Monday 17 August, 9:00am to 12:30pm. PÅ«tangitangi Greenmeadows Centre, Stoke. $195 incl GST. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.
That is where most people stop. You type in a question, read what comes back, and it is vague or generic or just not the thing you needed. So you close the tab and get on with your day.
What is missing is a way of asking. Nobody is born knowing it. Most people who use ChatGPT well were shown how by somebody else, and it takes about a morning. That is what this session is.
What you will walk out with:
An account set up properly. Including the privacy settings most people never touch, and a clear answer on whether your chats are being used to train anything.
A way of asking that works. Context, task, constraints. You will practise it on your own real work, not a made-up example.
Something you would actually send. Built in Canvas, the document panel that sits beside the conversation so you can edit it together.
Your own custom GPT. Set up once to do a job you do all the time. Ten minutes of work, and it does that job every time you ask.
A way to check its work. ChatGPT is sometimes confidently wrong. There is a simple four-step routine for catching it before your name goes on anything.
An honest answer on paying for it. You will see what the paid plan does and decide for yourself. No pressure either way.
This is the front door of the series. It is built for people starting from nothing, and most of the room will be in the same position as you.
There are several of us on the floor, so when you get stuck there is always someone beside. Nobody is going to make you feel slow. If your account will not behave, come at 8:40am and we will sort it together before we start. No jargon. No hype. No assumed knowledge.
9:00 Welcome, and a look at what ChatGPT can already do for you
9:15 What it is, what the plans cost, and which one you actually need
9:30 Set up your account together, starting with privacy
10:00 The way of asking that changes everything
10:15 Break, with morning tea
10:30 Your first real task, on your own work
10:45 Canvas: making something you would actually send
11:05 Checking its work, because it is sometimes confidently wrong
11:20 Projects, and building your own custom GPT
11:50 Voice, images, and what else it can do
12:05 Recap, and one thing to do this week
Anyone curious. Business owners and their teams, community and not-for-profit staff, people running something on their own, and anyone who keeps meaning to get into this and has not started yet. No prior experience needed, and no technical background assumed.
If you already use ChatGPT every day and want advanced technique, this will feel slow. You are welcome, and setting your account up properly will still be worth the morning, but ChatGPT 2 is the one you are waiting for.
What to bring
A laptop and its charger. A tablet works for most of the morning but is harder for the setup and custom GPT parts.
A free ChatGPT account, if you can manage it. Type https://chatgpt.com/ straight into your browser rather than searching, since copycat sites use similar names and charge for something that is free. Two minutes and you are done. If you would rather set it up with us on the day, we have time for that.
Something off your real to-do list. We send a short worksheet beforehand to help you pick one. Working on something real is the whole point.
Free follow-up at the Sandbox. Get stuck next week? Come in with the thing that will not behave and we will sit with you and work it out. No charge, no catch. Nowhere else gives you that.
The AI champions meetup. A free monthly lunchtime session with people from organisations all over the region, all working this out together. You are welcome from day one.
ChatGPT 2, when you are ready. The next step in the series, for when the basics are second nature and you want to build properly.
Do I need to know anything about AI? No. Curiosity is the only prerequisite. If you have never opened ChatGPT, you are exactly who this is for.
Do I need to pay for ChatGPT? No. A free account is fine. We teach on a paid account so you can see everything the tool does, and we are upfront about which parts need paying for and whether it is worth it for what you do.
What do I need to bring? A laptop and its charger, and something off your real to-do list. We send a short worksheet beforehand to help you pick.
What if I cannot make an account? We do it together on the morning. There is 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 at 8:40am if you would rather get it done before we start. Setup trouble is completely normal.
How do I make sure I am on the real ChatGPT? Type https://chatgpt.com/ straight into your browser instead of searching for it. Copycat sites and apps use similar names and charge for something that is free, and some are after your card details. This is worth knowing generally, and we cover how to spot the fakes on the day.
Will I be the only one who has never used it? Almost certainly not. We ask everyone beforehand, and most of the room is usually starting from the same place you are.
Is it too basic for me? If you use ChatGPT every day, probably. Setting your account up properly and learning to check its work will still be useful, but ChatGPT 2 is the one built for you.
Can you run this for my team? Yes. We deliver this session privately for organisations, with the examples and exercises built around your actual work. It is a specialised piece of work and priced accordingly. Get in touch and we will talk it through.
What happens afterwards? You get free follow-up at the Sandbox whenever you get stuck, plus our free monthly AI champions meetup. And ChatGPT 2 when you are ready for it.
Three hours from here to confident
Monday 17 August, 9:00am to 12:30pm. PÅ«tangitangi Greenmeadows Centre, Stoke. $195 incl GST.
Bring a laptop and your curiosity. We will handle the rest.