AI for Life

Lesson 1

Know Your Tools: Chat, Cowork, and Code

You now know what each tool does and when to reach for it. That's the foundation for every lesson after this.

Chat thinks, Cowork clicks, Code builds. Knowing which one fits a task is the foundation for every lesson after this.

~25 min Chat is free; the Cowork and Code exercises need a paid plan (Pro or Max). The Code tab is still rolling out, so you may not see it yet. See content/capabilities.yaml (chat, cowork, cowork-interface-home, cowork-connector-label, cowork-computer-use, cowork-browser-use, claude-code, claude-code-desktop-tab).
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Phase 1: See Each Tool in Action

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On a phone
These hands-on steps use Claude Desktop on a Mac or Windows computer. The file, browser, and computer-control exercises need the desktop app open. (Cowork itself is also rolling out to web and mobile in beta.) On a phone? Read along to see what each tool does, then do the hands-on steps on a computer.

Chat: Your Thinking Partner

Tool: Chat ~5 min
Open Claude Desktop. You start in Chat. The message box at the bottom has a mode selector labeled Chat and Cowork; make sure it's set to Chat.
Start a new conversation.
Prompt: copy and paste into AI 
I'm learning Claude Desktop. Explain what the Chat tab is best used for. Give me 5 specific examples of tasks where Chat is the right tool, and 2 examples where it's not. Keep it practical.
Read the full response. Notice: Chat is where you think, draft, brainstorm, and get explanations. It doesn't touch your files or control your screen.
Before moving on, try one more thing: ask Chat a follow-up question about something in its response. This is what Chat does best: back-and-forth conversation.
Note
Chat is the most familiar mode. It's a conversation. Think of it as talking to a smart colleague: they can think with you, but they can't reach over and use your computer.

Cowork: Your Hands

Tool: Cowork ~7 min
In the message box, open the mode selector and choose Cowork (it sits right next to Chat).
Cowork's abilities come from connectors: for example, one to control your computer (labeled "Control your Mac" on a Mac) and "Control Chrome" to work in your browser. Web search is a separate toggle you switch on under Settings → Capabilities. These are Cowork's superpowers.
Safety first

Before you run this

This next step asks Cowork to create a folder called "AI-test" on your Desktop. That's all it does: it doesn't touch anything else, and you can drag the folder to the Trash when you're done.
Prompt: copy and paste into AI 
Create a new folder on my Desktop called "AI-test" and then open that folder for me.
Watch your screen. Cowork is controlling your computer, clicking, navigating, acting on your behalf. This is the key difference from Chat.
Now try one more thing:
Prompt: copy and paste into AI 
Search the web for "best productivity apps 2025" and give me the top 3 results.
Cowork can browse the web, control apps, and interact with anything on your screen that you could click yourself.
Note
Cowork sees your screen and acts on it. Chat can only talk. That's the fundamental difference. If the task requires clicking, navigating, or interacting with an app, then Cowork is the tool.

Code: Your Terminal

Tool: Claude Code ~5 min
Open the Code tab in Claude Desktop.
Note
You may not see the Code tab yet: it's rolling out across the Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans and may not have reached your app. If it's not there, read along; it's on the way. See content/capabilities.yaml (claude-code-desktop-tab).
This is Claude's developer tool. It reads and writes files directly, runs commands, and works through text: no clicking, no GUI.
Safety first

Before you run this

This step asks Code to create a text file called "hello-from-code.txt" on your Desktop. It only adds that one file. Nothing else changes, and you can delete it afterward.
Prompt: copy and paste into AI 
List all the files on my Desktop and tell me how many there are. Then create a text file on my Desktop called "hello-from-code.txt" that says "This file was created by Claude Code."
Check your Desktop. The file should be there. Code didn't open Finder or File Explorer or click anything. It wrote the file directly.
Now try this:
Prompt: copy and paste into AI 
Read the file you just created on my Desktop called "hello-from-code.txt" and show me its contents.
Code is fast, precise, and direct. It works through commands, not clicks.
Note
Code is the most powerful tab for file work. It doesn't need to see your screen: it goes straight to the filesystem. If you need to create, edit, or organize files, Code is often the fastest path.

Phase 2: Pick the Right Tool

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The Decision Framework

Tool: Chat ~5 min
Switch the message-box mode selector back to Chat.
Prompt: copy and paste into AI 
I just learned about Claude's three tools: Chat, Cowork, and Code. Based on what each one does, which tool should I use for each of these tasks?

1. Summarize a long article I found online
2. Upload a file to Google Drive
3. Rename 50 files in a folder
4. Write a cover letter for a job application
5. Fill out a web form on a government website
6. Build a simple HTML page
7. Compare two products on Amazon
8. Draft an email to my team
9. Organize my Downloads folder
10. Research a topic and compile notes

For each one, tell me which tool (Chat, Cowork, or Code) and why. One sentence each.
Read through the answers. The pattern should be clear: Chat thinks, Cowork clicks, Code builds.
Disagree with any of the answers? Good. Ask Claude why it chose that tool. That's how you build your own judgment.
Note
There's no single right answer for every task. Some tasks could go to either Cowork or Code. The point is building intuition, not memorizing rules.

Map Your Own Tasks

Tool: Chat ~3 min
Think of three real tasks you do regularly that you'd want AI to help with.
Prompt: copy and paste into AI 
Here are three tasks I do regularly:

1. [YOUR FIRST TASK]
2. [YOUR SECOND TASK]
3. [YOUR THIRD TASK]

For each one, tell me which Claude tool (Chat, Cowork, or Code) I should use and walk me through exactly how I'd start. Be specific: first click, first prompt.
You now know what each tool does and when to reach for it. That's the foundation for every lesson after this.
Note
You're done. You've used all three tools and you know the difference. Every lesson from here builds on this.