The AI survival guide · ainet.city

Two planets. One trip.

Most people who use AI live on one of two planets: Claude or ChatGPT. This guide takes you from your first question to building your own tools, on both.

The trip

Four stages, from the ground up

Start anywhere. Each stage ends with a checklist, so you know when you're ready for the next one.

Level 1 · Launch pad
I know nothing about AI
What an AI chat is, your first conversation, five safety rules, free vs paid, and a script to teach someone you love.
Level 2 · Low orbit
I use it sometimes
How to ask well, checking answers, files and photos, memory basics, privacy settings and 24 everyday recipes.
Level 3 · Deep space
I'm good. Make me a pro.
How AI works, the context window, memory in detail, connectors and email, agents, workflows and fact-checking.
Level 4 · Mission control
I build with AI
APIs, coding agents, MCP, Git and GitHub, hosting, DNS, Google Search Console, domain email, backups and encryption.

Find my level

Where are you now?

Pick the answer closest to you. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

1. Have you used an AI chat like Claude or ChatGPT? Never, or once or twice Sometimes, for quick questions Most days, for real work Every day, and I also use it to write code

2. When an answer is wrong, what do you do? I didn't know it could be wrong I ask the question again I give it more context, examples, or ask for sources I run checks or tests, or have another model review it

3. Which of these have you set up? Nothing yet. I'm not sure I have an account An account and maybe the phone app Projects, memory, custom instructions or connectors like Gmail API keys, a coding agent, or my own MCP server

4. What does "context window" mean to you? No idea Something about how much it remembers? The chat's working memory, measured in tokens I manage it: caching, compaction, what goes into each request

5. What do you want next? To try it safely for the first time Better answers for everyday things To use it to its full potential, every day To build, publish and protect my own sites and tools

Same and different

How the two planets compare

Under the hood, both are large language models: programs that predict text after training on huge amounts of writing. The skills in this guide work on both. Where the buttons, plans or rules differ, every topic has two boxes side by side.

Planet Claude

Made by Anthropic. Apps on the web, desktop and phone. Free plan, then Pro, Max and Ultra, plus Team and Enterprise. You must be 18 or older.

Checked Nov 2026

Planet ChatGPT

Made by OpenAI. Apps on the web, desktop and phone. Free plan, then Go, Plus and Pro, plus Business, Enterprise and Edu. Age 13 and up, with a parent's permission under 18.

Checked Nov 2026

On both planets

It can sound sure and still be wrong. Check anything that matters, and never paste passwords or ID numbers.

What changes often

Prices, plan names, model names and menu paths. Every box says when we checked it.

What lasts

How to ask well, how to check answers, and how to keep your work and accounts safe.

Your guide

Four stages, from the ground up

I know nothing about AI

I use it sometimes

I'm good. Make me a pro.

I build with AI

Where are you now?

How the two planets compare

On both planets

What changes often

What lasts

Meet Bertie