AI Business Foundations · Use AI
AI Foundations: How AI Works (Non-Technical)
What AI actually is, how small businesses use it today, why it hallucinates, what it costs, and how to assess your own readiness - no coding required.
6 lessons · 260 minutes
Start courseWhat you walk away with
- Explain in plain language what AI is, where it fails, and why it hallucinates
- Run a structured first AI conversation using a reusable prompt pattern
- Sort your business tasks into AI strengths, AI limitations, and human-only work
- Price out a starter AI tool stack so you know the real monthly cost before subscribing
- Complete an AI readiness baseline covering your skills, data, and budget
- A tested prompt or customer-facing workflow you can run this week. Every artifact saves to your workspace, so you keep it after the course ends.
- A knowledge-check quiz and a visual walkthrough inside every one of the 6 lessons, about 4 hours of guided work.
- Most lessons close with a checklist, template, or do-it-this-week task, so progress shows up in your work, not just in the app.
What AI Actually Is (And Isn't)
You have probably heard a dozen different explanations of AI by now. Some make it sound like a sentient being that will either save or destroy humanity. Others treat it like a magic wand that will mak...
How Small Businesses Are Using AI Right Now
If you think AI adoption is something that will happen "eventually" or that you need to "wait and see," here is the number that should change your mind: 58% of small businesses are already using AI to...
Your First AI Conversation
This is a hands-on lesson. By the end of it, you will have completed three real business tasks using AI. Not theoretical exercises - actual work you can use today
Understanding AI Strengths & Limitations
In the last lesson, you got hands-on experience with AI and saw what it can do. Now we need to talk about what it gets wrong - because the businesses that get burned by AI are not the ones who avoid i...
The Cost of AI Tools
One of the most common reasons small business owners hold off on AI is a vague sense that it is expensive. The reality is the opposite: most businesses can get meaningful results from AI for $0 to $50...
Your AI Readiness Baseline
You have spent the last five lessons building a clear understanding of what AI is, how businesses like yours are using it, and what it costs. Now it is time to take stock of where you are and set a co...