Ai 101 - What Is Ai - Part 1

​Part 1: How Modern AI Actually Works

​LLMs, Embeddings, Context, Prompting, Custom GPTs, Master Prompting

​Most people use AI every day. Very few actually understand how it works.

​In this foundational, in-person workshop at AI Start Academy SF, we break down modern AI systems from first principles — clearly, visually, and without hype.

​You’ll learn how tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLM-powered apps actually think, generate answers, and sometimes fail.

​No math. No fluff. Just real understanding.

​What we’ll cover:

• ​What Large Language Models (LLMs) are — and what they are not

• ​How tokens and context windows really work

• ​Why AI “hallucinates”

• ​Embeddings explained in plain language

• ​Why better prompts work — and why prompts alone don’t scale

​What you’ll walk away with:

• ​A correct mental model of modern AI

• ​The ability to reason about AI outputs (instead of guessing)

• ​A clear foundation for building real AI systems in Part 2

• ​Confidence talking about AI with engineers, founders, or teams

​Who this is for:

• ​Curious beginners who want clarity

• ​Founders and operators making AI decisions

• ​Designers, PMs, marketers, and creators working with AI tools

• ​Anyone tired of buzzwords and shallow demos

​This workshop is not about tools.
It’s about understanding the engine before you drive the car.