Stop 2 / 8 · ~20 min

World 0: Internet + AI Basics

Remove beginner fear.

Goal: Remove beginner fear and learn the basic words.

Lesson

An AI assistant is a tool you can talk to in normal language. You can ask it to explain something, rewrite text, summarize notes, brainstorm ideas, or help you practice.

A prompt is the instruction or question you give the AI.

A source is information you give NotebookLM to study from. A source can be a document, webpage, note, PDF, or pasted text.

A chat is the conversation between you and the AI.

NotebookLM is useful because it answers from sources you provide. Claude is useful because it can help you think, draft, practice, and improve work.

Example

Weak prompt:

AI?

Better prompt:

Explain what an AI assistant is in plain language for someone who has never used one. Use one everyday example.

Practice

Write one sentence for each word:

  • AI assistant
  • Prompt
  • Source
  • Chat

Model Answers

AI assistant: A tool that helps answer questions, write, summarize, explain, and organize information.

Prompt: The instruction or question I give to an AI assistant.

Source: A document, webpage, note, or file that NotebookLM can use to answer questions.

Chat: The back-and-forth conversation between me and the AI.

Checkpoint

You are ready for World 1 when you can explain those four words without reading the model answers.