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Build Something with AI

30–45 minutesBest for: People who want to try making something — a game, a webpage, or a story — using a free AI chatbot

What You'll Do

This week Connor showed you that he built a working web app in about 2 hours using AI. You're going to try a version of that — without any coding knowledge, without any special tools, and without anything beyond the free chatbot you've already been using. You'll describe what you want to build, paste a starter prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, and watch it make something. Then you'll poke at it, ask for changes, and see what happens.

Option A: Build a Trivia Game

A 10-question trivia game on any topic you choose. The AI asks questions one at a time, gives you multiple choice answers, tells you if you're right or wrong, and keeps score. You pick the topic — Montana history, cooking, classic movies, local sports, whatever you actually know about. You can play it yourself, or hand your phone to someone else.

Trivia Game Starter Prompt — copy and paste this, then fill in your topic:

Prompt - Copy and paste this:
I want you to build me a trivia game. The game should: - Ask me 10 questions, one at a time - Give me 4 multiple choice options (A, B, C, D) for each question - Tell me if I'm right or wrong after each answer, and give a brief explanation - Keep track of my score as we go - Give me a final score and a short summary at the end The topic is: [REPLACE THIS WITH YOUR TOPIC — e.g., "Montana history," "classic country music," "cooking and recipes," "NFL football"] Start with question 1.
Go Further - Try this:
When the game ends, ask the AI: "Can you make the questions harder?" or "Can you make a new round on a different topic?"

3What to Expect

The AI will start asking questions immediately. Answer by typing A, B, C, or D. If you don't like a question, just say "skip that one and give me a different question."

Option B: Build a Website Landing Page

A complete, styled webpage for something real or imagined — a small business, a club, a hobby, or anything else you'd want to put a homepage on. The AI writes all the text and the code; you just describe what it's for. You end up with something that looks like a real website, even if it only lives inside the chat window.

Website Landing Page Starter Prompt — copy and paste this, then fill in your description:

Prompt - Copy and paste this:
I want you to build a simple website homepage. Please create it as a complete HTML page I can preview. Include: - A header with the name and a short tagline - A brief "About" section (2–3 sentences) - A list of 3–4 services, features, or things to know - A simple contact section (you can make up a phone number and email) - Clean, simple styling — nothing fancy, just professional-looking Here's what the website is for: [REPLACE THIS WITH YOUR DESCRIPTION — e.g., "a small engine repair shop in a small Montana town," "a church potluck club," "my neighbor's homemade jam business," "a community garden"] Make it feel real, not like a generic template. Use realistic details.
Go Further - Try this:
Tell the AI what you'd change: "Can you make the color scheme green and white?" or "Can you add a section for customer reviews?"

6Previewing Your Webpage

The AI will generate a block of HTML code. To see it as an actual webpage: copy the code, go to https://codepen.io/pen, paste it into the big "HTML" box on the left, and the page will appear on the right. Ask Connor for help with this step if you need it.

Option C: Build a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Story

An interactive story where you make choices that send the plot in different directions. You pick the setting, the AI writes the story, and you decide what happens next. It's genuinely surprising — the AI will take your choices in directions you didn't expect.

Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Starter Prompt — copy and paste this, then fill in your setting:

Prompt - Copy and paste this:
I want you to write a choose-your-own-adventure story. Here are the rules: - Start with a scene that sets up a situation and gives me exactly 3 choices - Wait for me to pick before you continue — don't write multiple paths at once - Keep each section to 2–3 short paragraphs - Make each choice lead somewhere genuinely different - The story should go at least 4–5 rounds before it can end The setting is: [REPLACE THIS WITH YOUR SETTING — e.g., "a small town in Montana in the 1940s," "a cruise ship where something has gone missing," "a fishing competition on Flathead Lake," "a family reunion that goes sideways"] Begin the story now.
Go Further - Try this:
When you reach an ending, ask: "Can we go back to [an earlier choice] and see what would have happened if I'd picked differently?"

9What to Expect

The AI will write an opening scene and give you three choices, usually labeled 1, 2, and 3. Just type the number of your choice and it'll continue. If you want the story to go somewhere specific, you can say so — you're the author too.

General Tips

  • •You're in charge of the conversation. If the AI makes something you don't like, just tell it what to change. That back-and-forth is the whole point.
  • •Nothing you build today is permanent. It lives in the chat window. If it goes sideways, start a new chat and try again — it takes about 30 seconds.
  • •It doesn't have to be perfect. The goal is to see what's possible, not to build something production-ready.
  • •If you get stuck, paste your starter prompt again in a fresh chat. Sometimes a fresh start is faster than trying to fix something.

Saving Your Work

Your conversation will save automatically if you're logged into your chatbot. To keep a copy of anything the AI made:
  • •ChatGPT: Click the share icon near the top of the chat to get a link you can save or email to yourself.
  • •Claude: Click "Share" in the upper right to generate a link.
  • •Gemini: Copy the text or HTML directly out of the chat into a Notes app, Google Doc, or email to yourself.
  • •If you built an HTML webpage and want to keep it: copy the code and paste it into a plain text file or email it to yourself. You can always paste it back into codepen.io to see it again.

General Tips for All Tasks

If Something Isn't Loading or Working:

  • •Try refreshing the page
  • •Make sure you're connected to WiFi
  • •Try a different browser (Chrome tends to work best)
  • •Ask Connor for help

If You Finish Early:

  • •Try a different option within Task 2 — trivia, webpage, and story are all different enough to be worth trying more than one
  • •Help a neighbor get started
  • •Revisit today's slides at learning.connormulvaney.com → Week 5

Remember:

  • •There's no wrong way to explore — experimenting is the point
  • •You don't have to finish everything in 45 minutes
  • •Anything you build today is yours to keep and use
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