Built for people who've never opened ChatGPT, or tried it once and gave up. In three and a half hours you set your account up properly, learn a way of asking that works and use it on your own real work. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.
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You asked it something once and didn't like the answer.
That's where most people stop. You type a question, read what comes back, and it's vague or generic or not quite what you needed. So you close the tab and get on with your day.
What's missing is a way of asking. Nobody is born knowing it. Most people who use ChatGPT well were shown how by someone else, and it takes about a morning to learn. That's what this session is.
If you've never opened it, you're the point
This is the front door of the series, built for people starting from nothing. There are several of us on the floor, so when you get stuck there's always someone beside you, and nobody is going to make you feel slow. If your account won't behave, come 20 minutes early and we'll sort it together before we start. We keep the language plain and we don't oversell what it can do.
You don't leave and figure the rest out alone
Follow-up at the Sandbox is free. If you get stuck afterwards, come in with the thing that won't behave and we'll sit with you and work it out.
You're also welcome from day one at the AI champions meetup, a free monthly lunchtime session where people from organisations across the region work this out together.
What it is and which plan you actually need.
Your account, then four privacy settings we change together before you type a word.
Context, task, constraints, practised around the room, plus eight prompts to keep up your sleeve.
Upload something real, ask it what you want to know, and get a chart from your numbers.
Voice, live video and pictures. Ask for a poem out loud, then point your camera at your desk.
Human, AI, human, and the Four S's for catching it when it's confidently wrong.
Write your custom instructions, then check what its memory holds about you.
One file and three lines of instructions, for a job you do again and again.
Gmail or Drive for most people. The habit is reading the permissions screen properly.
And a quick look at what else is in there for later.
Business owners and their teams, community and not-for-profit staff, and anyone running something on their own.
No prior experience needed and no technical background assumed.
You keep meaning to get into this and haven't started. This session is built for people starting from nothing.
It came back vague or generic, so you closed the tab. What was missing is a way of asking, and that's what you'll learn.
You'd like to know what happens to what you type before you use it for anything real. Privacy is the first thing we set up.
You already use ChatGPT every day and want advanced technique. You're welcome, and setting your account up properly is still worth the morning, but ChatGPT Advanced is built for you.
Endevo Founder
J is a fractional AI Officer working with businesses across New Zealand and Australia, and a volunteer lead trainer for the Nelson AI Sandbox. He has trained more than 1,800 people in the past two years, from sole operators to executive teams. His sessions are hands-on, vendor neutral and free of hype.
A light, airy room with free off-street parking. Tea, coffee and morning tea are provided.
Three things, and you're ready.
A tablet works for most of the session but is harder for the setup and the Project.
Type chatgpt.com straight into your browser rather than searching. Copycat sites use similar names and charge for something that's free. If you'd rather set it up with us, there's time on the day.
We send a short worksheet beforehand to help you pick one. Working on something real is the whole point.
No. Curiosity is the only prerequisite. If you've never opened ChatGPT, you're exactly who this is for.
No. A free account is fine. We teach on a paid account so you can see everything the tool does, and we're upfront about which parts need paying for and whether it's worth it for what you do.
We do it together on the day. There's time set aside for exactly this, with one of us beside you if you want a hand, and nobody moves on until the room is sorted. You can also come 20 minutes early if you'd rather get it done before we start. Setup trouble is completely normal.
Type chatgpt.com straight into your browser instead of searching for it. Copycat sites and apps use similar names and charge for something that's free, and some are after your card details. We cover how to spot the fakes on the day.
Almost certainly not. We ask everyone beforehand, and most of the room is usually starting from the same place as you.
If you use ChatGPT every day, probably. Setting your account up properly and learning to check its work will still be useful, but ChatGPT Advanced is the one built for you.
Yes. We deliver this session privately for organisations, with the examples and exercises built around your actual work. It's a specialised piece of work and priced accordingly. Email storefront@aisandbox.org.nz and we'll talk it through.
Yes. Choose the invoice option when you get to payment on Humanitix.
Refund up to one day before the workshop. With two to three days' notice we can also move you to the same workshop on a later date.
Yes. Step-free access, accessible toilets and accessible parking.
You get free follow-up at the Sandbox whenever you get stuck, plus our free monthly AI champions meetup. And ChatGPT Advanced when you're ready for it.
$199 incl GST, plus booking fee. Bring a laptop and your curiosity, and we'll handle the rest.
Nelson AI Sandbox provides AI education and information only. We do not provide professional advice. AI tools may produce inaccurate, biased or inappropriate outputs and may raise privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, security and compliance risks. Users are responsible for assessing suitability and legality before using any AI tool, workflow or output. Liability is excluded to the maximum extent permitted by New Zealand law.