The Savvy Guide for Generative AI Beginners

AI is showing up in your workflow, your inbox, and your team’s questions. You? You’re about to be the savvy one with the answers. Now grab a chair — this book saved you a seat.

(Even NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and AP pulled up a chair for this book — now it’s your turn.)

Ready or not, generative AI showed up fast, loud, and a little weird. Whether you’re curious, cautious, or convinced it might be the tech equivalent of kombucha — everyone’s raving, but you're still side-eyeing the glass, right? — this is your no-hype, no-jargon, refreshingly human guide to using generative AI with clarity, strategy, and confidence.

This isn’t a crash course or a list of ChatGPT hacks. It’s a smart, surprisingly warm guide to integrating AI into your work — without losing your voice, your value, or your grip on reality.

Is this book for you? (Probably.)

If you’re:

• A professional trying to stay relevant without rewriting your entire career
• A leader looking to upskill your team and revamp workflows without creating chaos
• A marketer, strategist, writer, creative, or curious soul asking “Can I actually use this stuff without losing my voice?”
• Or just someone who's heard the word prompt 972 times and wonders why typing into a little box suddenly feels like a job qualification

… this book meets you where you are — and gives you the tools to go further, faster.

Inside, you’ll learn:

• What generative AI actually is and why understanding the tech matters for your work
• How to craft better prompts, build custom GPTs, and get results that reflect your expertise
• When to rely on AI — and when to call in your irreplaceable human judgment
• How to navigate the messy bits: ethics, risk, trust, and the big hairy question of who owns what (and who's accountable) when AI is in the mix
• Frameworks for building AI fluency and integrating AI into your workflow or organization

Written by Jamie DeAngelis, Ph.D. — award-winning educator, brand and content strategist, and leader of the Generative AI Center of Excellence at a top digital agency — this book goes beyond tool tutorials. It helps you actually think differently about AI and what it means for your role, your work, and your future.

It blends insider know-how with teaching savvy — and reads like part playbook, part strategic advisor, part tech translator. It's a pep talk and a practical toolkit, designed to give you the kind of foundation that makes everything else finally click.

This isn’t a surface-level skim through the hype. It's clear, generous guidance for people who care about doing good work in a fast-changing world.

Generative AI is here to stay. It won't steal your job — unless you leave the door wide open by ignoring how it's changing your role.

Grab this guide and learn how to lean into and even lead the shift — with strategy, skill, and just the right amount of side-eye.