Courses
Set up AI to work for you. A 3-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 Wed, Oct 28
- Make the habits yours, and make your AI push back Fri, Oct 30
- Turn your work into reusable Skills Wed, Nov 4
- Put it to work and run it as a system Fri, Nov 6
- Tune your system after a week of real use Fri, Nov 13
Next cohort
October 28 – November 13, 2026
Cohort 2 rate with code 200off, through October 28. Enrollment closes when Session 1 starts.
See the course & enroll on Maven →470+ 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 students and live lessons
In their own words
The first two are Level 1 students' reviews on Maven. The rest come from participants in the free live lessons that preview this course.
“Brett was the perfect instructor - deeply knowledgeable, invested in the student's success, and good at explaining the concepts that made courses and instructions easy to complete on your own. Regardless of whether you are brand new to using AI or just looking to sharpen and expand your AI skills I think you would benefit from this course.”
Tom, consumer insights consultant · Level 1 student“It opened my eyes and taught me how to utilize the basic features of Chat GPT (in my case)… I look forward to practicing and fine-tuning what Brett has taught me. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!”
Eric, realtor · Level 1 student“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 30-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.
Do I get one-on-one time with you?
Yes. Every student gets 1.5 hours with me: a 30-minute setup call before Session 1, so your AI is ready when class starts, and a one-hour deep dive after Session 5 on your own business or project. I send the booking link when you enroll.
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, 1.5 hours one-on-one with me, lifetime access to the recordings, and the peer community. Cohort 2 rate: code 200off takes $200 off, so $750, through October 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 October 28 to November 13. The Cohort 2 rate is $750 instead of $950 with code 200off, through October 28.
Enroll on Maven →Backed by Maven's Satisfaction Guarantee — full refund available through the midpoint of the course.
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