Career · Everyday work with AI
Plain Start: AI course for beginners: how AI works and how to use it at work
Six short lessons for complete beginners: what AI is, why chat assistants sometimes make things up, which work tasks suit them, how to ask for a useful first draft, what not to paste in, and how to own the result.
About this course
AI course for beginners: how AI works and how to use it at work.
Starter · About 1 hour of learning · 6 lessons · 14 quick checks · 1 download
Who it's for
Complete beginners who want to understand AI and start using chat assistants safely at work, in Australia, the UK, the US and elsewhere.
How it works
6 guided lessons in your browser, with worked examples, exercises and a quick check after each lesson. Progress is saved in this browser only, and you can restart at any time.
Sources we rely on
10 published sources, mostly regulators and official bodies, listed below so you can check the original guidance yourself.
By the end you can
- Explain what an AI system is and tell predictive AI apart from generative AI
- Describe why chat assistants can be confidently wrong, and where errors cluster
- Choose work tasks that suit AI using a three-question test
- Write a clear four-part request, refine it and check the result
- Keep personal and confidential information out, and follow workplace rules
Downloads
- AI starter workbook .docxA task sorter, a four-part request builder, a quick check, a what-not-to-paste list and a 30-day plan.
Rules by country
Learning time
About 1 hour of learning. May count towards your CPD or professional development; check your professional body's rules. Estimated from reading time, exercises, quick checks and downloads.
Sources
Check the originals.
Drafted with AI assistance and run through automated quality and source checks. How these courses are made. Spotted an error or out-of-date rule? Send a correction.
General information and training only. Courses may count towards your CPD or professional development; check your professional body's rules. We don't guarantee employment or career outcomes.
- Recommendation of the Council on Artificial Intelligence (OECD/LEGAL/0449), definition of an AI system · OECD
- Artificial Intelligence Playbook for the UK Government · Government Digital Service, GOV.UK
- Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative Artificial Intelligence Profile (NIST AI 600-1) · NIST (US)
- How ChatGPT and our foundation models are developed · OpenAI Help Center
- Generative AI capacity study report · Jobs and Skills Australia
- Business insights and impact on the UK economy: 2 October 2025 · Office for National Statistics (UK)
- Research into how artificial intelligence (AI) is affecting employment (FOI response) · Office for National Statistics (UK)
- Staff guidance on public generative AI · Digital Transformation Agency (Australia)
- Guidance on privacy and the use of commercially available AI products · Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
- Data controls in ChatGPT · OpenAI Help Center
Publisher
Who publishes this course.
Published by trainyourself.org, a trading name of Combine TRS Pty Ltd (ABN 42 112 983 678), Brisbane, Australia.
How it's made: drafted with AI assistance from published guidance by regulators, professional bodies and software vendors, then run through automated quality checks against our course depth standard and automated source checks that match each rule to its official source, listed above. The course guide is an AI presenter and is labelled as one. Read how these courses are made.
Last updated:
General information, not careers, legal, employment or professional advice. Spotted an error or an out-of-date rule? Send us a correction.
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