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AI 101 for Marines
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    Warfare CommandFree course

    AI 101 for Marines

    Brief AI for a task you need done. Check its answer before you use it.

    6 chapters, about 30 to 40 minutes. Free to read; no account required.

    If you use AI every day, start at chapter 3.

    Same AI, two asks

    Fictional replies show how the brief changes the answer. Your chatbot will write its own reply.

    The usual ask

    You type
    Make me a PFT workout plan.
    Example reply

    Run three miles, add strength work, and stay consistent.

    The ask left out your run time, goal, schedule, and shin pain.

    A Marine's brief

    You type
    Task Build me an 8-week run plan.
    Purpose My 3-mile is 24:30. I want it under 22:00 on my next PFT, 8 weeks out.
    Constraints 4 mornings a week, 45 minutes max. I had shin splints last year. No track access on Tuesdays.
    End state One plan, week by week, that I can read on my phone. Then 3 signs I should back off.
    Example reply

    To break 22:00, average faster than 7:20 per mile. Your pace now is 8:10. Running 7:20 would save 50 seconds per mile and finish at 22:00.

    Speed work goes on Thursdays, since you have no track on Tuesdays.

    I would keep track work off Tuesday and build around 4 mornings of no more than 45 minutes.

    Before I suggest workouts, tell me your weekly mileage and whether your shin hurts when you run.

    See what to check

    The pace math is checkable. The schedule uses your limits. A useful reply should also ask for missing facts before prescribing a training load.

    The reply uses your facts and asks about missing information. Check the plan before you train.

    Choose the reply you would use.

      1. 1What you are talking to3 min
      2. 2Brief it like a Marine6 min
      3. 3Catch the confident wrong answer6 min
      4. 4Get one real thing done today6 min
      5. 5When a chat is not enough3 min
      6. 6Self-check4 min

      Your answers save in this browser. A chapter counts as practiced after its exercises; the self-check needs 6 of 8 right. You can revisit any chapter. Optional feedback sends only what you enter when you tap Send feedback. The optional email signup sends your address separately.

      Chapter 1 of 6About 3 min

      What you are talking to

      Use this

      A chatbot generates text from learned patterns and the context it can see. It can sound confident when it is wrong.

      True, false, or it depends

      Tap an answer on each card. The explanation opens right away.

      Give it the facts a Marine who checked in yesterday would need. Memory and search may add context. Check which facts the answer uses. Anthropic, the company that makes Claude, gives its own users the same advice: treat the model like a brilliant new employee who lacks your context.

      Use Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini for the exercises. Check their free-plan limits below.

      Free plansClaude pricingChatGPT pricingGemini plans

      Words you will see
      • Chatbot: an app you type or speak to, such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini, that writes back.
      • Model: the program inside the chatbot that writes the replies.
      • Brief: what you type to it. Most people call it a prompt.
      • Context: everything the model can see right now: your brief, what you pasted, and anything memory or search added.
      • Memory: a setting that carries facts from past chats into new ones.
      • Web search: a setting that lets it read current pages and cite them.
      • Hallucination: a confident answer that is not true.
      • Tool: a program that carries out a specific job.
      Keep this habit

      Let it draft and explain. Before you act on a number, a date, or a rule it gives you, check it.

      Chapter 2 of 6About 6 min

      Brief it like a Marine

      Use this

      Write 4 parts: task, purpose, constraints, and end state.

      Task: Build a run plan. Purpose: Improve my PFT. Constraints: Four mornings, 45 minutes. End state: A weekly table.

      Find the gap

      Each ask is missing one or more parts. Tap every part that is missing, then press Check.

      Build your brief

      This checklist looks for words, numbers, and length in 4 parts. It can miss a good brief or accept nonsense. Check the meaning yourself.

      Write the 4 parts

      Use the run-plan brief on the cover as your example.

      1Task

      Name one job. Start with a verb.

      Build me an 8-week run plan.
      2Purpose

      Say why you need it. Give the AI a reason for the choices you leave open. Anthropic's guide says explaining why helps the model aim its answer.

      I want my 3-mile under 22:00 on my next PFT.
      3Constraints

      The facts and limits it may not have: your numbers, dates, money, schedule, injuries, and what to avoid. If you have the source text, paste it here.

      4 mornings, 45 minutes, shin splints last year, no track on Tuesdays.
      4End state

      State the format, length, and tone you need.

      One plan, week by week, readable on my phone.

      Two standing lines

      Add these to any brief you will act on.

      • If anything important is missing, ask me up to 3 questions before you answer.
      • If you are not sure about a fact, say so.

      Anthropic's guide on reducing made-up answers recommends the second line by name: give the model permission to say it does not know.

      Test it before you send it

      Read your brief as the Marine who checked in yesterday. If you would have questions, so will the AI. Anthropic calls this its golden rule: show the prompt to a colleague who knows little about the task, and if they would be confused, the model will be too.

      Not saving in this browser. Copy your brief before you leave.

      When the reply is close

      Send one specific fix: "Make week 3 easier." "Half as long." "Use only the numbers I gave you." The chat usually keeps recent messages in view. In a long chat, restate the facts that matter.

      Keep this habit

      Give it your task and facts. Check the reply before you use it.

      Chapter 3 of 6About 6 min

      Catch the confident wrong answer

      Use this

      Use 4 checks to catch a wrong answer: the math, your facts, its source, or a fresh chat.

      Spot the wrong line

      Example replies, written for this course. Tap the line you think is wrong, or tap It all checks out. Then press Check.

      Why it happens

      OpenAI's researchers explain it with a multiple-choice test. A blank answer always scores zero, and a guess sometimes scores, so a model that guesses looks better on the test. Training and scoring can reward guessing. Check specific claims even when the answer sounds certain.

      Four checks

      1. 1
        Do the math. Dates, money, paces, counts. Ask it to show its inputs and calculation. Verify the result with a calculator or calendar.
      2. 2
        Compare it to what you gave it. Check added claims against your facts or a source, especially numbers it could not derive.
      3. 3
        Ask where it came from, then open it. For a rule, a fact, or a quote, ask for the source and read the line yourself. A source it names can be wrong too.
      4. 4
        Ask again in a new chat. Different answers are a warning. Matching answers can repeat the same mistake. Check the source either way; a new chat may still use saved memory.

      Head it off in the brief

      Two lines in your brief cut down on this before it starts: "If you are not sure about a fact, say so." and "Quote the line you used." Anthropic's guide lists both. It also says they reduce made-up answers without eliminating them, so the checks still apply.

      Keep this habit

      Trust an answer after it passes the check that fits it: the math, your own facts, or the source.

      Chapter 4 of 6About 6 min

      Get one real thing done today

      Use this

      Pick a task for this week. Build a brief from your answers, paste it into your chatbot, and check the reply.

      Fill in what you know. Leave a box empty and the brief shows [fill this in], so you can see what the AI would have to guess.

      Keep other people's private details out of public AI chats.

      Pick a task

      Fix a reply

      Your landlord message is too long. It includes the repair date and has a polite tone. Choose the follow-up you would send.

      After you run it

      Record what you did in your chatbot. This page cannot check it. Mark all 3 after you finish to count this chapter as practiced.

      Keep this habit

      Pick a task and build your brief before you leave.

      Chapter 5 of 6About 3 min

      When a chat is not enough

      Use this

      A tool can save your facts, count dates by a fixed rule, and keep the source beside each task. Check its inputs and rules.

      Same question, two places
      You ask
      I move out 01 SEP 2027. Lay out my next steps.

      Blank chat

      Fictional reply

      Check your lease, send notice, arrange movers, and update your address. Tell me your notice period so I can work out the dates.

      The chat needs your lease terms. Given those facts, it can calculate dates too.

      Saved plan demo

      Fictional move-out planMOVE 01 SEP 2027

      Move-out date: 01 SEP 2027. This example counts calendar days.

      Move the date. Compare the notice deadline, your planning target, and the event you booked.

      Send written notice
      03 JUL 2027From the lease60 calendar days before move-out
      Show the source
      Fictional lease, section 8Give written notice at least 60 calendar days before the move-out date.

      Read your own lease before using a deadline. This example is made up.

      Compare mover quotes
      02 AUG 2027Planning target30 calendar days before move-out
      Why this date

      You chose 30 days ahead to compare prices. The lease does not require it. Change the target if you need more time.

      Storage visit you booked
      20 AUG 2027Confirmed eventfixed by you

      A booking stays where you put it. Review it when your move-out date changes.

      Compare the examples
      FeatureChatSaved plan
      Your factsGive it the lease terms and current date. Check what memory adds.Keeps the inputs where you can review them.
      DatesCan calculate them. Check the arithmetic.Uses the displayed rule when you change a date.
      ChecksRead the source and check the result.Read the source and check the result here too.
      How Muster Out uses this pattern

      Muster Out builds a saved separation or retirement plan from your facts. Open a task to check its source and date rule. It can still be wrong.

      Muster Out works on Claude Free; Pro at $20 a month gives more room for long chats. Free also works for the text exercises in this course within usage limits.

      Claude plans and Muster Out setup help.

      Keep this habit

      Use a saved tool for a repeat job. Keep checking its facts, dates, and sources.

      Chapter 6 of 6About 4 min

      Self-check

      Use this

      Get 6 of 8 right, then review any misses. This is a self-check; your answers stay in this browser.

      Finish

      Put it to work

      Use this

      Run your brief today, then pick what comes next.

      Today

      Your brief from chapter 4

      You have not built one yet.

      Help improve AI 101

      Optional. Skip this and keep going. Only what you send here is shared.

      16 OCT workshop reference

      Warfare Command hosted AI Tools for Marine Leaders on 16 OCT 2026. This preparation reference is retained from the completed session.

      • The GenAI.mil practical used an MCEN laptop.
      • The optional Muster Out setup used a personal device and a Claude account on a personal email. Claude Free works.
      • If the phone app cannot open or save your board, try claude.ai in the browser on that device. For help, email feedback@warfarecommand.com.

      The 4-part brief and answer checks remain available in this course and carry over to GenAI.mil.

      Next

      In development

      • AI 102: Save your goals and answer preferences.
      • AI 103: Find and check answers in your files.
      • AI 104: Schedule a weekly check, if your AI supports it.

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      Getting out

      Your transition, run like an op.

      Muster Out helps you prepare for life after the Corps. Build your transition plan in your Claude account. Works on Claude Free.

      Set up Muster Out

      MARADMIN Watch: free, no account

      Swipe left or right, or use the arrow keys, to move between chapters.