How to use this book

Who this book is for

This book is the course book for AIDAN's Sprout Belt course, AI First Steps (AFS). The Sprout Belt is an optional course below the White Belt (AI Fundamentals). It was created for adults who have rarely or never used AI chatbots.

This book was written with the following people in mind:

• Those who hear the word "AI" in the news every day, but have asked it questions only once or twice themselves
• Those whose children or grandchildren say, "You can just ask an AI," but do not know what or how to ask
• Those who feel anxious about whether videos or voices circulating in family group chats are real
• Those who want to help their parents or family members use AI safely by their side
• Those who want to build a solid foundation step by step before starting the White Belt course

No computer or coding knowledge is required. Being able to send text messages and open apps on a smartphone is enough. This book does not cover how to judge whether to adopt AI for corporate work, professional prompt engineering techniques, or writing computer code. Those who intend to use AI for work should start with the White Belt (AI Fundamentals) course.

Upon reading this book to the end and completing the exercises, you should be able to do the following five things. These five things are also the objectives that the exam seeks to verify:

1. Explain in your own words how generative AI produces answers and why those answers can be wrong.
2. Ask specifically for the desired result, and follow up with a refined prompt after reviewing the first response.
3. Identify parts of an AI answer that require verification, and check them against reliable sources.
4. Mask personal information that should not be entered into an AI, and use it safely.
5. Question fake voices, photos, and text created with AI, and follow established verification procedures.

This book says both "let us not fear AI" and "let us not trust AI unconditionally." The two statements do not contradict each other. It is like teaching someone who is using a knife for the first time both how to use it and how to be careful with it. Knowing how to use it well makes it less frightening, and knowing where to be careful prevents injury.

How this book is organized

This book consists of how to use this book, five chapters, and four appendices. The five chapters follow the same order as the exam domains.

Each chapter is written so that it can be understood when reading alone. Every chapter follows the following ten sections in the same order:

Appendix A is a glossary, Appendix B contains answers and explanations for the Self-check, Appendix C is an exam day guide, and Appendix D is a list of official documents cited in this book. If you encounter an unfamiliar word, look it up in Appendix A first.

Four types of callout boxes appear in the main text. The names in parentheses are the box notations written in the manuscript, and they appear as the names on the left in the book and on the web screen.

The exam at a glance

The exam weightings are as follows. It is good to spend a little more time on Chapter 2, which has the highest weighting.

The exam does not ask about the location of buttons in a specific app. It asks, "What is safe and useful to do in this situation?" Therefore, this book also explains principles before app names. It is designed so that even if you have never used any AI service, you can solve the questions using only the principles in this book.

What the questions look like

Questions appear in five formats. The method of answering differs for each format, so familiarize yourself with them in advance.

Most questions begin with a short everyday scenario. These are scenarios such as grocery shopping, hospital appointments, travel preparations, family group chats, or secondhand trading. Inside the scenario, one or two conditions determine the answer. For example, whether it is "a message urgently asking to send money" or "a bus schedule asked of an AI" changes the answer.

Below is an example created separately by this book to illustrate the format. It is not an actual exam question.

[Example] Sun-rye Oh asked an AI to write a birthday greeting text message for her granddaughter.
The first response was **too long and contained many difficult words**.
Which of the following is the most appropriate follow-up statement for Sun-rye Oh to say next?

① "Rewrite this."
② "Make it shorter."
③ "My granddaughter will read this herself. Shorten it to three lines and change it to simple words."
④ "Only change the difficult words to simple words. Leave the length as it is now."
⑤ "Check if there is any incorrect content in this text message."

In this example, the part written in bold is the condition. Because there were two complaints—"too long" and "difficult words"—③, which asked to fix both, was the best answer. ① did not state what was unsatisfactory, while ② and ④ were halfway fixes that adjusted only one thing. ⑤ was not a refined follow-up prompt, but a different request altogether. When solving questions, build a habit of looking for conditions first like this. Appendix C provides additional tips.

Six-week study plan

This assumes studying 20 to 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week. There is no need to rush. You can also split reading one chapter across two weeks.

Notation and sources

This book was written according to the following principles:

• Plain language first: Difficult words are explained immediately when they first appear. English words are used only when strictly necessary.
• Service names only when necessary: AI services are referred to by generic names such as "AI chatbot" or "conversational AI." Company and service names are used only when the main point is which company officially provides what guidance.
• Verification date: Laws and regulations, guidance from public institutions, and help documentation from AI companies were verified on official pages on October 28, 2026. The verified pages are compiled in "Check the official docs" in each chapter and in Appendix D.
• Nothing unverified is written: Only phone numbers, features, default settings, and statutory provisions verified on official pages have been recorded.
• Fictional characters: All people, groups, and shops appearing in the stories and hands-on exercises are fictional. Any overlap with real names is purely coincidental.
• Sample conversations: AI answers in the book are examples created for explanation. Real AIs respond slightly differently each time. The shop names, times, and prices appearing in the sample answers are also completely fictional.