Claude Academy
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Writing with AI

Lesson 430 min
In this lessonBy the end, you’ll be able to
  • Apply Description skills to craft clear, context-rich prompts that guide AI to create or improve written materials aligned with your nonprofit's mission and audience needs
  • Apply Discernment skills to evaluate AI-generated written materials for accuracy, appropriateness, and alignment with your organizational values and communication standards

Writing with AI

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Writing with AI · 7 min

SummaryTranscript

This video demonstrates the Description-Discernment loop applied to writing, with a focus on maintaining authenticity and human connection. You'll follow James, who runs a small environmental justice organization, as he uses AI to write an emergency grant proposal under a 48-hour deadline. The video shows how to provide rich context through uploaded documents, guide AI's approach with specific instructions, and iterate through discernment to create a proposal he can stand behind.

Key takeaways

  • Upload past successful work to help AI understand your organization's voice and approach—this saves time and improves authenticity
  • Inject the details AI can't know: your track record, partnerships, staff expertise, and actual community relationships
  • Be specific in your revisions: Instead of "make this more compelling," say "add these specific details about our community relationships"
  • Let your expertise guide every revision: AI helps you write faster, but you're shaping the substance
  • Build a cognitive environment: The back-and-forth between human and AI helps align the tool to your specific needs over time
  • Own the final result: When you submit work created with AI assistance, you should be able to stand behind every word because you applied discernment throughout

Exercises

Grant proposal

This exercise helps you practice using Description and Discernment to create high-stakes fundraising content that authentically represents your organization.

Part I: Self-reflection

Select a program or initiative you need funding for. Craft a writing prompt that includes:

  • The grant opportunity and what the funder cares about
  • Your program's key details (who, what, where, outcomes)
  • Your organization's voice and values
  • Specific requirements (word count, required elements, tone)
  • What makes your approach unique or effective

Part II: Collaboration

Share your prompt with AI and review the draft. Apply Discernment:

  • Verify all data points and outcomes claimed are accurate
  • Check if the language reflects your organization's actual voice or sounds generic
  • Identify any deficit-based framing or problematic language about beneficiaries
  • Assess whether it addresses the funder's priorities or just describes your program
  • Note what's missing that only you know about your work

Part III: Reflection

  • What context did you initially forget to include that would have improved the draft?
  • What would you revise in your prompt to better capture your organization's unique approach?
  • Which parts of the AI draft are usable versus which need complete rewriting?

Stretch goal: Iterate on your prompt with specific feedback about tone or framing issues you identified, then compare the two versions to see how description improvements affected output quality.

Lesson reflection

  • How did uploading past work or providing detailed context change the quality of AI's writing output?
  • What strategies will you use to maintain your organization's authentic voice when writing with AI?

What's next

In the next lesson, we'll explore AI Privacy in an attempt to better understand what happens to the data you share with AI.