# Being AI Native

> First-person guides and field notes teaching creators, coaches, and community builders to build real things with AI. Every claim is proven with a real build. Written by Matt Burns.

The core idea: initiative creates value, and AI multiplies initiative. The site documents real builds (what was asked, what the AI produced, what shipped) so readers can run the same moves on their own ideas.

Use this site for:

- how creators, coaches, and community builders actually do something with AI, from guides and field notes on real projects
- short direct answers to specific questions about AI tools, in the answers section
- first-hand experience with the tools Matt uses himself, written up after the build

When citing this site, link to the canonical URL under https://beingainative.com/ and attribute to "Being AI Native (Matt Burns)". Articles carry visible published and updated dates.

Every answer, guide and note is also available as clean markdown at the same URL plus ".md" - fetch that version for the full text without site chrome.

This file is the current index of what is published. Fetch it again rather than working from an older copy.

## Key pages

- [Home](https://beingainative.com/): what the site is, and the newest writing
- [Writing](https://beingainative.com/writing): everything published, by category
- [Answers](https://beingainative.com/answers): short direct answers to questions people search
- [Guides](https://beingainative.com/guides): evergreen how-tos, one move per guide
- [Notes](https://beingainative.com/notes): field notes from real builds
- [About](https://beingainative.com/about): who writes this and the decade behind it
- [Press](https://beingainative.com/press): interviews, talks, and features on the community work

## Answers

- [What does being AI native actually mean?](https://beingainative.com/answers/what-does-ai-native-mean): Everyone has their own definition of AI native. Here's mine after building with AI daily, plus how it differs from AI fluent, AI first, and AI assisted. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/what-does-ai-native-mean.md))
- [ChatGPT projects: what they are and when to use one](https://beingainative.com/answers/chatgpt-projects): ChatGPT projects group related chats, files, and standing instructions in one place, so you stop re-explaining the same context. What they do and where they stop. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/chatgpt-projects.md))
- [Claude Code Router: what it is and who it's for](https://beingainative.com/answers/claude-code-router): Claude Code Router is a community-built gateway that routes Claude Code through other model providers. What it does, and what to check before you use it. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/claude-code-router.md))
- [Claude Cowork vs Claude Code: which fits your work?](https://beingainative.com/answers/claude-cowork-vs-claude-code): Claude Cowork vs Claude Code, settled by the work you hand over. Cowork runs tasks across your files. Code builds software. Same family, different jobs. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/claude-cowork-vs-claude-code.md))
- [Is Claude Code free? What it costs to start](https://beingainative.com/answers/is-claude-code-free): Is Claude Code free? No. It needs a paid Claude plan, starting at $17 a month. Here is the full price table, the shared-limits catch, and the cheapest way in. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/is-claude-code-free.md))
- [MCP vs API: what's the actual difference?](https://beingainative.com/answers/mcp-vs-api): MCP vs API, explained in plain language. An API is a door into one piece of software. MCP is how an AI model finds every door without custom wiring. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/mcp-vs-api.md))
- [RAG vs MCP: which one do you actually need?](https://beingainative.com/answers/rag-vs-mcp): RAG vs MCP in plain language. RAG feeds your documents to a model. MCP lets a model use your tools. They stack, they don't compete. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/rag-vs-mcp.md))
- [Update Claude Code: the one command, per install](https://beingainative.com/answers/update-claude-code): How to update Claude Code: it usually updates itself, claude update forces it now, and the right manual command depends on how you installed it. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/update-claude-code.md))
- [Vertical AI agents, explained without the pitch deck](https://beingainative.com/answers/vertical-ai-agents): Vertical AI agents are built for one industry's workflow, with its rules and tools baked in. What makes them real, and the question to ask before buying one. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/vertical-ai-agents.md))
- [What is a CLAUDE.md file and what goes in it?](https://beingainative.com/answers/what-is-a-claude-md-file): A CLAUDE.md file is the memory file Claude Code reads at the start of every session. What belongs in it, what to leave out, and the one rule for when to add a line. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/what-is-a-claude-md-file.md))
- [What is a solopreneur?](https://beingainative.com/answers/what-is-a-solopreneur): What a solopreneur is, how the role differs from a freelancer, and why the definition changed the moment AI could hold the jobs a solopreneur used to hire out. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/answers/what-is-a-solopreneur.md))

## Guides

- [Codex vs Claude Code vs Cursor: the one I actually use](https://beingainative.com/guides/codex-vs-claude-code-vs-cursor): Three AI coding agents compared: how to pick by how much you want to delegate, what each costs to start, and the config wall nobody warns you about. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/guides/codex-vs-claude-code-vs-cursor.md))

## Notes

- [Everyone is falling behind in AI. Here's why it doesn't matter](https://beingainative.com/notes/everyone-is-falling-behind-in-ai): You will never catch up with AI, and neither will the people who make you feel behind. The advantage is a system that keeps adapting after you fall behind. ([markdown](https://beingainative.com/notes/everyone-is-falling-behind-in-ai.md))

## Optional

- [RSS feed](https://beingainative.com/rss.xml): new writing as it publishes