AI in practice

Getting started

What is this about?

We turn a rough idea into a clear, well-structured instruction for the AI.

Step 1 of 4

Write down your rough idea

One sentence is enough, unfinished is fine — for example: "I need a text for my website about our consulting."

Step 2 of 4

Start the prompt generator

Open your AI (for example ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini), paste in the following prompt and replace the square brackets with your idea from step 1.

You are my prompt generator. I give you a rough idea, and you turn it into a clear, well-structured prompt.

My rough idea: [YOUR IDEA]

Structure the prompt like this: role of the AI, goal, target audience, key requirements, desired format. If an important piece of information is missing, ask me for it first. At the end, give me only the finished prompt to copy.

Step 3 of 4

Test the finished prompt

Copy the finished prompt into a new chat and send it. Read the answer calmly.

Step 4 of 4

Compare

For comparison, also send your rough idea from step 1 into another new chat. The difference between the two answers is the reason for this lesson.

What it looks like

Example: One sentence becomes an instruction

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

We get the AI to look up the current state of things online for important topics.

Step 1 of 3

Recognise critical topics

Before every important question, ask yourself: could the answer have changed since last year? Prices, laws, grants, opening hours, software features — for all of these the answer is yes.

Step 2 of 3

Explicitly demand the research

Don't rely on the AI looking things up by itself. Put the request straight into your question — like in this prompt:

Before you answer, first research the current state of the following topic online: [YOUR TOPIC]

Do not rely on your existing knowledge. For every important statement, give me the source and the date of the information.

Step 3 of 3

Check sources and dates

Look at the answer: are sources given? How old are they? If no sources come back, ask — "Which source is that from, and what date is it?"

What it looks like

Example: Once outdated, once current

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

The AI interviews you step by step and builds your personal master prompt from it.

Step 1 of 5

Start the interview

Open a new chat and send this prompt:

Interview me step by step about my goals, tasks, ways of working and preferences. Ask only one question at a time. As soon as you have enough information, turn it into a complete system prompt for my project.

Step 2 of 5

Answer the questions honestly

The AI now asks one question after another — about your profession, your goals, your typical tasks, your preferences. Answer in normal sentences, the way you speak. There are no wrong answers.

Step 3 of 5

Read the master prompt and refine it

At the end you get your finished master prompt. Read it through: is everything right? Is something missing? Tell the AI — it works it in.

Step 4 of 5

Save it as the system prompt of your project

Create a new project in your AI app (in ChatGPT and Claude the menu item is called "Projects"). Open the project's instructions there and paste in your master prompt. Save — done.

Step 5 of 5

Test

Start a new chat in the project and ask a typical work question — without explaining anything about yourself. The answer should still fit you and your situation.

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

We teach the AI to write in your tone — from your real texts.

Step 1 of 5

Collect your own texts

Pick out three to five texts that are genuinely yours and sound like you: emails to customers, a quote, a social media post. Copy them into a document.

Step 2 of 5

Start the analysis and questions

Open a new chat, send this prompt and paste your collected texts underneath:

Analyse the following texts of mine and describe my writing style: tone, sentence length, typical phrases, how I address people.

Then ask me targeted questions about my style — what matters to me when writing and what annoys me about typical AI texts. Ask only one question at a time.

Finally, create a writing-style system prompt that reliably reproduces my tone and records both: what matters to me and what I do not want.

Here are my texts:

Step 3 of 5

Answer the style questions

The AI now asks follow-up questions — for example: "Do you address customers formally or by first name?", "What annoys you most about AI texts?" Answer honestly; exactly these answers make the prompt good.

Step 4 of 5

Add it to your project

Add the finished writing-style system prompt to your project from lesson 3 — simply below the master prompt in the same instructions. From now on both apply together.

Step 5 of 5

The test

Have the AI write a short customer email in the project. Read it aloud: does it sound like you? If not, tell the AI specifically what doesn't fit — it refines the style prompt.

What it looks like

Example: What such a style prompt records

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

We clarify what an AI agent is — and pick your first task for it.

Step 1 of 3

Read the five abilities of a good agent

A capable agent can do five things: it plans and completes tasks on its own. It accesses the tools you release to it. It uses APIs and databases. It remembers users, processes and results — what it has learned once, it knows next time. And it stays controllable: through permissions, approvals and your human oversight.

Step 2 of 3

Note down three recurring tasks

Write down three tasks you do almost the same way every week — sorting emails, arranging appointments, posting content, maintaining lists. Those are the best candidates for an agent.

Step 3 of 3

Pick one task

Mark the task that costs you the most time. That is exactly the one you'll automate in the next lessons — and the three example automations of this level (email, lead database, social media) show you how.

What it looks like

Example: Answering vs. doing

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

We set up the Hermes Agent at Hostinger — your agent gets a home.

Step 1 of 4

Sign up at Hostinger

Open hostinger.com and create an account — an email address and a password are enough. Hostinger is a paid service; the prices are shown transparently on the site.

Step 2 of 4

Select the Hermes Agent

Search for the Hermes Agent at Hostinger — via the search or the AI section — and select it. Follow the setup step by step; Hostinger guides you through, and you don't need to install anything.

Step 3 of 4

Open the agent

After the setup you get an interface where you write to your agent — similar to a normal AI chat. Bookmark the link.

Step 4 of 4

Send the first message

Send your agent this first message — your first moment of success:

Hello! From now on you are my personal assistant. Introduce yourself briefly: what can you do for me, and which connections to apps do you currently have?

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

We connect your apps — Gmail, calendar, website builder — to your agent.

Step 1 of 6

Open Composio

Open composio.dev and sign in. Connect Composio to your Hermes Agent — follow the instructions Composio or Hostinger shows you during setup.

Step 2 of 6

Connect Gmail

Search for "Gmail" in Composio, click Connect and sign in with your Google account. Google shows you which permissions you are granting — confirm them.

Step 3 of 6

Connect your calendar and other apps

Connect all the apps you currently need the same way — for example your calendar or your website builder. Only the ones you really work with; more can be added at any time later.

Step 4 of 6

App missing? Search for the MCP server

If an app is not available in Composio, search online for "[app name] MCP server" — for example "Trello MCP server". Almost every well-known app has one.

Step 5 of 6

Have the agent install the connection

You don't have to do the installation yourself — your agent can. Send it this message and replace the brackets:

I want to connect the app [APP NAME] to you. It is not available in Composio. Search online for the right MCP server for [APP NAME] and install the connection. Tell me if you need an approval or login details from me along the way.

Step 6 of 6

Test the connection

Ask your agent for a first small task with the new connection:

Please read the last 5 emails in my Gmail inbox and summarise each one for me in one sentence.

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

Your agent reads your inbox every morning and tidies it according to your rules.

Step 1 of 5

Trigger the workflow once by hand

Before anything runs automatically, test it live once. Send your agent this task — and adapt the rules to your folder names first:

Read my Gmail inbox and do the following:
1. Remove all advertising (newsletters, offers, automated promotional emails).
2. Move all invoices to the folder "Invoices". If the folder does not exist yet, create it.
3. At the end, give me a short summary of what you did.

Important: do not permanently delete anything that comes from a real person. If you are unsure about an email, leave it and tell me.

Step 2 of 5

Check the result

Open your mailbox and check: is the advertising gone? Are the invoices in the right folder? If the agent filed something wrongly, tell it — it remembers the correction for next time.

Step 3 of 5

Add further fixed steps

You can now teach the workflow further fixed steps — for example: "Mark emails from customers as important" or "Reply to appointment requests with a suggestion from my calendar". Simply tell your agent in normal sentences what else should happen.

Step 4 of 5

Switch on the daily repetition

If the trial run worked, turn it into a daily routine:

From now on, run exactly this email workflow automatically every morning at 7:00. Afterwards, send me a short summary of what you did.

Step 5 of 5

Check the next morning

The next morning, look at your mailbox and the agent's summary. If everything runs cleanly, you now have a tidy mailbox every day — without lifting a finger.

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

Your agent maintains your contact list in Google Sheets — right down to the photographed business card.

Step 1 of 6

Create the spreadsheet

Open sheets.google.com and create a new spreadsheet called "Leads". In the first row, write the column headings: Name, Company, Phone, Email, Notes.

Step 2 of 6

Connect Google Sheets to the agent

Connect Google Sheets in Composio — the same way as Gmail in lesson 7: search, connect, confirm the approval.

Step 3 of 6

Have the first contact saved

Send your agent a contact in plain text:

Save this new contact in my spreadsheet "Leads":
Jane Miller, Miller Joinery, 0664 1234567, jane@miller-joinery.at — met at the Dornbirn trade fair, wants an online shop in autumn.

Step 4 of 6

Capture a business card from a photo

Photograph a business card with your phone and send the photo to your agent — with this task:

The photo shows a business card. Read out all the contact details and enter them as a new row in my spreadsheet "Leads". Then show me what you entered.

Step 5 of 6

Have an existing entry updated

Details change — your agent keeps the spreadsheet current:

Jane Miller has a new phone number: 0664 7654321. Update her entry in my spreadsheet "Leads".

Step 6 of 6

Have the data analysed

Now the part no ordinary spreadsheet can do — simply ask your list something:

Analyse my spreadsheet "Leads": how many contacts do I have in total? Which of them mention a concrete project in the notes? Who should I call next — and why?

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

We fill a folder with material — and Hermes creates a post from it every day.

Step 1 of 5

Create the content folder

Open drive.google.com and create a folder called "Content material". Fill it with everything that makes a post: photos of your work, short notes on projects, customer testimonials, before-and-after pictures.

Step 2 of 5

Give the agent access

Connect Google Drive in Composio — the same way again: search, connect, confirm the approval. Your agent can now read the folder.

Step 3 of 5

Have the first post created

Test the workflow once by hand:

Open my Google Drive folder "Content material". Choose a photo or a note and create a social media post for my business from it: short text, matching the picture, with a question or call to action at the end. Show me the finished draft.

Step 4 of 5

Switch on daily creation

If you like the draft, turn it into a daily task:

From now on, every day at 8:00, create a new social media post from the material in my Google Drive folder "Content material". Use each photo and each note only once. Send me the draft for approval before anything is published.

Step 5 of 5

Keep it stocked

Make it a habit to drop photos and notes straight into the folder — from your phone it takes ten seconds. A full folder is the fuel of this automation.

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

You build your first own mini app — just by describing it, without a line of code.

Step 1 of 4

Open Google AI Studio

Open aistudio.google.com and sign in with your Google account — the same one as for Gmail or Drive.

Step 2 of 4

Switch to the "Apps" section

Click "Build" or "Apps" in the menu. This is where small applications are created from a description.

Step 3 of 4

Describe your mini app

In the input field, describe a small, useful app from your everyday work — for example this one:

Build me a simple app: a quote calculator for my business. I enter the hourly rate, estimated hours and material costs, and the app shows me the quote price with and without VAT (20 %). Clean, uncluttered design, in English.

Step 4 of 4

Try it out and change it

After a short while the app runs directly in the browser. Try it out — and if something bothers you, just add it: "Make the font bigger", "Add a field for a discount". The app rebuilds itself.

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

We install the Codex app — with it you develop apps and control your own PC.

Step 1 of 4

Download the Codex app

Open openai.com/codex, download the Codex app for your computer and install it — like any other program. Then sign in with your account.

Step 2 of 4

Choose the best available model

In the settings, choose the best available AI model — not the fast economy option. For coding tasks this rule always applies: the best model makes the difference between "works" and "doesn't work".

Step 3 of 4

Run the first local command

Start with a harmless test that immediately shows you what is possible:

Create a folder called "Codex test" on my desktop. Inside it, create a text file "hello.txt" containing: "My AI created this file." Then tell me what you did.

Step 4 of 4

Have documents found and sorted

Now a real benefit — have a messy folder organised. Adapt the folder name in the prompt:

Look in my "Downloads" folder. First list which file types are there and how many. Then suggest a sensible folder structure — but do not move anything until I agree. After my approval: sort the files into the new folders and rename cryptic file names so they make sense.

Done?

You're finished when …

Getting started

What is this about?

You build your first real app — with the workflow professionals use too.

Step 1 of 6

Install the "grill-me" skill

Open the Codex app and have it install the skill itself — it makes sure the AI first questions you thoroughly about requirements and decisions. Use it from now on in every session in which you develop an app.

Install the skill "grill-me". If you need anything from me for that, tell me step by step.

Step 2 of 6

Name your app idea — and let yourself be questioned

Choose a small app that solves a real problem from your everyday work. Then start like this — with the local requirement right in the first sentence:

Use the skill "grill-me". I want to develop the following app: [YOUR IDEA]. The app or software must run locally on my PC. First question me thoroughly about all requirements and decisions before anything is built. Ask only one question at a time.

Step 3 of 6

Answer questions — for as long as you like

The AI now grills you: who uses the app? What must it do, and what deliberately not? What should it look like? Answer as concretely as possible — every answer saves a wrong turn later.

Step 4 of 6

Request the implementation plan

As soon as you no longer want to answer further questions, end the interview with exactly this sentence:

Now create the implementation plan.

Step 5 of 6

Execute the plan in a new chat

Open a new chat, paste in the complete implementation plan and start the build — again with the local requirement and the best available model:

Here is the implementation plan for my app. Implement it completely. The app or software must run locally on my PC. Work through the plan step by step and tell me when you are done or need a decision from me.

[PASTE THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN HERE]

Step 6 of 6

Test and refine

Start the finished app and try everything out. Whatever doesn't fit, tell the AI in the same chat — "the button doesn't respond", "the list should be sortable". That is how the first draft becomes your app.

What it looks like

Example: A good first app idea

Done?

You're finished when …