Contributing to How We AI

Thank you for your interest in contributing to How We AI 🙌

This project collects real-world, practical examples of how people actually use AI in their work and lives. Contributions are made via GitHub Pull Requests, using simple Markdown files.

What We’re Looking For

We welcome contributions that are:

• ✅ Real and experience-based
• ✅ Practical and specific
• ✅ Written in plain language
• ✅ Useful to someone else

Great examples include:

• Using AI to debug production issues
• Applying AI in leadership or people management
• Helping kids learn or study
• Creative workflows (writing, art, music)
• Health, fitness, or personal productivity
• Things that didn’t work as expected

What This Is Not

Please do not submit:

• ❌ Marketing or promotional content
• ❌ Tool documentation or tutorials
• ❌ Pure prompt dumps without context
• ❌ Theoretical essays with no real usage
• ❌ Anything containing proprietary, confidential, or personal data

How to Contribute

• Fork the Repository
• Create a New Markdown File in the _posts directory. The file should have the format YYYY-MM-DD-<your-slug>.md. The site is generated using Jekyll and uses the minima theme.
• Copy the template below and fill it out
• Commit and open a Pull Request
• Maintainer reviews for clarity & fit (not content policing)
• Once merged, the site is auto updated via Github Pages.

Markdown File Format

Every submission should follow this structure (also available in template.md).

---
title: "Using AI to build out this site"
author: "Jim"            # real name, first name, or pseudonym
github_handle: "jimmyislive"
company: "" # optional
tools:
  - ChatGPT
date: 2026-01-01
---

## Overview

Describe the real problem you were trying to solve.
Be specific and grounded in reality.

> Example: I wanted to gather use cases for how people use AI in their daily lives and workflows.

## How We Used AI

Explain **exactly** how AI fit into your workflow.

- Where did AI enter the process?
- What inputs did you give it?
- What did you trust it with vs double‑check?

## What Didn’t Work (or Felt Risky)

Honesty matters here.

* Wrong answers
* Overconfidence
* Hallucinations
* Security concerns

## Key Takeaways

Quantify if possible.

* Time saved
* Fewer errors
* Better decisions
* New capability unlocked

## Conclusion

Yes / No / With caveats — and why.

Writing Guidelines

• Length: 400–1,200 words is ideal
• Voice: First‑person preferred
• Tone: Practical, reflective, non‑salesy
• Anonymity: Allowed (just say so)
• Sensitive data: Never include secrets, PII, or proprietary code

Review Criteria (Lightweight)

PRs are accepted if they are:

• Real and specific
• Clearly written
• Non‑promotional
• Useful to someone else

We do not judge:

• Seniority
• Tools used
• Writing polish

Full Example

You can see a complete example at _posts/2026-01-01-how-we-ai.md