How to AI: Cut through the hype. Master the basics. Transform your work. - Hardcover

Mims, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1035441012 ISBN 13: 9781035441013

Publisher: Headline Press, 2026

Synopsis

AI is nothing to be afraid of.
After all, AI is merely software.

It's great at some things and (at least right now) terrible at others. But for workers who take time to experiment with AI and develop expertise, AI will make them more productive and more creative, saving them time, giving them job security, and boosting their income.

In How to AI, Wall Street Journal columnist Christopher Mims introduces readers to people just like them who are at the forefront of using AI in the world of work. Imagine a freelance lawyer who suddenly has a whip-smart assistant to help her nail every deposition. Or a family-run construction company whose new software tool is automating construction bids that used to eat up hundreds of hours.

But even as half a billion people around the world have leapt at the chance to use ChatGPT and other tools, millions of us have stayed on the sidelines. Are you one of them? Maybe you feel you should be using AI tools, but you don't know where to begin. Or maybe you love AI but find yourself struggling to get your co-workers or employees on board. In How to AI, Mims teaches readers twenty-four simple but eye-opening "laws" of AI and how we should approach it, including:

AI is an assistant, not a replacement.
AI isn't creative, but it can help you be.
Give AI your least favorite things to do.
AI can't create finished products, but it's great at prototypes.

Animated by the wit and brilliant explanatory power that have earned Mims's Wall Street Journal columns a devoted following, How to AI will prepare readers to become a part of the AI revolution-and, most importantly, arm them with the tools to make it work for them.

About this title

About the Author

Christopher Mims is a columnist who writes about technology for The Wall Street Journal. He has written about bidets, brain implants, the cult of the founder, the history of technology, innovation, venture capital, robotics, batteries, energy, materials science, wireless communications, AI, data science, telepresence, microchips, logistics, IT, 3D printing, and autonomous boats, trucks, cars, drones, and flying taxis. Mims joined the Journal from Quartz, where he also covered technology, and is the author of Arriving Today.

From the Back Cover

Are you still sitting on the sidelines of the AI revolution?

Learn the 24 Laws of AI that will help anyone-curious and skeptical alike-master AI for themselves and for their organizations, saving time and adding to the bottom line.

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"Finally, a new AI book that focuses on the key question so many people are facing: How do I work with AI right now? Christopher Mims gives us a clear, practical, and hype-free guide . . . How to AI is packed with so many good stories, tips, and explanations that anyone, novice or expert, is going to find insights that will change how they use (and think about) AI. Accessible, entertaining, and useful!"
-Ethan Mollick, Wharton professor, New York Times bestselling author of Co-Intelligence

"Mims masterfully demystifies AI's true potential, proving that the real revolution isn't in replacing humans but in amplifying their capabilities-exactly the strategic insight every CEO needs right now."
-Aaron Levie, CEO of Box

"Engaging, practical, and grounded in real-world stories."
-Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce

"Mims' book is a rare find: an optimistic, realistic, and down-to-earth practical guide on how to use AI in daily life. Highly readable and immediately valuable."
-Melanie Mitchell, author of Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans

"A clear and practical guide to making AI a true multiplier of human talent."
-Allan Thygesen, CEO of Docusign

From the Inside Flap

AI is nothing to be afraid of.
After all, AI is merely software.

It's great at some things and (at least right now) terrible at others. But for workers who take time to experiment with AI and develop expertise, AI will make them more productive and more creative, saving them time, giving them job security, and boosting their income.

In How to AI, Wall Street Journal columnist Christopher Mims introduces readers to people just like them who are at the forefront of using AI in the world of work. Imagine a freelance lawyer who suddenly has a whip-smart assistant to help her nail every deposition. Or a family-run construction company whose new software tool is automating construction bids that used to eat up hundreds of hours.

But even as half a billion people around the world have leapt at the chance to use ChatGPT and other tools, millions of us have stayed on the sidelines. Are you one of them? Maybe you feel you should be using AI tools, but you don't know where to begin. Or maybe you love AI but find yourself struggling to get your co-workers or employees on board. In How to AI, Mims teaches readers twenty-four simple but eye-opening "laws" of AI and how we should approach it, including:

AI is an assistant, not a replacement.
AI isn't creative, but it can help you be.
Give AI your least favorite things to do.
AI can't create finished products, but it's great at prototypes.

Animated by the wit and brilliant explanatory power that have earned Mims's Wall Street Journal columns a devoted following, How to AI will prepare readers to become a part of the AI revolution-and, most importantly, arm them with the tools to make it work for them.

Edition details

• Publisher: Headline Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1035441012
• ISBN 13: 9781035441013
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256