Thanks to Carleen Cox for this info!
PART 3 – USING AI IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Writing Your Life Story and Family Memories
What AI Can Do: AI can help preserve memories, organize stories, create timelines, and write family history for children and grandchildren.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Help me write the story of how I met my husband.
Interview me about my childhood one question at a time.
Turn these notes into a family story.
Help me organize these memories into chapters.
Make this sound like something I would say.
Helpful Tip: If the story does not sound like you, tell the AI, “Make it sound more like me.”
Creating Cards, Letters, and Special Messages
What AI Can Do: AI can help create birthday cards, anniversary messages, sympathy notes, thank-you letters, Christmas letters, and family newsletters.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Write a birthday card for my grandson who loves baseball.
Help me write a sympathy card.
Make this sound warmer and more personal.
Help me write a thank-you note after a visit.
Write a Christmas letter that sounds friendly, not too fancy.
Helpful Tip: Write your own draft first and ask AI to improve it.
Writing Poems, Songs, and Creative Projects
What AI Can Do: AI can help create poems, songs, speeches, prayers, and family tributes.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Write a poem for my granddaughter’s graduation.
Create a song for our 50th wedding anniversary.
Help me write a short prayer for my family.
Turn these memories into a tribute for a memorial service.
Make this poem simpler and easier to read out loud.
Helpful Tip: The more details you provide, the more personal the result.
Organizing and Restoring Family Photos
What AI Can Do: AI can help organize photographs, create captions, build memory books, and suggest ways to label or group old family pictures.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Help me organize these family photos.
Create captions for these pictures.
Help me write names, dates, and places for these photos.
Suggest a layout for a family memory book.
Help me make a photo card for a birthday or holiday.
Helpful Tip: Always keep original photos saved before editing or restoring them.
Converting Printed Documents into Editable Text
What AI Can Do: OCR tools can convert printed and some handwritten documents into editable text so you can copy, search, save, or enlarge the words.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Turn this printed page into editable text.
Help me clean up this scanned document.
Make this document easier to read.
Help me turn this handwritten note into typed text.
Create a simple summary of this scanned page.
Helpful Tip: Helpful tools include Microsoft Lens, Adobe Scan, and Apple Notes Scanner. Always check the converted text for mistakes.
Understanding Instruction Manuals and Technology
What AI Can Do: AI can help explain instruction manuals, user guides, appliance controls, electronics, smartphones, tablets, printers, televisions, streaming devices, and many other products. If you have a manual, AI can summarize it, explain confusing steps, and translate technical language into plain English. If you do not have the manual, AI can often help locate one online or explain how a device typically works.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Explain how to use this printer in simple language.
Help me understand this instruction manual.
What does this error message mean?
Walk me through setting up my new tablet step-by-step.
Explain this page of the manual in plain English.
How do I connect this device to Wi-Fi?
Can you create a checklist from these instructions?
Show me the steps I should follow in order.
Help me set up my streaming device.
Explain the buttons and settings on this remote control.
What does this symbol or icon mean?
Can you simplify these instructions for a beginner?
Helpful Tip: If the instructions are confusing, ask the AI to explain them as if it were teaching someone who has never used the device before. You can also ask for diagrams, illustrations, checklists, or simplified step-by-step instructions.
Finding Products and Gifts
What AI Can Do: AI can compare products, locate hard-to-find items, explain product differences, and help narrow choices based on size, budget, comfort, features, or special needs.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Find a wrinkle-resistant men’s shirt with snaps.
What are the best learning toys for a 4-year-old?
Compare these two products side-by-side.
Find a gift for someone who likes gardening but has arthritis.
Help me find a simple phone for a senior.
Helpful Tip: Ask AI to compare products side-by-side and always verify prices, return policies, and current availability yourself.
Research and Everyday Questions
What AI Can Do: AI can explain unfamiliar topics, summarize information, define terms, compare options, and help you understand news, history, government, consumer issues, and everyday questions.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Explain this topic in plain English.
Give me the main points without getting too technical.
What are the pros and cons?
Please include sources I can check myself.
What questions should I ask before I decide?
Helpful Tip: Always ask for verifiable sources, especially when the answer could affect money, health, safety, or legal decisions.
Understanding Medical Terms
What AI Can Do: AI can explain medical terms, test results, discharge instructions, and reports in plain English. It can also help you make a list of questions to ask your doctor.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Explain this medical term in simple language.
What questions should I ask my doctor about this report?
Help me understand these discharge instructions.
Make a checklist of symptoms I should mention at my appointment.
Explain this medication information, but remind me to verify it with my doctor or pharmacist.
Helpful Tip: WARNING: AI should never replace healthcare professionals. Use it to help you prepare, understand, and ask better questions.
Family History and Genealogy
What AI Can Do: AI can help organize family records, timelines, family stories, old letters, cemetery information, and genealogy research notes.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Help me organize these family names and dates.
Create a family timeline from these notes.
Turn this old letter into a summary.
Help me write questions to ask older relatives.
Where should I look next for this family record?
Helpful Tip: Free resources include FamilySearch, Find A Grave, and USGenWeb. Always verify family history with records when possible.
Travel Planning
What AI Can Do: AI can create itineraries, packing lists, travel schedules, accessibility plans, and questions to ask hotels, airlines, cruise lines, or family members before a trip.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Make a packing list for a three-day trip.
Plan a gentle travel schedule with rest breaks.
What should I ask the hotel about accessibility?
Help me plan a family visit without too much walking.
Create a checklist for medications, chargers, and documents.
Helpful Tip: Always verify current hours, prices, reservations, weather, and transportation details before you go.
Accessibility and Independence
What AI Can Do: AI can assist with voice dictation, reminders, reading documents, simplifying instructions, creating checklists, and helping people use phones, tablets, printers, and other technology more independently.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Help me set up voice dictation on my phone.
Create a reminder checklist for my morning routine.
Make these instructions larger and easier to read.
Help me explain this problem to tech support.
Give me step-by-step directions for using this app.
Helpful Tip: Ask for one step at a time if a long list feels overwhelming.
Bible Study, Prayer, and Devotional Use
What AI Can Do: AI can help with Bible study, prayer journals, historical background, timelines, summaries, discussion questions, and devotional reflections.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Explain this Bible passage in plain English.
Give me historical background for this chapter.
Help me write a prayer based on this passage.
Create discussion questions for a Bible study group.
Compare this passage with related Bible passages.
Helpful Tip: Use AI as a study helper, not as a replacement for Scripture, prayer, trusted teachers, or your faith tradition.
Learning New Skills and Hobbies
What AI Can Do: AI can provide step-by-step guidance while you learn a hobby, craft, recipe, game, music skill, exercise routine, or household task.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Teach me this skill one step at a time.
Explain this like I am a beginner.
Create a practice plan for learning this.
Give me a simple supply list.
What mistakes should a beginner avoid?
Helpful Tip: Ask AI to slow down, repeat a step, or explain it another way whenever needed.
Bird Watching and Nature
What AI Can Do: AI can help identify birds, explain bird behavior, create birding journals, and help you learn about local wildlife.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
What bird is this from my photo?
Why is this bird visiting my feeder?
Create a bird-watching journal for me.
What birds are common in my area?
Help me identify this bird call.
Helpful Tip: AI identification is helpful, but confirm unusual sightings with a bird guide or local birding organization.
Gardening and Plants
What AI Can Do: AI can help identify plants, diagnose common garden problems, suggest planting schedules, and provide gardening tips.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
What plant is this?
Why are my leaves turning yellow?
What grows well in containers?
Create a simple watering schedule.
What flowers attract butterflies and birds?
Helpful Tip: Include photos and your location for more accurate gardening advice.
Pets and Animal Care
What AI Can Do: AI can help with pet care questions, training ideas, activity suggestions, pet memorials, and understanding common behaviors.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
Why is my dog doing this?
Create a medication checklist for my pet.
Help me write a tribute to my pet.
Suggest activities for a senior dog.
What questions should I ask my veterinarian?
Helpful Tip: AI can provide general information, but always contact your veterinarian for medical concerns.
AI CAN BE CONFIDENT AND STILL BE WRONG
AI can sometimes provide incorrect information while sounding completely confident. This is not just a ChatGPT issue. Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Apple Intelligence, Perplexity, and other AI tools can all make mistakes, misunderstand questions, use outdated information, or provide incomplete answers.
Example Questions You Can Ask:
What sources did you use?
Please provide verifiable sources.
Where can I independently verify this information?
Are there any important limitations or exceptions?
Can you give me the official source for this?
Helpful Tip: Always verify information that affects your health, finances, legal decisions, safety, or major purchases. Whenever possible, ask for current information and verifiable sources.
Remember: Trust, but verify.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT AI FOR THE JOB
ChatGPT
Pros: Excellent all-around assistant for writing, explaining, brainstorming, organizing information, creating images, helping with technology questions, and managing longer projects. The paid version offers image generation, advanced tools, longer conversations, more usage, and support for larger projects.
Cons: The free version has usage limits and fewer advanced features than the paid version.
Claude
Pros: Particularly strong at writing, editing, summarizing long documents, analyzing information, and maintaining context over lengthy conversations. Many users find Claude especially helpful for large writing projects and detailed document review.
Cons: The free version has usage limits, and some advanced features require a paid subscription. It also has fewer built-in tools and integrations than some competitors.
Perplexity
Pros: Excellent research tool that usually shows sources clearly and can be helpful when you want links to check.
Cons: Can overwhelm beginners with too much information or too many links. Sources should still be checked because AI summaries can sometimes be incomplete or inaccurate.
Microsoft Copilot
Pros: Strong Microsoft integration and helpful for people who use Word, Excel, Outlook, or Windows.
Cons: Best for Microsoft users and can still misunderstand or provide incomplete answers.
Google Gemini
Pros: Strong Google integration and helpful for people who already use Google services such as Google Search, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, and YouTube.
Cons: Google has faced significant privacy concerns and lawsuits over data collection practices. People who are concerned about privacy should carefully review Google’s privacy settings and decide what information they are comfortable sharing.
Apple Intelligence
Pros: Built into newer Apple devices and designed to work inside Apple apps and features. Apple places a strong emphasis on privacy and uses on-device processing when possible.
Cons: Limited to newer Apple hardware and may not do as much as a full AI assistant for longer projects, extensive research, or advanced content creation.
A Good Habit for Every USER
Please provide your sources so I can verify this information.
What official source supports this answer?
Is this information current?
Can you show me where I can verify it myself?
The best use of AI is as a helpful assistant, not as a replacement for trusted professionals, official sources, common sense, or personal judgment.
