You've used Claude or ChatGPT. You couldn't explain what an AI model actually is if someone asked. That's not your problem. That's a communication failure by the people building these tools, and it's keeping smart business owners from making confident decisions about which ones to pay for.

This episode breaks down what an AI model is, why there are so many, what the tiers mean, and how to choose the right one for the work your business actually needs done.

In this episode:

• What an AI model actually is

• Why so many models exist and what makes Claude, GPT, and Gemini different

• The law school analogy for understanding model differences

• Model tiers explained: Haiku (fast and cheap), Sonnet (daily driver), Opus (heavy lifting)

• The framework for choosing: use the smallest model that gets the job done

• What a context window is and why it determines how much your AI can hold at once

• Why Claude Projects matter for keeping reference material always loaded

• The real cost of picking the wrong tier for automations that run continuously

• Why the biggest mistake isn't picking the wrong model, it's not picking one at all

Resources mentioned:

• Claude: claude.ai

• Newsletter: newsletter.seedandsociety.com

• AI Employee Report (free): audit.seedandsociety.com

Who this is for: Service-based business owners who've been intimidated by AI jargon and want to make confident decisions about which tools to pay for without a computer science degree.

Continue planting the seeds for a better society.

Makeda Boehm | Seed & Society makedaboehm.com | seedandsociety.com