Model and Effort Explained

AI tools now offer several controls that can look interchangeable but change different parts of the result. You will learn how model choice determines underlying capability, how effort changes the work applied to a request, and how prompting defines the assignment. Then you will compare Claude’s model, effort, and thinking controls with ChatGPT’s Sol, Terra, Luna, High, Pro, and Ultra options. By the end, you will be able to choose the smallest reliable configuration for a task and write a compact prompt that gives either system the context, constraints, evidence, and finish line it needs.

What you'll learn: 

  • Distinguish between an AI model, its effort setting, and the prompt.
  • Choose the right Claude or ChatGPT model for a specific task.
  • Match the effort level to the task’s difficulty, stakes, and required depth.
  • Write clear, effective prompts with context, constraints, evidence, and success criteria.
  • Select the smallest reliable AI configuration to save time, tokens, and cost.
This is a beginner-friendly course, but even experienced users will learn something new.
  • 27m of video instruction
  • 1 lesson
Patrick Jones - Course author
Meet YOUR instructor

Grant Harvey

Grant is the voice of The Neuron, the daily newsletter delivering no-hype insights on how AI is changing the world around us, along with co-hosting The Neuron’s weekly podcast.