.

With A.I. you need to verify pretty much everything. What's the internal temp of properly cooked chicken? Maybe check that kind of thing elsewhere for safety until you are vaguely aware of what it's supposed to be. A quick, but not always fullproof thing to do is say "gimme the sources." 

So, you've dipped your toes in and are interested in getting started. 

Read on to use cases. There's lots of ways to do other things you couldn't do before and learn something new!!

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