The Only Generative AI Course You Need
I'm launching my first generative AI course - coming out August 27th!
It’s unlike any generative AI course out there, because how I teach is radically different. And I'm confident it will change the way you live, work, and do pretty much everything.
What makes this course so different? Why did I decide to create my own?
This special edition newsletter will give you a sneak peek at my approach.
WE'RE TEACHING GENERATIVE AI ALL WRONG
I know. Bold proclamation.
But here's what I mean:
We are treating generative AI as if it was a typical digital transformation, like we’re installing new software or something. We’re acting as if learning HOW to use generative AI is the same as ACTUALLY USING it.
There’s a big problem with that - a problem that’s unique to generative AI.
Generative AI is a software that doesn’t really act like a software. It acts like a human. And its causing us to teach it all wrong.
The fact is that the “how” to use it is incredibly simple. I'll prove it - I’ll teach you how to use ChatGPT right now, in one sentence. Ready?
Talk to it like a human.
There. Bam. Done. You've learned how to use it.
And don't get me started with 'prompt engineering.' You don't need to know anything for prompt engineering. If you know how to give good instructions to a person, bam again! You can be a great prompt engineer.
It's like saying that by gifting somebody a treadmill, all you have to do is teach them to turn it on, and they’ll start getting into killer shape immediately.
We know that's wrong. Because weight loss isn't about learning something. (Eat less and exercise. There - you learned it.) Weight loss is about a behavioral change.
See where we’re going here?
OUR BRAINS NEED A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Consider when you've learned stuff in the past - like Calculus. Or Excel. Or French.
Learning is usually the hard part. The application is easy. You're in France, you talk French. The hard part was the five years of French you took in high school and college—all the tests and studying and stuff.
Same with something like Excel. You spend a lot of time learning, practising, etc. Then when you’re actually doing the work, it’s just applying that knowledge. The hard part was the learning.
That’s called the learning curve. It slopes up. It’s hard. But it’s worth it.
We’re acting like generative AI has that same kind of learning curve. But it doesn’t.
We’re focusing on the wrong thing.
The hard part about generative AI is the application. The behavior. Just like getting on the treadmill. The learning is easy, the behavior and application is hard. Which is why adoption around generative AI is woefully low.
The secret to actually mastering generative AI is changing our behavior. Now, that’s easier said than done, as you know if you’ve ever tried to break a bad habit.
That's what my course is about.
I know how to change behavior when it comes to generative AI. It took me a long time to figure it all out.
I spent the last 18 months researching—not just in my role as Chief AI Architect at NYU Stern but out in the world, talking to thousands of professionals from across every industry you can imagine. In workshops, keynotes, and virtual sessions, I saw pretty much every problem everyone would run into. I saw every way you can teach, inspire, and cajole folks to use generative AI.
And I created the AI Mindset Framework.
This is Tech + Behavior. You need both. You need to deeply understand what this thing is and how it behaves. But maybe more importantly is that you need to know how your brain behaves, and what’s holding you back from using this to change the way you do everything.
THE PROBLEM WITH TRADITIONAL TEACHING
But we don’t stop there. Here's another way that our teaching goes wrong.
Teachers listen to what students want.
Now, listen, nothing wrong with that. But Henry Ford famously quipped that if he had only listened to his customers, he would have worked on breeding faster horses.
So what do people want that leads many instructors down what I consider is the wrong path?
People want use cases. Everyone wants to understand the use cases for their industry or team.
Which makes sense! And it’s usually a great way to learn, through use cases!
But over the last year and a half, training thousands of professionals, I've found something strange that has prevented me from focusing ONLY on use cases.
(Don't worry; I do a TON of use cases when I run through live demos. But there's a huge difference.)
Here’s what I figured out:
Our brain does a few things really well - pattern, prediction, and automation.
In the pattern category, our brain loves templates. It’s why in 9th grade, it’s harder to have a teacher say, “Write a page; it can be about anything at all!” versus “Write a page about what happened to you last weekend.” The first should be easier. But the second is actually easier. Because our brain needs templates.
Enter what I call the Use Case Trap.
If I focused only on use cases, it would be like giving you a French phrasebook when you got to Paris. When you need to use the bathroom, great! You have your phrase!
But most of the time? You would have no idea what was going on.
I give you fluency. I inject the entire French language into your brain, Matrix-style. So now, instead of a phrase here and there, you're chatting at the cafe, picking out the perfect item at the store, and asking locals about the best places to eat.
And I can do it quickly because I'm really good at this by this point, having gone through a million iterations, seeing what works, what doesn't, and most importantly, realizing the One Big Truth:
This isn't actually about the technology.
This is about your brain.
READY TO ROLL.
I'm going to break down what's holding you back. I'm going to build you back up to be an absolute AI ninja using this framework.
And all from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace. It'll just be me and you, on your screen, learning together.
I promise it will be fun.
Having said all that - if this isn't for you, or if you don't have the resources to take a course, I totally get it! I'll still be pumping out as much free content as I can, here on my weekly newsletter, on LinkedIn daily, and pretty much every social media platform you can think of.
This course is designed to be interactive, engaging, and yes, even a little bit challenging in the best way possible.
Booking Conor for an Event
I’m thrilled that I get to do a ton of keynotes and lead workshops for companies. If you’re looking for a highly practical, framework based approach, feel free to reach out at www.ai-mindset.ai/speaking
