AI Beginner Challenges
When I began shaping the focus for my AI courses this summer, my aim was to address the gap between what adults new to AI struggle with and what most training currently covers. After months of analyzing AI literacy competencies and frameworks, studying popular YouTube channels, testing several AI Assistants, and talking with friends, colleagues, and early course testers, I narrowed down to a core set of barriers beginners face, starting with “I don’t even know where to start,” closely followed by “What if I share the wrong thing?”
Since these issues aren’t the typical focus of courses aimed at people already regularly using AI tools, I chose these common beginner challenges as the starting point for my AI Pathfinder Foundations course. Here’s a brief overview of just some I’m addressing.
Opportunity 1: Unclear Use
“I’ve heard everyone talking about AI, but I have no idea why I’d use it”
AI seems abstract until you see it working on something familiar like summarizing text, organizing ideas, or brainstorming options for a project. Without real examples, its affordances are opaque. That’s why our course begins with everyday use cases that build understanding and confidence. Once there’s clarity on what’s possible, curiosity (and creativity) follows.
Opportunity 2: The Paradox of Choice
“There are so many AI tools! Which one should I even try?”
This question highlights the paradox of choice resulting from the sheer number of available tools and the rapid pace of change. This abundance of options stops people in their tracks before they can even get to any technical “how-to” barrier, and produces feelings of overwhelm that can even surpass their fear of missing out (FOMO).
This is why I focus on AI Assistants, starting with popular options like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity. I also created a SECURE AI Assessment to use in the course as a way to review any AI Assistant using criteria related to:
- Safety: What privacy and data protections are offered?
- Effectiveness: Does it help with your personal goals?
- Company Trust: Can you trust the company and its leadership?
- Usability: Is it usable for your needs & skills?
- Risk: What could go wrong during or after use?
- Exit Strategy: Can you easily cancel and take your data?
The aim of the SECURE AI Assessment is not to find the “perfect” tool. It doesn’t exist. Instead, it helps to narrow the options based on personal priorities and preferences.
Opportunity 3: Novel Language
“What is A1?” (reading “AI” as “A One”)
When I first heard this, I had to pause and realize how the language and acronyms surrounding AI can become a barrier. Acronyms like “LLM” and terms like “algorithm” or “prompt engineering” add a jargon hurdle that makes AI feel like something reserved for tech insiders.
That’s why AI Pathfinder Foundations starts with a confidence-building recognition activity to highlight that most people aren’t starting from zero. AI is everywhere, from Netflix recommendations, smartphones, and email filters. We just don’t always connect those helpful uses to the jargon. A bridge is often needed between what we already know and the way AI is discussed.
Opportunity 4: Conversation Prompting
Most people approach AI the way they use Google. Type in a few words, hit enter, wait for the magic. However, conversational AI Assistants respond based on the quality of the conversation. Vague questions get vague answers. Context-free requests get context-free responses.
To help, I developed beginner-friendly SMART & CLEAR AI Prompting Strategies that start with a few basic elements, including:
- Who: Who needs help, and what is the AI’s role?
- What: What exactly are you requesting?
- How: How do you want the output?
From there, we layer in tips to refine your prompt, including:
- Concrete Requests
- Logical Structure
- Expectations & Examples
- Actionable Results
- Refinement & Iteration
Opportunity 5: Privacy Concerns
“Is this thing recording everything I say?”
Yes. Probably. Maybe. It depends on the platform and your settings.
Data privacy is a significant concern for anyone who has read a single headline about data breaches. These advanced tools can collect a daunting amount of information in your conversations, which might be used in AI model training and reviewed by humans. The course walks through privacy settings for each of the AI Assistants we are exploring, and the AI prompting strategies include safety reminders:
- Stories Stay Forever
- Mask Your Identity
- Avoid Sharing Secrets
- Real People Read This
- Teaching the AI
Opportunity 6: The Overly-Confident Intern
AI Assistants can sound 100% confident even when they’re completely wrong. I refer to this as the “overly-confident intern” problem. Fabricated citations, invented statistics, and hallucinated facts can be hard to spot. We all need practical ways to catch these issues and avoid over-reliance on the technology. Therefore, I created a CHECK AI Response Evaluation as a critical thinking decision tree for when to trust, verify, or abandon the AI’s output focused on:
- Cross-Reference: Can I confirm the key facts?
- Hallucinations: Is this response invented by AI?
- Expertise Level: How much verification is needed?
- Content Critique: Is it relevant, balanced and complete?
- Keep or Question: What is my final evaluation decision?
What’s Next
AI is evolving faster than any of us can track. The tool you choose today might add new features tomorrow or change its privacy policy next week. That means the real skill isn’t learning the tips. Instead, it’s learning how to use and trust your critical thinking skills as things change.
If these needs sound familiar to you or a friend or family member, sign up for updates. More to come as we approach the November launch. Until then, I will continue to show my work.
– Jennifer
Want to follow along as I document this journey?
I’ll be sharing Next Path Notes about building this course, my AI discoveries, and behind-the-scenes insights from launching a new venture.