How to Use This Guide¶
Think of this guide the way you would a travel guide. You would not read a Lonely Planet cover to cover before booking a flight. You would flip to the destination that interests you, skim the practical advice, and ignore the rest until you needed it. This guide works the same way. There is no need to see and do everything. It is here to help you on your journey, not to prescribe one.
What this guide covers — and what it doesn't
This guide focuses on large language models (LLMs) and the consumer AI platforms built around them — tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini that you interact with through conversation. These are the AI tools that most humanities researchers are encountering first, and the ones that raise the most immediate questions about method, ethics, and everyday use.
Other AI technologies — machine learning for classification and prediction, computer vision, semantic web technologies, knowledge graphs, natural language processing pipelines — are important for digital humanities but are not covered here. For a broader view of AI methods in the humanities, see The Turing Way and the AI4LAM resources.
The sections¶
The guide is organised into five main sections.
The Primer is for readers who are new to AI tools altogether. It covers what these tools are, how they work at a high level, and how to think about them critically. Start here if you have not yet had a sustained conversation with an AI assistant.
Essentials covers the practices that apply regardless of which platform you use: verification, prompting, data governance, disclosure, and cost awareness. Skim these before doing serious work. Return to them when something goes wrong.
Field Guides are organised by scholarly activity — translation, close reading, archival research, spatial analysis, and so on. Each guide covers where AI tools help, where they mislead, and what to watch out for. Start from your discipline's pathway page to find the most relevant activities.
Platform Guides cover individual AI platforms in detail: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and others. Each guide is self-contained. If you already know which platform you want to use, go directly to its guide. If you are unsure, How to Choose will help.
Basecamp contains structured training materials for workshops and self-directed learning.
Suggested reading paths¶
"I have never used an AI tool." Start with the Primer. Then try a free tier of any platform — the Platform Guides landing page can help you choose. Come back to the Essentials before using AI output in your work.
"I have used ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini casually and want to use it better." Read the Essentials, especially Verification and Prompting. Then find your task in the Field Guides.
"I am technically confident and want to build things." Go directly to the platform guide for your tool of choice. The Code and Developer Tools sections of each platform guide are where to start. The Prerequisites page in the Claude section covers foundational technical skills.
Conventions used in this guide¶
Throughout the guide, you will encounter several types of highlighted box:
- Don't Panic boxes offer reassurance at moments where the material might feel overwhelming.
- Essential boxes flag content that most readers should not skip.
- Leif's Notes boxes contain the editor's personal judgements — opinions, not reference material.
- Going Deeper boxes flag sections involving technical setup or terminology. These are always optional. Nothing elsewhere on the page depends on them.
- Draft boxes indicate pages where content is still being written.
Authorship¶
This guide has largely been authored and continues to be updated by Large Language Models, with editorial judgements by Leif Isaksen. For mor information see About
Pages are dated. If a page says March 2026 and you are reading it much later, check the platform's own documentation for current details — features and pricing change frequently.