Homework — Real-world examples

Task 1 — The force multiplier: one real task from your week

Pick a real task you've been putting off or struggling with this week. It can be from any of the five categories — writing an email, summarising a document, getting unstuck on something creative, understanding a topic, or doing something with code. The only rule: it has to be real, not a practice exercise.

Step A: Do it the old way first (or note how you'd normally do it).

Write down roughly how long it would take you to do this task without AI. What are the hard parts?

Step B: Use AI to do it.

Start with a prompt from the Theory Explorer, or write your own. If the first output isn't quite right, don't give up — iterate. Say "that's close but [specific thing that's wrong] — try again." Two or three exchanges is normal.

Step C: Evaluate what you got.

How does the output compare to what you'd have produced yourself? What did it get right? What did it miss or get wrong? What would you change for the next time you try this type of task?

Task 2 — The before/after: write a messy input, get a polished output

Pick one of these inputs — whichever feels most natural to you:

• Option A: Write 3–5 bullet points of raw, unpolished thoughts about something you need to communicate. (An email, a message, a decision you need to explain.) It can be informal, half-finished, in any order.
• Option B: Take a document you have — meeting notes, a web article, a policy document, anything — and paste a section of it (200–500 words) into AI.
• Option C: Take a piece of writing you've already done that you know needs improvement. Paste it in.

Then write a prompt that describes exactly what you want to come out of the other end. Include:

• The output format (email, bullet list, summary, rewrite...)
• The audience (who is this for?)
• The tone (professional, warm, direct, concise...)
• Any constraints (word count, things to include or avoid)

Task 3 — The learning session: AI as tutor for 15 minutes

Pick something you've been meaning to learn or understand better. It can be a professional topic (a technology, an area of business, a skill), a personal interest (history, science, a language, an art form), or something that's come up in your work lately and you want to understand more deeply.

Step A: Start a tutoring session.

Use this prompt as a template:

Step B: Answer the AI's question. Don't look anything up — give your honest first answer. If you're wrong, note the correction. Ask follow-up questions if something is unclear.

Step C: Ask for a quiz. Once you feel you've understood the first concept, say: "Now quiz me: give me 3 questions on what we just covered and grade my answers."

Step D: Reflect. After 15 minutes, write down: what did you learn that you didn't know before? What surprised you? How does this compare to trying to learn the same thing from a book, article, or video?

Task 4 — The creative sprint: brainstorm something you genuinely need

Pick a creative brainstorming task that's actually useful to you right now. Some examples:

• Names for a project, group, product, event, or business
• Ideas for a gift for a specific person
• Plot directions for a story or script you're working on
• Social media post ideas for a topic you want to cover
• Taglines or slogans for something you're building or promoting

Step A: Write a constrained brainstorm prompt. Include:

• What you're brainstorming (be specific)
• Quantity (ask for at least 10–15 options)
• Any style, tone, or format constraints
• Things to exclude (avoid these words, styles, or directions)

Step B: React and iterate. After the first batch, don't just pick one. Say: "I like options [X] and [Y] — give me 10 more in that direction." Do at least one round of iteration.

Step C: Pick your actual favourites from the full set and note why you chose them. What quality made them stand out?