The 10-Hour AI Challenge: A No-Nonsense Guide to Getting Started with AI

Feeling overwhelmed by all the AI buzz? You're not alone. With new tools and updates launching almost daily, it's easy to get lost in the noise. But here's a refreshingly simple approach: just start using it.

The 10-hour commitment

Professor Ethan Molick from Wharton School of Business suggests something brilliantly straightforward: commit 10 hours to exploring AI tools. That’s it. No courses, no certificates, no complicated training programs. Just hands-on experience using AI in your daily work.

Why 10 hours? Because you’ll learn more about AI’s practical capabilities (and limitations) in those 10 hours than you would in 40-50 hours of theoretical training.

Where to start? Here’s your AI toolkit

Let’s cut through the noise. Here are some powerful, free tools worth exploring:

OpenAI’s GPT-4

Perfect for: Data analysis and general tasks
Try it for: Analyzing spreadsheets, brainstorming ideas, or drafting communications

Anthropic’s Claude

Perfect for: Writing and summarizing content
Try it for: Drafting emails, summarizing long documents, or creating reports

Perplexity

Perfect for: Research
Why it’s great: Provides sources and links for information, making fact-checking easier
Better than traditional search for detailed research questions

Google’s NotebookLM

Perfect for: Converting text into engaging audio content
Fun experiment: Try inputting a LinkedIn profile and get back an 8-minute podcast about that person
Great for digesting long-form content in a new way

Fireflies

Perfect for: Meeting notes and transcription
Free feature: Full meeting transcription with timestamp navigation
Premium feature: Meeting summaries and action item extraction

BlinkShot

Perfect for: Quick image creation
Try it for: Visual content needs

Pro tips for your 10-hour journey

Start Simple

Begin with tasks you already do daily
Look for repetitive work that could be streamlined

Learn to Delegate

Identify tasks where AI consistently performs well
Start small and gradually increase complexity

Experiment Across Different Areas

Try both professional and personal use cases
Mix creative and analytical tasks

Keep Track of Wins

Note which tasks AI handles well
Document time saved and quality improvements

Making it work in higher education

Here are some practical ways to start using AI in your daily work:

Draft initial versions of email templates
Analyze student feedback data
Summarize long policy documents
Generate ideas for event communications
Create first drafts of social media content
Analyze trends in student enquiries

Cost considerations

Most of these tools offer robust free tiers, perfect for getting started. If you find value in premium features (like Fireflies’ meeting summaries), consider making a business case for the investment based on your initial experiments.

The secret to success

The key isn’t mastering every AI tool out there – it’s finding the ones that genuinely make your work easier and more effective. Through your 10 hours of exploration, you’ll naturally discover which tools align with your needs.

Remember this

Today’s AI is the worst it will ever be. The technology is continuously improving, but don’t let that stop you from starting now. The skills and intuition you develop about AI capabilities will only become more valuable over time.

Your next step

Ready to take the 10-hour challenge? Pick one tool from the list above and commit 30 minutes today to trying it out. Don’t worry about becoming an expert – focus on exploring how it might make your work a little easier or more effective.

The best part? There’s no wrong way to do this. Every experiment teaches you something valuable about what AI can (and can’t) do. The only mistake would be not starting at all.

Ready to begin your 10-hour journey into AI? Your future self will thank you.