# Foundational AI

The foundational AI skills that actually matter, in plain language, for people who feel behind. No jargon, no hype, no "you should already know this." If you can write an email, you can do everything here. Start here, then go further with [AI in Real Life](https://github.com/mpacarroll/ai-in-real-life) and [Become an AI Builder](https://github.com/mpacarroll/become-an-ai-builder).

I'm Mick. I use AI every day and I build small tools that work. This repo is the approachable version of what I've learned: the few things that actually matter, explained for normal people. [Who's Mick? →](#whos-mick)

## Start here
1. **[Start Here guide](guides/start-here.md)** — your first hour with AI, one small step at a time.
2. **[Prompt Helper](tool/index.html)** — open it in any browser (works offline, saves nothing). Answer a few plain questions, get a good prompt to paste into any AI.
3. **[First exercises](exercises/first-exercises.md)** — five short things to try today.

## What this is (and isn't)
- **Is:** free, honest, beginner-first. Built for the people the AI world talks past.
- **Isn't:** a course to buy, a tool to install, or a promise that AI will change your life. Try the small thing. See if it helps.

## Want more
The five exercises here are a taste. The full set of thirty lives in **The AI Practice Book** ([find it on the Mick hub](https://mpacarroll.github.io/mick/#books)). There's also a free weekly email if you want one useful thing a week.

## Who's Mick
I'm Mick. I use AI every day and build small tools that work — you're using one of the things I made. No hype, no course to sell you, on your side. [More about Mick →](https://mpacarroll.github.io/mick/#about)

## License
MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE). Use it, share it, remix it.