By Laura Hunt Miller
When the rumors of artificial intelligence began rolling out a few years ago, I was not interested.
Not because I was afraid of AI or thought robots would replace us (mostly), but because “I had principles.”
“I don’t need a computer to think or work for me. This sort of technological sell-out is beneath me.” (If you are imagining someone with their nose pointed way up in the air, you got the picture.)
And then… curiosity got the best of me. One evening, late at night, I downloaded the free ChatGPT app. I used a fake name and a hidden email address because yes, I am a regular Jason Bourne.
I typed the first thing that popped into my head: “Tell me a story.”
It asked what kind. I said, “mythical.”
A few seconds later, there it was. A surprisingly coherent tale. I raised an eyebrow, hmphed and closed the app. I told no one. Not even my husband; because when you are raised on movies like Terminator you don’t go around telling people you may have betrayed humanity by “talking to machines.”
Within a few months I came back to the app, tried some new prompts, challenged its range, and found an astoundingly capable assistant in my work and personal life.
Most folks I talk to about AI are either still sitting on the skeptic fence or they are diving in and taking their ideas and work to the next level.
If you have been curious about AI, or want to learn more about it before dipping any mental toes in those digital waters, here is a short series on what AI is and how it can work for you.
When people hear “artificial intelligence,” they often imagine something that thinks, knows, or decides, but that’s not what’s modern AI can do.
The kind of AI most people are using today is essentially an advanced pattern-recognizer; a system designed to respond in ways that are useful or relevant, not because it understands meaning, but because it has learned what kinds of responses usually come next in similar situations after being trained on enormous amounts of existing text, images, and information.
When you type a request, AI:
- Looks at the words you used
- Compares them to similar patterns it has seen
- Generates a response that statistically fits
It does not:
- Understand meaning the way humans do
- Have beliefs, intentions, or awareness
- Know whether something is true, wise, or appropriate, even if it sounds right
We already employ other systems like this, such as meteorology that uses historical data and current conditions to forecast the weather, and financial analysts that look at past patterns and present-day variables to assess risk and make investment decisions. At the end of the day, it is the human in each scenario that decides how to use the information.
Like any system built on human knowledge, it is fallible. It can be incomplete, outdated, or confidently wrong. Which is why the responsibility never leaves your hands: you still decide what to trust, what to verify, and how to use the information you receive.
Once you learn to see AI as an iterative tool that is built on human knowledge and experience rather than a replacement for human thought and work, its utility becomes much clearer.
For example, a great entry point into AI is using it to process busywork faster, such as:
- Translating rough notes into clear bullet points
- Rewriting emails for clarity and tone (more formal, more technical, etc.)
- Organizing to-do lists so they don’t feel like personal attacks from the universe
- Turning chaotic brain dumps into an orderly checklist
- Summarizing long articles or email threads
- Converting formats (notes → outline → email)
Imagine you just had a work meeting that wandered off-topic, leaving you with scattered handwritten notes. You can upload a snapshot of those notes (assuming the AI can read your handwriting), ask it to summarize and extract action items, and within seconds you have a much more useful draft that you can then edit and refine.
And if it can’t read your handwriting, simply type the notes up as a hot mess and AI will still sort it out.
Or use AI for meal planning. Tell AI what ingredients you have, how much time you have, any dietary restrictions, and it will generate a meal plan you can fine tune, along with a grocery list you can copy and text straight into your spouse’s phone. Thank you, honey.
A favorite use of mine: many modern online articles are intentionally long and repetitive to keep you on websites longer, therefore boosting the site’s ad revenue. You can copy and paste the article (or sometimes just the web address) into AI and ask for a summary that is all substance, no filler. You can even ask it to remove or point out any prejudiced perspectives, freeing you to enjoy the information without the unwanted bias.
Or maybe you’re dealing with instructions for a home appliance clearly written by someone who is not a strong English speaker. Tell AI the make and model, describe the problem, or even upload a photo of the instructions, and it can often help troubleshoot, point you toward helpful video tutorials, or let you know when it’s time to call in a specialist instead.
None of these tasks are things we are not capable of doing ourselves, but they are undertakings that eat up our time and mental energy, leading us to deer-in-headlight mental states in order to protect us from any more mundane decision making, whereby making us less responsive and effective in most of the other areas of our lives.
When people talk about “using AI,” they make it sound far more complicated than it is. For the kinds of tasks described here, most people are using a text-based AI, something that works like a basic chat or text messaging.
You type a request; it responds to you. Badda-bing badda boom, done.
So then what AI service do you try out first? Here are a few free, beginner-friendly examples that anyone can start out with:
ChatGPT
- Made by: OpenAI, a US company based in San Francisco, California
- How people access it: Can use online from their website or free phone/tablet app with a free account.
Claude
- Made by: Anthropic, another US company based in San Francisco, California
- How people access it: Can use online from their website with a free account
Gemini
- Made by: Google, a US company based in Mountain View, California
- How people access it: Can use online from their website or built into some Google tools like Gmail.
For every day, low-stakes chores, all three can do the job. The differences tend to show up more in how they feel to use than in their capability.
- ChatGPT often feels flexible and conversational
- Claude tends to sound calmer and is very good at organizing longer text
- Gemini can feel familiar if you already use Google tools
The goal is simply to find the tool you find easiest and most helpful.
So if you are ready to experiment, here is a little “AI Homework” for you:
Step 1: Choose an AI platform to test out. If you use your phone more than a computer, pick one with an app. Feel free to use a fake name when you create your account.
Step 2: The Messy Notes Test. Paste a rough set of notes and ask: “Clean this up into a clear bullet list without adding new information.”
Step 3: That Email You’re Avoiding. Paste a draft of the email and ask: “Rewrite this to be clear, neutral, and/or shorter.” (A particularly good exercise if passive-aggression or long-winded is your native language.)
Step 4: To-Do List Therapy. Voice dictate a brain dump of to-dos into AI and ask: “Turn this into a realistic, prioritized checklist.”
The real litmus test: if it saves you time and frees up a little mental space without completely substituting your efforts (and maybe that success gives you a little tingle of joy), hotdog. If not, delete the app and keep waiting for flying cars to tickle your fancy.
In the next piece, we’ll talk about using AI to tackle bigger tasks. So get out there, explore the possibilities and have fun!
