Prompting Curiosity

Dr. Shanté Cofield aka The Maestro
  • 4.9 (31)
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Prompting Curiosity is a podcast for the AI-curious, no coding background required. Join Dr. Shanté Cofield, also known as the Maestro, to explore what these AI tools actually are, how to use them, and what they might mean for how we think, work, create, and move through life. Tune in every Thursday to get your fix. Stay curious.

  1. 6d ago

    Ep. 59: WTF Is a Frontier Model?

    In this episode I break down WTF a frontier model actually is, starting with what most people assume the term means versus the real technical definition. I cover how "frontier model" got coined in 2023, and why the term even came about at all, and how self-naming benefitted its creators. A bit of an etymology episode, this episode is more about the background of the term, and explores how new open weight models are challenging the definition. Main Topics Covered WTF is a frontier model?Most people's assumption vs. the technical definitionOrigin of the term: the Frontier Model Forum (July 2023)FMF's official definition of "frontier model"EU AI Act's compute-based definitionWho made the rulesFMF today: expanded membership, safety research, AI Safety FundWhy forming the FMF actually benefited these companiesOpen weight models and "frontier-grade" labelsHow I used AI this week: building my mom a workout tracker Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 55: Weight, What? An Introduction to Open Source AI ModelsRead this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - Predicting Curiosity: Frontier Models(00:01:30) - The Frontier Model Forum and its Impact(00:05:56) - Frontier: The Frontier Group(00:08:07) - What's the Frontier?(00:10:00) - How I Used Claude for AI This Week(00:14:15) - AI Curious: A Podcast About Curious People

    Ep. 59: WTF Is a Frontier Model?

  2. Aug 27

    Ep. 58: WTF are Claude Skills?

    In this episode I break down the best way to teach Claude how to complete specific tasks in a repeatable way: Claude Skills. I explain how Skills work, walk through how to build your own, and cover the real differences between Skills and Projects. As per always, the best way to understand this stuff is to try it yourself first hand, but hopefully this episode will give you some ideas and a nice jumpstart. Main Topics Covered What Claude Skills areDefinition of Skills (from Anthropic)How Skills load and fire automaticallyProgressive disclosure explainedClaude's skill directory and the GitHub skills repoHow to create a skillCreating skills via SettingsMy client-debrief skill exampleSkills vs. ProjectsHow I used AI this week: Granola and the Granola MCP Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep 51: WTF is MCP? Listen to Ep. 45: Stop Tying, Start Speaking: Wispr Flow ExplainedRead this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - Episode 58(00:02:24) - Anthropic Skills: What is a Skill?(00:08:10) - Claude 2.8: Creating a Skill(00:14:56) - Skills and Projects in ChatGPT(00:17:16) - How I Use AI to T transcribe my Calls(00:21:33) - How to Use AI in the Podcast

    Ep. 58: WTF are Claude Skills?

  3. Aug 20

    Ep. 57: Mark My Words: Exploring AI Watermarking

    In this episode I get into AI watermarking, starting with Claude's new invisible watermark and Substack's "Scan for AI text" feature with Pangram. I break down the EU AI Act rules driving this, how OpenAI, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral, and xAI are (or aren't) handling it, and my thoughts as to the actual motives behind why companies are rolling out these changes. Main Topics Covered AI models escaping sandbox testingSubstack's "Scan for AI text" feature with PangramAnthropic's new invisible Claude watermarkThe EU AI Act and Article 50How OpenAI, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral, and xAI stack upChina's mandatory AI disclosure lawsProblems with AI detectors and false positivesThe "why" behind watermarkingHow I used AI this week: AI-generated sound effects in Descript Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 2: ChatGPT and the Environment: Energy, Water, and Carbon Emissions Read this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Promoting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - AI Watermarking(00:04:43) - AI Watermarking(00:06:16) - Anthropic's Cloud Watermarking(00:07:58) - Deepfakes and Text Watermarking(00:13:08) - AI Watermarking: Concerns(00:18:15) - How I Used AI This Week(00:19:15) - Questions For Curious People

    Ep. 57: Mark My Words: Exploring AI Watermarking

  4. Aug 13

    Ep. 56: 1 Year of Prompting Curiosity: My Current Thoughts About AI

    In this episode we’re celebrating one year of Prompting Curiosity and I’m sharing my unfiltered thoughts about where I stand on AI. I get into why the discourse on Threads is such a mess, why AI is an easy target given the enshittification of everything, and why capitalism (not AI capability) is the real driver behind the issues at hand. No predictions, no hype, just my two pennies on data centers, adoption, and why I'm not willing to give up something that genuinely helps my brain and my business. Main Topics Covered Celebrating one year of Prompting CuriosityRiffing on unfiltered thoughts about AI in August 2026The Threads discourse on AIGeneral thoughts on AI and unequal benefitsAI as capitalism's easy scapegoatFunny money and bubble talkFin-tech burnout and no predictionsForced adoption and the "no great use case" problemAI's impact on search and generational usage differencesWhy I'm not willing to give up AIBlaming the individual vs. corporate accountabilityWhat amazes meHow I used AI this week: Google NotebookLM use-case for blogging Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep: 25 - Google NotebookLM: The Best AI Tool You've Never Heard OfRead this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - It's Been One Year(00:02:13) - Pushing the Discussion On Social Media(00:03:27) - AI: Good or Evil?(00:05:16) - Should We Stop Developing Artificial Intelligence?(00:06:01) - We Do Not Need These Huge Data Centers(00:06:58) - Can Anyone Predict The Future With AI?(00:12:25) - On AI and What We As A Society Do With It(00:18:27) - Teaching and the Future of AI(00:23:23) - The Future of AI Is Full of Fear(00:25:44) - How We Used AI This Week(00:26:40) - Curious About AI

    Ep. 56: 1 Year of Prompting Curiosity: My Current Thoughts About AI

  5. Aug 6

    Ep. 55: Weight, What? An Introduction to Open Source AI Models

    In this episode I dig into open weight and open source AI models: what they actually are, why they keep showing up in AI news, and why I think they’re central to future-proofing our AI usage. I cover a bit of the technical aspect, the economic factors at play, and make the case that open weight models are a true hedge against getting stuck forever paying whatever a handful of AI companies decide to charge while simultaneously worrying that access could just be stripped away at any moment. Main Topics Covered What open weight and open source models actually areWhy open models matter: market pricing and individual sovereigntyOpen weight vs. open source definitionsWhy it's called "open weight" (parameters refresher)Who's releasing open weight modelsWhy companies release open weight modelsWhy individuals would choose an open modelHow to try an open weight model yourselfNvidia CEO Jensen Huang's open letter and Anthropic's responseHow I used AI this week: Claude's Scheduled Tasks feature Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 17: Will ChatGPT Get Old Navy'd?Read this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Promoting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - Requiring Curiosity(00:01:07) - Open Source vs Open Weight(00:01:56) - Open Weight Models: Do They Even Work?(00:08:05) - What is an Open Weight Model?(00:12:43) - What are the Open Weight Models(00:14:16) - Open Weight vs Frontier: The Differences(00:17:14) - Open vs Closed PPT: The Pricing(00:18:59) - On OpenAI and its "free" models(00:21:11) - Choosing the right cloud provider(00:22:09) - Local vs. Hosting: More Tech, More Privacy(00:23:13) - Open Weight Models: How to Try them(00:26:02) - Nvidia's CEO on OpenAI and the Future of AI(00:28:51) - How I Used AI This Week(00:31:25) - Coming Soon: The Curious Companion

    Ep. 55: Weight, What? An Introduction to Open Source AI Models

  6. Jul 30

    Ep. 54: An Introduction to Perplexity, the Answer Engine

    In this episode I get curious about Perplexity, a name I'd heard used a ton in the AI space but never actually knew what the heck it was. I break down what it is, how its citation-first approach set it apart from ChatGPT early on, and what it can actually do today: Deep Research, Labs, and its push into the agent space with Computer, Brain, and Comet. I also cover the legal issues that are serving as a sneak peek into the future of agent wars, and give my honest take on whether Perplexity is worth using. Main Topics Covered Why this episode What Perplexity actually is Pro and Max pricing tiers Who Perplexity is actually for Perplexity's launch and the citations angle The lawsuits over copyright infringement Live search, Deep Research, and Labs Computer: Perplexity's move into agents Brain, Comet, and the Amazon lawsuit Should you bother with it How I used AI this week: Building a custom content tracker Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 52: AI Agents Explained (For Non-Coders) Read Curious Companion Ep. 52: AI Agents Explained (For Non-Coders)  Read this episode's Curious Companion Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletter Submit a Question Visit the Website Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - Perplexity(00:01:49) - Beyond the Chatbot: Perplexity's Real-Time C(00:07:43) - Microsoft's Computer: An AI Agent in Microsoft 365(00:10:59) - Brain and Comment: Perplexity's AI(00:11:49) - Amazon Is Suing Perplexity Over AI-Backed Browser(00:15:11) - How I Used AI to Build a Content Creation Tracker (Again)(00:19:10) - PODCAST: Help Me Find The Podcast(00:19:37) - Curious Companion

    Ep. 54: An Introduction to Perplexity, the Answer Engine

  7. Jul 23

    Ep. 53: Using Deep Research and Getting the Robots to Do Your Homework

    After years of not knowing what to do with it, I finally decided to give deep research mode a try. In this episode I break down what deep research actually is, how it works under the hood, and how ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok stack up against each other. I also walk through real use cases, prompting tips for getting a better report, and a safety reminder about hallucinations and bad citations. Main Topics Covered What deep research actually isRelease datesHow deep research worksPrompting tipsExample use cases for deep researchThe tool landscape: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, GrokHow to use Research modeSafety reminder: hallucinations and bad citationsHow I used AI this week: Identifying podcast topics in the AI space Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 52: AI Agents Explained (for Non-coders)Listen to Ep. 25: The Best AI Tool You’ve Never Heard OfRead this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - prompting curiosity(00:01:26) - Deep-Research and the Future of AI(00:02:06) - Deep Research: What is it?(00:07:12) - Examples of Deep Research Use Cases(00:08:22) - Examples of Things You Can Use AI to Research(00:14:17) - Writing a Legally Literate Report(00:15:08) - How I Used To AI(00:16:27) - The Curious Companion: A Podcast About AI

    Ep. 53: Using Deep Research and Getting the Robots to Do Your Homework

  8. Jul 16

    Ep. 52: AI Agents Explained (For Non-Coders)

    In this episode I break down what AI agents actually are and how they differ from regular chat tools. Before diving in, I run through the recent flood of new model releases from Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI, including the full story on the Fable 5 suspension and reinstatement. The episode ends with a practical mini cheatsheet on when an agent is actually the right tool for your workflow. Main Topics Covered The eleventy billion releases: Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAIFable 5: the jailbreak, the suspension, and the fixGPT-5.6, Grok 4.5, and what this means for everyday usersSo WTF is an agent?"Building an agent" and "spinning up agents" explainedIs regular Claude an agent?Human-in-the-loopYou're probably already using oneDo you need an agent? (mini cheatsheet)How I used AI this week: Tom's Switzerland itinerary Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 11: WTF is a Custom GPT?Listen to Ep. 48: When the Most Powerful Model Comes With a BouncerRead this episode's Curious CompanionSubscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletterSubmit a QuestionVisit the WebsiteFeeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious(00:00:38) - Caution: Agents in the AI World(00:02:41) - AI Wars: The Race to AGI(00:03:24) - Amazon's Fable 5 and Mythos 5: What Happened(00:05:27) - OpenAI and Anthropic: The Fight for C# Talent(00:07:17) - Grok 4.5.0 Review(00:10:05) - An Agent in the Machine Learning World(00:13:02) - Building an agent: Low-(00:14:04) - Spinning Up Agents: What Is It?(00:15:19) - Cloud: Is Regular Claude an Agent?(00:18:24) - ClAUDE: Permission vs. Planning in the Cloud(00:21:31) - ChatGPT: An Agent for the World(00:22:57) - Agents: Their Use Cases,(00:25:55) - Using AI For Fun

    Ep. 52: AI Agents Explained (For Non-Coders)
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About

Prompting Curiosity is a podcast for the AI-curious, no coding background required. Join Dr. Shanté Cofield, also known as the Maestro, to explore what these AI tools actually are, how to use them, and what they might mean for how we think, work, create, and move through life. Tune in every Thursday to get your fix. Stay curious.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Shanté Cofield aka The Maestro
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Movement Maestro LLC
  • Show Website
    Prompting Curiosity

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