Do you need technical knowledge to start with AI?
No, to start with AI you need a browser and an account. You type what you want in plain language and get an answer within seconds. No programming is involved.
If you can send an email, you can use AI. Whether the answer is usable depends on how you ask your question. You learn that by doing, with tasks from your own work.
What is AI?
AI (artificial intelligence) is software that learns patterns from large amounts of text and data, and produces new output based on them. The tools you start with as a beginner are called language models. They write text, summarize, answer questions and analyze documents.
A language model predicts which words best fit your question. It knows nothing about your business until you tell it. It can also make mistakes that sound convincing. So treat AI as a tool you direct and whose work you proofread.
Which AI tool do you choose as a beginner?
As a beginner, choose one general AI assistant: Claude by Anthropic or ChatGPT by OpenAI. Both have a free version (as of October 2026) and work in your browser and as an app on your phone.
Stay with that one tool for the first few weeks. The skill you build is giving a good instruction, and you take it with you to every other tool. If you want to know the differences, read what ChatGPT is and what Claude is.
Watch what you enter. Do not paste customer data or confidential documents into an account before you have reviewed its data usage settings. AI and privacy explains what to look for.
What are the three levels of AI use?
AI use has three levels: asking questions, giving instructions with context and having your own AI agent work alongside you.
Level 1: asking questions You ask a single question and get an answer, such as "what are the benefits of solar panels?". This is how almost everyone starts.
Level 2: instructions with context You say who you are, who the text is for and what the result should look like. For example: "Write an email to my customer Jan about the delay of his order. Tone: friendly and professional. Maximum 100 words." At this level you steer the output.
Level 3: your own AI agent An AI agent knows your business, has access to the systems you designate and carries out tasks independently. Read what that involves in what an AI agent is.
For beginners, most of the gain is in the step from level 1 to level 2.
How do you start with AI today?
You start in four steps: create an account, pick a real task, give context and refine.
Step 1: create an account Go to claude.ai or chatgpt.com and create a free account. There is nothing to install.
Step 2: pick a real task Take something that is already on your list this week. Summarizing meeting notes or rewriting a difficult email are good first tasks.
Step 3: give context Say who you are, who you are writing for and what you expect. "Write a LinkedIn post" gives you a generic text. "Write a 100-word LinkedIn post about our new sustainable packaging, for buyers at retailers, in a professional and accessible tone" gives you a text you can work with.
Step 4: refine Your first answer is a starting point. Say what you want changed: "make it shorter", "use an example from construction", "write it less formally". The conversation remembers what you said earlier, so you do not have to repeat your context.
Which prompts can you use right away as a beginner?
You can copy and fill in these five prompts. Replace the text in square brackets with your own details.
1. Answering an email "I am [role] at [type of business]. Below is an email from a customer. Write a reply of at most 120 words. Tone: friendly and professional. The message is: [what you want to say]. End with one concrete next step. The email: [paste the email]"
2. Summarizing a document "Summarize the text below in five points for a colleague who has not read it. Put the main conclusion at the top in one sentence. At the end, name the questions the text leaves unanswered. The text: [paste the text]"
3. Turning meeting notes into action items "Below are my rough notes from a meeting. Turn them into a list of action items. For each item, state who owns it and the due date. If the owner or the date is not in my notes, write 'unknown' and do not fill anything in yourself. The notes: [paste your notes]"
4. Having your own text reviewed "Read the text below as a critical reader from my audience: [describe your audience]. Name the four places where the text is unclear or too long and give an improved sentence for each. Do not rewrite the rest of the text. The text: [paste your text]"
5. Having a topic explained "Explain [topic] to someone with no prior knowledge. Use at most 200 words and one example from [your industry]. Close with two questions I can ask to go deeper."
You will find more on how such instructions are built in what is a prompt.
Which mistakes do beginners make with AI?
Beginners often make four mistakes:
- Giving a vague instruction. "Write something about marketing" gives you a generic text. State the goal, the audience and the length.
- Asking for everything at once. Split a large task into steps and let the AI work step by step.
- Not checking the output. AI makes mistakes. Check facts and figures before you send anything.
- Stopping after one attempt. Refine with a concrete pointer. The second version is usually better than the first.
When do you need more than an AI assistant?
You need more once you type the same explanation every day or repeat the same task. Start by saving your best prompts in a document so you can reuse them. With the 5 prompt techniques you improve those prompts step by step.
After that you can look at an AI agent that holds your context and carries out tasks independently. An agent requires that you already know which tasks you want to hand over and what a good result looks like. You build that knowledge in your first weeks with an AI assistant.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI free to use? Yes. Claude and ChatGPT both have a free version (as of October 2026). A paid subscription gives you more usage and extra features. For your first weeks the free version is enough.
Which AI tool is best for beginners? Claude and ChatGPT are both suitable as a first tool. Pick one and use it for real work tasks for a few weeks. What you learn about giving instructions also works in other tools.
How long does it take to learn to use AI? You get your first usable result within an hour. You build routine by using AI for real tasks over a few weeks. In a 1-on-1 AI training at AI Agent B.V. you practise this on your own work in 3 hours.
Can I trust what AI says? Partly. A language model can make up facts and figures that sound convincing. Check everything you send out and ask for the source of factual claims.
Can I paste business data into an AI tool? First review the data usage settings of your account and the agreements within your company. Do not paste personal data or confidential documents into an account whose terms you do not know.
Want to keep learning?
If you want to practise this on your own work with guidance, see the 1-on-1 AI training. If you want an ongoing sparring partner, read about AI coaching for entrepreneurs for €399 per month excl. VAT.
