The course Curriculum Setup Register at AI Horizons ↗

Thu 29 & Fri 30 October 10:30 to 3:00 New York time

Six things to set up
before day one.

About thirty minutes, done before Wednesday 28 October. Our ticks are saved in this browser.

Thu 29 & Fri 30 October on Zoom, 10:30 to 3:00 New York time (starts in 7 days). Join from a computer, ideally with two screens; recordings stay up four weeks.

0 of 6 on the desk

Which one do we set up?

We don't need Python, R, a powerful laptop or a command line; the assistant brings what it needs.

0 of 6 · ~30 min

  1. Get Claude ProChatGPT Plusa paid plan for Claude or ChatGPT

    about $20 a month, and we can cancel after the course

    Claude ProChatGPT Plusa paid plan

    1. Go to claude.ai or chatgpt.com and sign in, or create an account.
    2. Claude: Open the profile menu → Upgrade → choose Pro.ChatGPT: Open the menu → Upgrade plan → choose Plus.

    Using ChatGPT? Pick it above.

    Why a paid plan?

    The paid plans run the models that think longer, and they include the file handling and desktop tools we use on day two.

  2. Install Claude desktopthe ChatGPT app (Codex is inside)the desktop app

    it reaches our own files, and day two runs on that

    Claude desktopChatGPT appdesktop app, macOSWindows

    1. Go to claude.com/download or chatgpt.com/download.
    2. Open the .dmg and drag ClaudeChatGPTthe app into Applications.
    3. Claude: Run the .exe installer (Windows on Arm has its own build on the same page).ChatGPT: Run the installer, or install it from the Microsoft Store.
    4. Open it and sign in with the same account. The menu at the top left switches between ChatGPT and Codex.

    Have the older app? It is now called ChatGPT Classic and has no Codex, so we install the new one.

    Why the desktop app?

    It can open our own folders and run the programs installed beside them, such as Stata or R. Day two depends on it: the coworker works through a whole folder, and the manager sends out a team of agents. Step 6 tests it, and there is no time to install it in class.

    Trouble installing, or on Linux?

    If macOS refuses to open the app, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. Once only.

    On Linux, Claude desktop has a beta for Ubuntu and Debian on the same download page. On Linux, follow OpenAI's Linux installation guide.

  3. Put the course data in its folder

    day two points the AI at a folder, so the folder matters

    ~/Documents/AI ProjectsDocuments\AI Projects

    1. Download AI Projects.zip
    2. Double-click it to unzip (Safari may have done that already), then drag the AI Projects folder into Documents.
    3. Right-click it, choose Extract All, and set the destination to the Documents folder itself.
    4. Check that the folders nest like this:
    Why this folder?

    We all use the same names, so “open the happiness project” puts everyone in the same place. The file is the World Happiness Report panel: 165 countries, 2005 to 2023, life satisfaction plus income, health, social support and freedom. In class we pull fresh data into folders set up the same way.

  4. Get a free FRED API key

    so we can pull live economic data in class

    key saved

    1. Go to fredaccount.stlouisfed.org/apikeys and create a free account.
    2. Click Request API Key, describe it as “course exercises”, agree to the terms and submit.
    3. Copy the 32-character key into a note we can find on the day.

    Treat it like a password: nobody needs to see it, not even us.

    Why FRED?

    FRED is the Federal Reserve's economic database: unemployment, inflation, mortgage rates, house prices and thousands more series. On day one we pull from it directly instead of hunting for download buttons, and that takes a key.

  5. Create a free Vercel account

    so we can publish our work on day two

    Hobby plan

    1. Go to vercel.com/signup.
    2. Continue with Google, GitHub, ChatGPT or Apple, or with an email address.
    3. Choose the free Hobby plan when asked, and confirm the email.
    Why Vercel and not Netlify?

    In class we install the Vercel skill, and the assistant publishes for us: we say “publish this as a new project to Vercel using your Vercel skill,” and a live link comes back. Netlify and GitHub Pages do the same job; we use one service so the steps and prompts work as written.

  6. Two-minute test drive

    the only way to know it works is to run it

    it ran

    roughly what we will see
    happiness_2023.csv

    Use the happiness dataset. Which countries got happier since 2010, and which got sadder? Show me the biggest movers in one chart (a dumbbell chart, gains and declines side by side), and show me the code you ran.

    • no file path
    • no column names
    • no Python
    1. Read 2,363 rows · 165 countries
    2. Compared 2010–12 with 2021–23 · 126 countries in both
    3. Drew the chart
    The code it ran, 6 lines
    df = pd.read_csv("happiness_2023.csv")
def window(a, b):
    w = df[df.year.between(a, b)].groupby("Country name")["Life Ladder"]
    return w.agg(["mean", "count"])
m = window(2010, 2012).join(window(2021, 2023), lsuffix="_10", rsuffix="_21")
m = m[(m.count_10 >= 2) & (m.count_21 >= 2)].assign(change=m.mean_21 - m.mean_10)
    Ours took a few rounds of “make the type bigger”.
    1. Open the desktop app and start a new chat. Claude: Click New; if there is a Chat / Cowork toggle, leave it on Chat.ChatGPT: Pick ChatGPT in the menu at the top left, then New chat.
    2. Drag happiness_2023.csv from the data folder into the message box, paste the prompt and send it. Stay in a plain chat; the other modes are for day two.
    Where to click
    New starts the chat. The same sidebar holds Projects (day one), and Artifacts and Scheduled (day two).
    Drop the file in and type. In the newer layout there is no toggle, and Claude decides for itself. Our model list will be newer than this one.

    In the ChatGPT app, the menu at the top left switches between ChatGPT and Codex. For the test drive we stay in ChatGPT, in a new chat.

    Text but no chart?

    Then the plan or the settings are not running code. Check that we are on the paid plan. In Claude, also check that Settings → Capabilities → Code execution and file creation is on. A university or company plan may have code execution switched off; its admin can turn it on. Or bring it to the break on day one, and we sort it out in two minutes.

all set.

Everything works. See you on Zoom on day one (two screens help); bring the FRED key and some questions.

Add both days to the calendar

Questions people ask

Can I just use the browser version?

On day one, yes: the browser runs code too, and most of day one happens there. On day two, no: Levels two and three work in our own folders, with the programs installed beside them, and only the desktop app reaches those.

I use ChatGPT, not Claude. Will I be able to follow?

Yes. Our demos use Claude, and ChatGPT and Codex (both now in the one ChatGPT desktop app) work in much the same way. The prompts are identical; now and then we translate a menu name. If we already pay for ChatGPT, we stay with it: pick ChatGPT at the top, and this page shows only its steps.

I already pay for Gemini or Copilot.

Bring it and follow along; the ideas transfer. The steps and the day-two tools assume Claude or ChatGPT, though, so if we can, we add one of the two for the course.

My university pays for a plan. Does that count?

Usually, and often with stronger data terms. Check two things: that it can run code and create files (in Claude: Settings → Capabilities → Code execution and file creation), and that the desktop app installs on our machine. Step 6 tests both at once.

The desktop app won't install: I don't have admin rights.

Common on managed work laptops. Ask IT before the course if we can, or use a personal machine for day two.

I use Stata or R. Does that help?

It does. On day two we drive Stata from Claude Code: the AI writes the .do file, runs it, reads the log, fixes the error and runs it again. The same works for R. Nothing in the course needs either.