MaxtDesignAI Studios
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Literacy track

AI Literacy Foundations

The mental model, the failure modes, the vocabulary, the calibration.

A foundation track. Four modules on the things you need to have right before anything else in AI goes well. Mental model, failure modes, vocabulary, and when to reach for AI in the first place.

~152 minutes5 modules · 29 lessons

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By the end of this track, you will

  • Hold a correct mental model of what a language model is and is not.
  • Name the failure mode behind any disappointing AI output.
  • Use AI vocabulary precisely enough to read changelogs and participate in team conversations.
  • Calibrate when AI is the right tool, the wrong tool, or usable after reshaping.

Syllabus

  1. Module 1

    The mental model

    A shared picture of what a language model actually is, so the rest of the track has somewhere to land.

    • LWhat a language model actually is~5 min
    • LWhat the model sees and what you see~5 min
    • DDrill: recognise the failure mode~3 min
    • LProbabilistic output, not deterministic~5 min
    • DDrill: spot the mental-model misfire~4 min
    • LApply the mental model to one real problem~7 min
    • DDrill: rescue the response~5 min

  2. Module 2

    How it goes wrong

    The named failure modes. Naming them is the first step to catching them in your own output.

    • LHallucination: the honest name for it~5 min
    • LThe refusal problem~5 min
    • DDrill: name the failure~3 min
    • LConfidence without grounding~5 min
    • DDrill: spot the load-bearing hallucination~5 min
    • LAudit your last week of AI output~8 min
    • DDrill: handle a live failure~5 min

  3. Module 3

    Enough vocabulary to participate

    The handful of terms that show up in product changelogs, team conversations, and vendor documents. Light but real.

    • LTokens and context~4 min
    • LModel vs. product~4 min
    • DDrill: decode the changelog~3 min
    • LThe tuning knobs people mention~5 min
    • DDrill: find the imprecise language~5 min
    • LTeach a teammate~6 min
    • DDrill: answer the question~5 min

  4. Module 4

    When to reach for AI

    The calibration that turns AI from a shiny toy into a time-saver. Three signs it is the right tool, three signs it is not.

    • LThree signs AI is the right tool~5 min
    • LThree signs AI is the wrong tool~5 min
    • DDrill: pick the right tool~3 min
    • LReshape the task until AI fits~5 min
    • DDrill: spot the task misfit~5 min
    • LApply the test to this week's list~8 min
    • DDrill: walk a real request~5 min

  5. Module 5

    Capstone

    Eight questions across the four modules. Clear 70% to earn the certificate.

    • QFinal quiz~14 min