Frequently Asked Questions

Field Guide to AI is a comprehensive, jargon-free educational resource designed to help anyone—from complete beginners to advanced practitioners—learn about artificial intelligence. We provide 100+ guides, glossary terms, structured learning paths, and practical resources covering everything from "What is AI?" to advanced topics like fine-tuning, RAG systems, and multi-agent architectures. Our mission is to make AI education accessible to everyone, without requiring a computer science degree or drowning you in technical jargon.

Field Guide to AI serves learners at every level:

• Complete beginners who have never used AI tools and want a friendly introduction
• Students and educators looking to understand AI fundamentals and applications
• Business professionals exploring how AI can help their work
• Content creators wanting to use AI writing, image, and video tools effectively
• Developers and engineers learning to build with LLMs, embeddings, and RAG systems
• Technical leaders making decisions about AI adoption and implementation

Our guides are organized by skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and topic, so you can start exactly where you are and progress at your own pace.

Yes, absolutely. All our guides, glossary terms, learning paths, and resources are completely free to access, with no paywalls, registration requirements, or hidden fees. We believe AI education should be accessible to everyone, and all educational content will always remain free.

Field Guide to AI is currently an independent project. We maintain strict editorial independence—our content recommendations, tool comparisons, and educational material are created based solely on accuracy and helpfulness. We don't accept paid placements, sponsored content, or biased recommendations.

Field Guide to AI stands out in several key ways:

• Jargon-free approach: We explain complex AI concepts in plain English, using analogies and real-world examples instead of academic language
• Structured learning paths: Our beginner, intermediate, and advanced paths guide you step-by-step rather than overwhelming you with random topics
• Practical focus: Every guide includes real-world applications, use cases, and actionable advice—not just theory
• Comprehensive coverage: From absolute basics to advanced implementation details, all in one place
• Regular updates: AI changes fast. We update our content regularly to reflect new capabilities, tools, and best practices
• Free and open: No paywalls, no upsells, no required sign-ups

Most of our resources are available under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 license, which means you can:

• Share and adapt the content for any purpose, including commercial use
• Use our checklists, templates, and frameworks in your own work
• Incorporate our explanations into your training materials or presentations

The only requirement is attribution—please credit "Field Guide to AI" and link back to fieldguidetoai.com. Our written guides and articles follow standard copyright but may be quoted with proper attribution under fair use.

Start with our Beginner Learning Path, which is designed specifically for people with zero AI experience. The path takes about 60-90 minutes and covers:

1. What is AI? - Friendly introduction to the fundamentals
2. How Chatbots Work - Understanding AI assistants like ChatGPT
3. Prompting 101 - How to ask AI for what you want
4. AI Safety Basics - Using AI responsibly

Each guide is 5-10 minutes of reading with no jargon or prerequisites. You'll learn by doing—no math, no coding, just practical understanding.

Not for beginner content! Our beginner and most intermediate guides assume zero technical background. They're written for anyone who can use a web browser and wants to understand AI.

That said, our advanced guides (like fine-tuning, embeddings, RAG implementation) do assume some programming knowledge, usually Python. These are clearly marked as "advanced" level. If you're a developer, you can jump straight to the technical content. If you're not, stick with beginner and intermediate paths—you'll learn plenty without writing a single line of code.

Our Beginner Learning Path covers the fundamentals in about 60-90 minutes of reading time. However, truly understanding AI is an ongoing process. We recommend spending 2-4 weeks experimenting with AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, image generators) while reading guides—this hands-on experience makes concepts stick. Most people feel comfortable using AI tools confidently after about a month of regular practice. Advanced topics (building AI systems, fine-tuning models) take longer, typically 3-6 months of focused learning and experimentation.

You can start learning AI with completely free tools:

• ChatGPT (free tier) - Practice prompting and conversation
• Claude (free tier) - Alternative LLM with different strengths
• Google Bard/Gemini - Free access to Google's AI
• Microsoft Bing Chat - Free GPT-4 access via Bing

Our Free AI Tools guide has a comprehensive list. You don't need paid subscriptions to learn—free tiers are perfect for education and experimentation.

Our learning paths are designed to build on each other, so following them in order gives you the smoothest learning experience. However, our guides are also modular—each one stands alone with its own explanations. Feel free to jump to topics that interest you, but if something feels confusing, try going back to the prerequisite guides listed in the "What's next?" section. Most learners find the structured path approach less overwhelming than random exploration.

Guides are organized by three main systems:

• Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced (shown on each guide)
• Category: Basics, Prompting, Technical, Safety & Ethics, Business, etc.
• Learning Paths: Curated sequences that take you from beginner to advanced in a logical order

You can browse all guides on our Guides page, explore by category, or follow a structured Learning Path. Each guide includes estimated reading time and lists related guides to explore next.

Our guides are currently web-based (HTML) for the best reading experience and to ensure you always see the most up-to-date content. You can use your browser's "Save Page" or "Print to PDF" function to create offline copies for personal use. We may add official downloadable formats (like PDF or EPUB) in the future based on user feedback.

Yes! All resources in our Resources section are completely free to access and use. No email signup, no paywall, no catch. Most are available under Creative Commons licenses, meaning you can adapt them for your own projects, teams, or businesses. Resources include checklists, templates, frameworks, and interactive tools to help you apply what you've learned in our guides.

Currently, Field Guide to AI focuses on practical education rather than formal certification. Our goal is to help you gain real understanding and skills you can immediately apply. While we don't issue certificates, you're welcome to list "Completed Field Guide to AI Learning Paths" on your resume or LinkedIn profile to demonstrate your self-directed AI education. We may explore formal credentialing options in the future if there's significant demand.

We strive to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, including proper heading structure, semantic HTML, keyboard navigation support, and sufficient color contrast. If you encounter any accessibility barriers, please contact us so we can address them promptly. We're committed to making AI education accessible to everyone.

These terms are related but different in scope:

• AI (Artificial Intelligence) is the broad field of making machines perform tasks that typically require human intelligence—it's the umbrella term
• Machine Learning (ML) is the main technique we use to create AI today—training systems on data rather than programming explicit rules
• LLMs (Large Language Models) are a specific type of ML system trained on massive amounts of text to understand and generate human language (like ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)

Think of it like: AI is the goal, ML is the method, and LLMs are one powerful application. Our guide What is AI? explains this in detail.

AI is a tool that augments human capabilities rather than wholesale replacement. While AI will automate some repetitive or pattern-based tasks, it still requires human judgment, creativity, emotional intelligence, and oversight. The most likely scenario is that jobs will evolve—people who learn to work effectively with AI will have an advantage over those who don't. The best approach is to understand AI's strengths and limitations so you can use it as a powerful assistant in your work, whatever field you're in.

AI can "hallucinate"—confidently generate false information. Always verify important facts:

• Cross-reference: Check claims against authoritative sources (official docs, research papers, trusted experts)
• Ask for reasoning: Request explanations or sources for claims
• Be skeptical of specifics: Dates, statistics, quotes, and technical details are most prone to errors
• Use AI as a starting point: Great for brainstorming and drafts, but verify before relying on the output

Our guide Evaluating AI Answers covers this in depth with practical techniques.

AI tools are generally safe when used responsibly, but there are important privacy considerations:

• Don't share sensitive data: Avoid entering passwords, personal information, trade secrets, or confidential data into public AI tools
• Understand data usage: Read privacy policies—some AI providers use your inputs to improve their models
• Use enterprise versions for work: Business/enterprise plans often have stronger privacy guarantees and don't use your data for training
• Be aware of bias: AI reflects biases in its training data—don't rely solely on AI for sensitive decisions

See our guides AI Safety Basics and AI Privacy Basics for comprehensive guidance.

Different AI tools have different strengths. Here's a quick guide:

• ChatGPT (OpenAI): Great all-rounder, excellent for code, large ecosystem of plugins and integrations
• Claude (Anthropic): Strong at analysis, following complex instructions, and nuanced writing; handles very long documents
• Gemini (Google): Good at research tasks with internet access, integrates with Google Workspace
• Microsoft Copilot: Best for Microsoft 365 users, integrated with Office apps

Honestly? Try multiple tools. Most are free to start, and you'll quickly discover which fits your needs. Our Choosing AI Tools guide has detailed comparisons.

We take accuracy seriously through multiple quality controls:

• Expert authoring: Content is created or reviewed by people with AI/ML experience and technical backgrounds
• Source verification: We fact-check against official documentation (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google), academic research, and authoritative technical sources
• Hands-on testing: We test tools, techniques, and code examples to verify they work as described
• Regular reviews: All guides are reviewed quarterly and updated when AI capabilities change
• Community feedback: We welcome corrections from readers and update content within 48 hours of verified errors

If you spot an error or outdated information, please contact us so we can correct it quickly.

AI technology evolves rapidly, so we maintain a regular update schedule: (1) Quarterly reviews for all guides to ensure accuracy and freshness, (2) Immediate updates when major AI capabilities change (new model releases, significant features, breaking changes), (3) Rolling updates to add new guides, expand existing content, and improve explanations based on user feedback. Each guide displays a "Last updated" date so you can see when content was most recently reviewed.

We appreciate corrections! Please report errors by:

• Emailing us: Send details to the contact email on our Contact page
• Include specifics: The guide URL, the incorrect section, and the correction you're suggesting

We review all correction requests within 48 hours and update content as needed. For verified corrections, we'll credit you in our updates (if you'd like).

Absolutely! We actively seek feedback on what topics would be most helpful. If there's an AI concept, tool, or technique you'd like to learn about, please reach out via our Contact page with your suggestion. We prioritize new content based on:

• How many people request the topic
• How relevant it is to our existing learning paths
• How quickly AI technology is evolving in that area

We collect minimal data to improve the site:

• Analytics (PostHog, Google Analytics): Anonymous page views, navigation patterns, and feature usage to understand what content is most helpful
• No accounts required: We don't collect email addresses, names, or personal information unless you contact us directly

We don't sell data to third parties. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

Not currently, but we're exploring options based on user interest. If you'd like to be notified about major updates, new learning paths, or AI developments, let us know via our contact page. We're considering adding a newsletter and possibly a Discord/Slack community for learners to connect and share experiences. We'll never spam or share your email with third parties.