Why Try AI

Why Try AI is a newsletter that explains generative AI tools and news in plain language for readers without a technical background. It was started by Daniel Nest in late 2022 as a personal project, and has since grown into a publication with more than 17,000 subscribers hosted on Substack. The newsletter avoids hype and sensational claims, instead focusing on practical, hands-on guidance: how specific AI tools work, what they are useful for, and how a non-expert can start using them in everyday tasks. Content is published on a regular weekly schedule, typically with a main article on Thursdays and an AI news roundup on Sundays. Nest writes from personal experience testing tools, and the newsletter has been described by other AI writers as a grounded, practical resource rather than a marketing-driven one. Readers can subscribe for free, with a voluntary paid tier introduced in 2023 to support the writer directly. Why Try AI is best suited for beginners and casual AI users who want a trustworthy, digestible source of tool recommendations and news, rather than developers or researchers seeking deep technical coverage. As with any single-author newsletter, coverage depth is limited by one person's bandwidth and personal testing capacity.