💡 How AI works + writing better prompts

🧠 How does AI work, really?

The easiest way to understand AI is to think of it like a human brain.
ℹ️ Our brains are made up of billions of neurons that communicate through electric signals. AI works using a similar idea: neural networks, inspired by how our minds process information.

When we learn something new, we rely on past experiences to help us decide or solve problems. AI does something similar – it learns from huge datasets made up of millions of examples. Based on those, it can draw conclusions, make predictions, or offer solutions.

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💡 A simple example of how AI learns

Let’s say we want AI to learn how to recognise cats in photos.
We’d show it thousands of images – some with cats, some without. The model analyses these and starts to notice patterns, like ear shapes, whiskers, or fur texture. Eventually, it can look at a brand-new photo and say whether there’s a cat in it, even if it hasn’t seen that exact picture before.

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🚧 Does AI just stick to templates?

There’s a common belief that AI only works with what it’s been taught. But the story of AlphaGo, a program created by Google DeepMind, shows otherwise.

👉 Back in 2016, AlphaGo beat a world champion at the game of Go – making a move that experts thought was a mistake. Turns out, it wasn’t. It was a genius decision that helped AlphaGo win the game and surprised everyone watching. No one had taught it to play like that.

This moment showed that AI can make unexpected choices – and even create entirely new, clever solutions based on its understanding.

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🪄 Tech that feels almost magical

Modern AI models are trained on billions of parameters. They’re incredibly complex, and even their creators sometimes don’t fully understand how they reach certain conclusions. It’s a bit like our own brains – we know they work, but we don’t always know exactly how.

👉 If you’ve been thinking about getting into AI, now’s a great time to start. There are endless opportunities, and what feels basic today would’ve seemed impossible just a few years ago. And we’re still only scratching the surface of what’s possible.

📞 Remember when smartphones were still a new thing? It wasn’t that long ago. And look how far we’ve come. AI will likely evolve just as quickly – maybe even faster.

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❌ Prompting mistakes to avoid

One of the most important skills when working with AI is knowing how to ask the right questions – what’s called prompting. It’s how you communicate with AI and guide it to give you the results you’re after. Sounds simple, but there are a few common mistakes that can easily throw things off.

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🗣️ The most common mistakes when prompting AI

1️⃣ No context.
AI needs background to give meaningful answers. Prompts like “design a website” or “write an article” are too vague, and usually lead to underwhelming results.
🔑 Be specific. Include your goals, audience, style preferences – the more detail, the better.

2️⃣ Too broad.
General questions often lead to general answers.
👉 Instead of saying “Tell me about X”, try something more focused, like “How is X used in the healthcare industry, specifically for mental health?”.

3️⃣ Ambiguity.
AI thinks in clear logic. If your prompt has conflicting or unclear language, it might struggle to understand.
👉 Avoid things like “Write something simple but detailed”. Instead, go with “Write a short intro to AI with 2–3 technical details”.

4️⃣ No iteration.
AI works best through back-and-forth. It’s rare to get a perfect result on the first try.
🙌 Don’t give up too soon. Keep the conversation going, refine your prompt, and build on previous answers.

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📝 So, how do you write a good prompt?

Here are some simple rules to follow:

✅ Be clear and specific. Rather than “Tell me about AI”, try “Explain what a neural network is and how it’s used in medical tech”.

👀 Include helpful context. If you’re writing content, describe your audience, the purpose, and the tone you want.

💡 Give examples. They’re super useful. If you want a blog post, show what kind of format or style you’re aiming for.

🔁 Test different angles. Don’t be afraid to rephrase your question and keep exploring until it clicks.

📝 Break complex prompts into smaller steps. Ask for a rough draft first, then refine it one piece at a time.

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