What AI is, and what it isn't

Before you talk to Claude, it helps to know what you are talking to.

What AI is

AI stands for artificial intelligence. It is a computer program that learned from a huge amount of writing: books, websites, instructions, and code. Because of that, it can read what you type and write back in plain language.

Claude is one of these programs. It is made by a company called Anthropic. You talk to it in a chat: you type a message, and it answers. Think of it as a well-read assistant who types very fast and never gets tired.

Here is what Claude does well:

• Explains things in plain words, as many times as you need.
• Writes and rewrites text: lists, plans, descriptions.
• Answers questions and suggests options.
• Reads a picture you send it, like a screenshot of your screen.
• Writes code. Code is the text that tells a phone what an app should do. From Part 4 on, Claude writes your app's code for you.

What AI isn't

• It isn't a person. It has no feelings and takes no offense. You can be blunt and direct.
• It doesn't know you. It only knows what you tell it. It may remember a little between chats, but don't count on that. Tell it what it needs each time.
• It isn't always right. Claude can be wrong and still sound sure. It can make things up. You will learn how to check its work in step 7.
• It can't see your screen. It only sees what you type or send it. If something looks different on your screen, show it a screenshot.
• It doesn't do anything on its own. It waits for you. You decide what the app is. Claude does the typing.

A good way to think about it: you are the boss, and you have never built an app. Claude is a builder who has read every manual. But it has never seen your binders, your table at a show or your phone. Together you can do it. Alone, neither of you can.

What this means for you

You don't need to learn code. You need to learn to say what you want clearly, look at what comes back, and say "yes", "no" or "not like that". The rest of this part teaches you how.