Courses
Set up AI to work for you. A 2-week live course.
A small live cohort for experienced people 50+. Set up your own AI system and make your decades of experience the edge — built during the sessions, no coding anywhere.
Taught by Brett Bouchard · 20+ years in tech · 9 years a Director at Google
Level 1
Set Up AI to Work for You
Most AI advice tells you what AI is. This course sets yours up. Over five live sessions you build a foundation your AI actually uses, so it stops giving generic answers and starts working like it knows you. Everything is built inside the AI you already use, ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, on the free tier.
- An AI that knows you. Your background, work and goals in a context file, loaded into a Project so every new chat starts up to speed and you stop re-explaining yourself.
- Reusable Skills. A Skill is a saved set of steps your AI runs for you. Turn a 30-minute task you repeat into a two-minute run, with a quality check that catches mistakes before you use it. Leave with two or three of your own, plus a ready-made library from me.
- A system, not a pile of one-off chats. Routines that run your Skills on a schedule, so the work happens while you check the result. Set up so it keeps working when the tools change.
- Sharper answers, faster. Work by voice, not just by typing, and push back on the first reply. The first answer is the generic one; the good version comes after you press.
- The skeptic's habit. Flip your AI into a critic that pokes holes in a plan before you commit, while the weak spot is still cheap to fix. Leave with a ready-made AI Skeptic skill.
First win in Session 1: you'll set something up that you use the same day.
The five sessions
- Set up your foundation Tue, Sep 29
- Get better answers, and make your AI push back Thu, Oct 1
- Turn your work into reusable Skills Tue, Oct 6
- Put it to work and run it as a system Thu, Oct 8
- Tune your system after a week of real use Thu, Oct 15
Next cohort
September 29 – October 15, 2026
Cohort 2 rate with code 200off, through September 28. Enrollment closes the same day.
See the course & enroll on Maven →380+ professionals have registered for my free lessons on Maven.
Backed by Maven's Satisfaction Guarantee — full refund available through the midpoint of the course.
From my live lessons
In their own words
Feedback from participants in the free live lessons that preview this course.
“Great practical advice for people trying to catch up on their AI skills.”
Tom, consumer insights consultant“If you don't find LLMs useful and are wondering what all the hype is about, this session will help get you over the hurdle, going from generic responses to personalized, meaningful interaction with AI.”
Live lesson participant“After the last session, I reorganized those categories. Now I have my two charity chats, my one social media chat. It's now organized, and it's feeding off of all the previous information. I put it into practice.”
Suzy, Fractional COO“Learning how to build a single context file and reuse it across LLMs to make the outputs much more relevant”
John, program management“It was really helpful. Clearly presented practical tips that can be used straight away.”
Live lesson participant“What a great tool this is… it had already answered my question. What a great job you've done here.”
Live lesson participantNot ready for the course? Start free.
I run free 45-minute lightning lessons on Maven about once a month. Practical, skeptical, no pressure. Join one and see how I teach before you spend a dollar.
See my free lessons →Questions people actually ask
Before you decide
Do I need a technical background?
No. If you can write an email and open a website, you can do everything in this course. No coding, no setup headaches, no jargon.
Which AI tool do I need? Does it cost extra?
Just a free account on ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — your choice. Everything you build works on the free tiers.
What if I miss a live session?
Every session is recorded, and the recordings are yours to keep. Session 5, a week after the fourth, is where you tune your system after real use and fix anything that isn't working.
I already use AI regularly — is this for me?
Yes, and especially you. Using AI as a quick chatbot for one-off questions is where most people plateau, even daily users. This course takes you from that to a system that knows you, sounds like you and does real work, so your answers stop coming back generic and you stop starting from scratch every time.
How much time does it take?
About four hours a week for two weeks: two 90-minute live sessions plus an hour or so of light practice on your own work, then Session 5 a week later. Most of the building happens live, with me, so you're never left to figure it out alone.
What do I keep when it's over?
Your own AI system, linked into the AI you already use: a context foundation that knows you, the two or three reusable Skills you built for your own work, routines that run them on a schedule, and a library of ready-made Skills from me, including the AI Skeptic.
What about privacy and safety?
Covered directly in the course: what's safe to share with an AI, what you should never type into one, and how to stay in control of your information.
Will this be outdated in six months?
No. You build a portable foundation on fundamentals that don't change with every new model release — that's the point of the course.
What does it cost?
$950 for all five live sessions, lifetime access to the recordings, and the peer community. Cohort 2 rate: code 200off takes $200 off, so $750, through September 28.
What's the refund policy?
Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee — a full refund is available through the midpoint of the course. If it isn't working for you, you're not stuck.
Ready to set up AI that actually knows you?
Cohort 2 runs September 29 to October 15. The Cohort 2 rate is $750 instead of $950 with code 200off, through September 28.
Enroll on Maven →Backed by Maven's Satisfaction Guarantee — full refund available through the midpoint of the course.
My weekly newsletter with practical, grounded AI advice.
Written for people who've spent decades getting good at things and want AI insights without the overwhelm.
