Start here · Newcomers and curious readers
Start here — Beginner
New to AI model selection. Start with plain-language lessons, build a first shortlist, then look at sources before considering any integration work.
Role
Beginner
First step
Walk the beginner learning path.
Estimated time
~90 min
3-minute orientation
Skim this before opening the first lesson. Estimated time for the full role path: ~90 minutes.
- Learn
- Read four concept lessons — how to choose, context windows, hosted vs first-party, pricing references.
- Practise
- Build your first source-backed shortlist on /select.
- Test
- Skip live testing for now — read the testing-ai-models lesson so you know what tests would look like later.
- Produce
- End with a /select shortlist URL and notes on what the verified fields mean for your problem.
First route list
Your first route list
Open these in order. Every route already exists in the product — Start Here is an entry point, not a parallel surface.
Learning path
Beginner learning path
Sequenced lessons + exercises with no prerequisites.
First lesson
How to choose an AI model
Frame the workflow before opening the catalogue.
First exercise
Build your first shortlist
Capture a /select URL your team can re-open before each release.
Resource finder
Open beginner resources
Every resource tagged for beginners.
What you will produce
Completion is the artifacts the path puts in your hands — not a certificate, badge, or progress bar.
What this does not promise
- Pick a model for you.
- Score your understanding.
- Issue any kind of certificate or completion badge.
- Replace structured testing once you reach an integration decision.
How Start Here works
- No accounts, no sign-in, no quiz scoring. Picking a role opens links — it does not save state about the reader.
- No progress tracking. There is no completion bar, no certificate, no badge. Completion is the artifacts the path puts in your hands.
- No personalization. Two readers who click the same card see the same content; no recommendation engine runs against the reader.
- No model recommendations. The role pages route into learning workflows; which model fits the workload is the reader's decision after the testing step.
- No SEO ranking guarantees, no production-readiness guarantees, no compliance certification. Start Here is a navigation aid, not a promise about outcomes.
Next step
Open the first route
Start with the learning path, or jump to the kit / finder if you already know the shape of the work.