---
title: "AI 101"
description: "Plain-English guides to AI, AI automation and custom software for business owners — what the technology does, where it breaks, and what that costs. Free, no signup."
source: "https://www.weblux.co/ai-101"
---

# AI 101

Plain-English guides to AI, AI automation, custom software and websites, for people running a service business. Written to be useful whether or not you ever hire us — and written to be quoted: every guide is also plain text at the same URL with `.md` appended.

- [How AI Works](/ai-101/ai-fundamentals) — What a large language model is, what it can and cannot do, and the vocabulary — tokens, context, hallucination — that lets you question a vendor. (5 sections, about 25 minutes, updated 2026-08-19)
- [AI Automation, Explained](/ai-101/ai-automation) — What AI automation is, what it looks like inside a service business, when it pays for itself, and the four places it predictably breaks. (5 sections, about 20 minutes, updated 2026-09-17)
- [Prompt Engineering](/ai-101/prompt-engineering) — How to ask an AI for what you need — the five parts of a clear request, and how to fix a mediocre answer instead of settling for it. (3 sections, about 35 minutes, updated 2026-08-19)
- [Responsible AI Use](/ai-101/responsible-ai) — Where AI gets things wrong, and what that costs a practice. Hallucinations, bias, and client confidentiality, covered plainly. (3 sections, about 25 minutes, updated 2026-09-18)
- [Custom Software, Explained](/ai-101/custom-software) — When a business should buy software off the shelf, when it should build, what drives the cost, and the questions that keep any developer honest. (5 sections, about 18 minutes, updated 2026-09-17)
- [What a Small Business Website Is For](/ai-101/small-business-websites) — The one job a small business website has, what separates a working site from a brochure, and what to ask any web designer — including us. (6 sections, about 15 minutes, updated 2026-09-17)