Actually Using AI — paperback edition

Actually Using AI

A guide to thinking with AI, not just using it.

10 lessons from real projects. No jargon, no hype — just a method that works.

Available on Kindle now (£6.99). Paperback releases 6 August 2026 (£14.99).

What you'll learn

A method for working with AI that produces reliable results — not lucky ones.

Brief AI like a colleague, not a search engine

The difference between AI that produces generic advice and AI that produces something only you could have written is fifteen minutes of setup.

Spot the answers that are confidently wrong

AI is wrong often enough that you need a system for catching it — not a feeling.

Make AI argue with itself

The best ideas often come from two AIs disagreeing. Here's how to set that up.

Build things you couldn't build before

A teacher built a quiz that branched by ability. A paralegal wrote a personal statement that sounded like her. You don't need to know code — you need to know what you want.

Real projects, real outcomes

Each chapter draws on a project I actually built. These four shaped the book — no team, no budget, no engineering background. AI made them possible.

Plyego

A publishing platform I built and now run as a product. Upload a Word manuscript, get a print-ready PDF and a Kindle-ready EPUB. AI checks cross-references, citations, glossary terms, and structural fidelity along the way. Different standards packs handle different kinds of book — practical guides, technical references, more to come. Plyego produced this book and the other one.

A personal investing platform

Tracks portfolios against rules I set when thinking clearly. Flags drift. Records every decision and why. Runs quietly between monthly reviews. The next version will implement investment strategies based on my own research, with proper attribution analysis to see what's actually working — and what's not.

A house-buying decision framework

A questionnaire (200+ questions), a locked brief that can't silently drift, a three-layer triage that filters every new listing, and a red-team challenge for every serious candidate. Built to stop me falling for the wrong property. Still running, still doing its job.

A personal portfolio system

A repo I run as my own command centre. It holds my AI stack decisions, my brand strategy, what I'm building and why, and the rules I use to coordinate across two books, a platform, and a day job. AI helps me keep it honest — surfacing inconsistencies, challenging weak rationale, holding me to the cool-off periods I've committed to.

AUTHOR

Mario Pipo Sanchez


Mario Pipo Sanchez

Mario Pipo Sanchez

Author

A quantitative risk modeller (MSc, CFA) who learned to use AI properly without becoming an engineer. He writes for people who keep meaning to start.

Also the author of Crypto Systems Collection Volume 1 (Amazon, 2026).

What's inside

Ten chapters across three parts. Each chapter ends with a hands-on exercise you can try in any AI tool.

Part 1 · Chapters 1–3

How to think about AI

  • Chapter 1: You're talking to a person, not a machine
  • Chapter 2: Start with your problem, not with AI
  • Chapter 3: Trust, but verify

Part 2 · Chapters 4–7

Working patterns

  • Chapter 4: Be specific, be honest, be demanding
  • Chapter 5: Think in drafts, not in answers
  • Chapter 6: Let them fight
  • Chapter 7: Different tools for different jobs

Part 3 · Chapters 8–10

Building

  • Chapter 8: Build things you couldn't build before
  • Chapter 9: Learn anything, faster
  • Chapter 10: The only real limit

See full chapter details →

Still reading? You're more curious than most. Start where you like — the book, the exercises, or the opening.