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Start Here: Your First 15 Minutes With AI

Never opened ChatGPT or Claude? Start here. One small step, five useful questions, and direct links to get you going.

15 minute guided start

By Rex

Rex welcomes you to your first conversation with AI.

You do not need a new computer, a technical vocabulary, or a grand plan. You need one small thing you would like help with. We can leave world domination until after lunch.

This guide is for the person who has never opened ChatGPT or Claude. Follow one step, try it, then come back. No need to finish everything today.

1. Choose one door, not twelve

My recommendation: start with ChatGPT in your web browser. A browser is the app you already use to visit websites, such as Safari or Chrome. You do not have to download anything first.

Open ChatGPT · Prefer Claude? Open it here

ChatGPT is made by OpenAI; Claude is made by Anthropic. Both offer a free option with usage limits. You do not need a paid subscription for this first lesson. If you reach a limit, wait for it to reset rather than buying something in a hurry. ChatGPT basics · Claude basics

Pick one today. These are separate services, not two buttons for the same account.

2. Open the door and get settled

Tap the link for the service you chose.
If you already have an account, choose the sign-in option. Otherwise, choose the account-creation option and follow the instructions shown. The options can differ by device and region.
Use an email address you can access. Complete any verification requested on the official site. Keep passwords and sign-in codes out of the conversation box.
Read the terms and privacy choices presented. Skip optional upgrades you do not want.
Once you see a box where you can type a message, stop. You are in the right place.

ChatGPT also lets people try it without signing in in supported regions. That is fine for a first experiment. An account is the more useful route when you want to return to saved conversations. Do not worry if your screen looks slightly different from somebody else’s. Official getting-started help

Small victory: you have opened an AI assistant. No software-development degree required.

3. Send your first message

Tap or click the message box. Type this, or copy and paste it:

I am new to AI. Explain what you can help me with in five short sentences. Use everyday language, not technical terms. Then ask me one question about something I enjoy.

Press the send button beside the box. Read the answer. Then reply in the same box:

That is still a little complicated. Make it simpler and give me one real-life example.

That second message is the important discovery. You are having a conversation, not submitting a perfect exam answer. A “prompt” is simply what you ask the AI to do. You can revise, disagree, or ask for a different approach. How to talk to Claude

4. Make one privacy choice

Before adding personal details, take a quick look at settings. These instructions are for personal accounts; available controls can vary.

In ChatGPT on the web: open your account menu → Settings → Data controls → Improve the model for everyone. Turn it off if you do not want eligible conversations used to improve the models, then select Done. In the phone app, open the sidebar and your profile icon to reach Settings. This choice does not erase your saved chats. OpenAI’s illustrated instructions

In Claude: open your name/account menu → Settings → Privacy → Help Improve our AI models. Turn it off if that is your preference. Open Claude’s privacy settings (sign-in required) · Anthropic’s instructions

Turning off model improvement is not the same as deleting data or making a conversation completely confidential. For your first experiments, leave out passwords, Social Security numbers, payment-card details, private medical records, and other people’s personal information. You can get a useful answer without handing over your entire filing cabinet.

5. Try your first five useful requests

Choose just one. You can type it exactly as written, then adjust the answer together.

1. Learn something without feeling talked down to

Explain how AI is different from a search engine. Use a familiar everyday comparison. Keep it under 150 words and tell me one way each can make mistakes.

Then try: “Give me an example using a question about gardening.”

2. Get dinner unstuck

Give me three easy air-fryer dinner ideas for two people using chicken, broccoli, and pantry basics. Avoid mushrooms. Start with the ideas and a short shopping list, not full recipes. Ask about food allergies before suggesting substitutions.

Then try: “Make the second idea cheaper.” For cooking, check safe temperatures against a reliable food-safety guide, not just the AI’s confidence.

3. Find the words

Help me write a friendly birthday text to a longtime friend. Warm and a little funny, not sentimental. Give me three short choices. Do not send anything.

Then try: “Make the first one sound more like something I would actually say.”

4. Turn a muddle into a list

Help me organize tomorrow. I want to get groceries, return a library book, take a walk, and have a relaxed afternoon. Make a simple checklist, not a minute-by-minute schedule. Ask one question if you need it.

Then try: “Move anything optional to another day.” This makes a plan; it does not automatically create calendar events or reminders.

5. Practice checking an answer

Pick one simple fact about a hobby such as gardening. Explain it, link to a reliable original source if you can access one, and distinguish what the source says from your own suggestions. If you cannot check a source, say so.

Then open the link yourself. Does the page exist? Does it support the answer? Two AI tools agreeing is not the same as two independent sources proving something.

6. Tell it how you like answers

You can change the conversation before you learn every setting. Try:

For this conversation, use short paragraphs, plain English, and numbered steps. Give me one step at a time when teaching me something. Do not assume I know where the buttons are.

This request is not a promise that every future chat will remember your preference. Paste it again when needed.

In Claude’s web settings, Appearance lets you choose a light or dark color mode and a chat font; some older layouts put these controls under General. Choose what is easiest on your eyes. Official appearance guide

If the answer is too long, “Shorter, please” is a complete instruction. So is “I am lost. Back up one step.”

7. Put it on your phone, if you want

You can keep using the browser. If you prefer an app, use official links rather than an advertisement that happens to say “AI.”

ChatGPT for iPhone or iPad: Open the App Store listing.
ChatGPT for Android: Open Google Play.
Claude for your phone: Open Claude’s official mobile download page.

Choose the install/get option in your app store, complete the store’s normal confirmation, then open the app. Sign in using the same account and sign-in method you used in the browser. You do not need to buy a second subscription simply because you changed devices. ChatGPT app help · Claude download and account help

A good assistant, not the final authority

AI can be helpful and wrong in the same conversation. Use it to prepare questions for your clinician, understand an unfamiliar term, or organize options. Check medical, legal, and financial decisions with the appropriate professional and reliable original sources.

You also do not need to believe everything that sounds beautifully written. Confidence is a writing style. Accuracy requires checking.

Your assignment: ask one useful question, ask one follow-up, and decide whether the result helped. That is a successful first session. No gold star required, although I am partial to gold. 🐾

Official product guidance checked November 7, 2026. Screens and available features can change; the linked help pages are the place to check when a button moves.