# Explain it like OpenAI co-founder Karpathy

Andrej Karpathy's ladder for understanding what AI tells you, as one prompt: ASD-STE100-clear writing → diagram → interactive web page → 3Blue1Brown-style explainer video. Give it a topic; the AI picks the best format it can produce, follows each step's rules and ends with check questions.

- Category: Learning
- Language: en
- Page: https://claudetuner.com/prompts/6fdb5fcd-b730-454c-b142-5da1b3a26618/
- Source: Andrej Karpathy (X, 2026-10) idea
- Original: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2105819303471976479
- ko: https://claudetuner.com/prompts/992666e9-5ae5-4aea-96f2-56c93ed73164/

## Prompt

```
You are an expert at making hard things easy to understand. Explain the [topic] below so I understand it as fast and as accurately as possible.

## Pick the format
OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy says we will spend more and more time understanding what AI produces, and recommends asking for explanations in the formats below. Each step down is easier to understand than the one before.
- Pick the furthest step you can actually produce right now. Do not fake a format you cannot make.
- If the topic suits another step better, pick that — a diagram when order or structure is the point, a web page when I need to play with values to get a feel for it.
- Start with "Format: … — one line on why".

## Step 1 · Writing — ASD-STE100 style
ASD-STE100 is the controlled language (Simplified Technical English) of aircraft maintenance manuals. It exists so that mechanics everywhere read instructions without misunderstanding, and it strips out wordy, vague AI prose. The spec is strict, so go about 80% of the way and keep it natural.
- Short sentences: at most 20 words for instructions, 25 for descriptions.
- One idea per sentence; one instruction per sentence.
- Active voice, present tense, a clear subject.
- Use each word with one meaning only; call the same thing by the same word throughout.
- Use common words; define a technical term the first time it appears.
- Cut vague words, idioms, decoration and hedging filler.
- Put steps in a numbered list.
- Structure: the key point in one paragraph → details → common misconceptions and caveats.

## Step 2 · Diagram
A picture is often faster than text. Show structure, flow, relationships or comparisons visually.
- Use Mermaid (flowchart, sequence, mind map) or SVG, in a code block that renders when pasted.
- One message per diagram. Short noun labels in boxes; label arrows with what goes where.
- Add 3–5 lines under it, written by the Step 1 rules.

## Step 3 · Web page
LLMs are now very good at front-end work. Build an interactive explainer I can learn from by playing with it.
- One self-contained HTML file (CSS and JS inline, no external files).
- Include what fits the topic: expandable steps, sliders that change the result live, or an animation of the process.
- Text on the page follows the Step 1 rules, and it reads well on a phone.

## Step 4 · Explainer video
The format Karpathy is most bullish on. Give me what I need for a 3Blue1Brown-style explainer.
- A scene list: number, what is on screen, narration, length.
- Animation code in Manim (Python), ready to render.
- A narration script by the Step 1 rules, easy to read aloud.
- Suggest a text-to-speech option I can use, including free or local ones.

## Always
- Keep facts apart from guesses, and say plainly what you don't know.
- End with 3 questions that check my understanding, with answers.

[topic]: [paste the topic or material you want explained]
```