3 min to read

Getting Started with AI

You don't need to be a techie to use it

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AI is everywhere right now and honestly it’s one of those things that sounds intimidating until you actually try it — then you wonder how you lived without it. Here’s a no-jargon guide to get you going.

What even is AI?

For our purposes, AI means tools you can chat with to get help with everyday tasks. Think of it like texting a very knowledgeable friend who never gets tired of your questions. You type something, it responds. That’s it.

You do not need to understand how it works under the hood any more than you need to understand how a microwave works to heat up leftovers.

The main tools to know about

All of the ones below have free tiers that are more than enough to get started.

  1. ChatGPT (OpenAI) — the one that started the craze. Great all-around assistant.
  2. Copilot (Microsoft) — built into Windows and Edge, great if you’re already in the Microsoft world.
  3. Gemini (Google) — integrates nicely with Gmail, Docs and Google Drive.
  4. Claude (Anthropic) — excellent for longer reading, writing and summarising documents.

My suggestion: start with ChatGPT or whichever one is already on your phone or computer. They’re all very similar for basic use.

Things you can do right now

Here are some real examples to copy and paste straight into any of these tools:

Draft an email

“Write a polite email to my son’s teacher asking for a meeting to discuss his progress this semester.”

Summarise something long

“Here is an article [paste the text]. Give me the 3 most important points in plain English.”

Plan a meal

“Give me a healthy dinner for two that takes under 30 minutes and uses chicken, broccoli and rice.”

Explain something confusing

“Explain what a Roth IRA is like I’m 12 years old.”

Help with a decision

“I’m trying to decide between a NAS drive and iCloud for backing up family photos. What are the pros and cons of each?”

The key is to just ask naturally like you would ask a person. You don’t need special commands or keywords.

Tips for getting better answers

  1. Be specific — “Write an email” is okay, “Write a short, friendly email to my landlord asking when the broken heater will be fixed” is much better.
  2. Give it context — The more background you provide, the more useful the answer.
  3. Push back if it’s wrong — Just say “That’s not quite right, can you try again with…” — it won’t take offence.
  4. Don’t paste passwords, SSNs or sensitive info — Treat it like a public website. Never put in anything you wouldn’t want seen by a stranger.

What it’s NOT good for

A good starting habit

Spend five minutes today opening ChatGPT and asking it something you’ve been meaning to Google. Something like:

“What’s the difference between term life insurance and whole life insurance?”

You’ll be surprised how much clearer the answer is compared to wading through a bunch of SEO-stuffed articles.

Thanks

As always I’m always looking to improve this so if I missed something major let me know and I’ll add it. Email me at info@adigitaldad.com to get in touch.

Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash