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AI isn’t going anywhere: Prompts to make life easier

I was having dinner with my husband in Paris. We got the wine menu and all the names, of course, were in French. Barry wanted something equivalent to a Napa cabernet, so I took a picture of the menu and asked ChatGPT. In seconds, it recommended a wine. I double-checked with the waiter, and he gave it a thumbs-up.

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You might think AI is just for businesses, programmers, or the ultra tech-savvy, but it’s not. It’s for anyone willing to give it a try.

AI EXPERT: CHATGPT PROMPTS YOU’LL WISH YOU KNEW SOONER

Instead of ignoring this powerful tool, make this the year you embrace AI. It’s easier and more helpful than you think.

Let’s start with the basics

"So, uh, where do I find ChatGPT?" I get that in my email every day. Use it on the web or download it for iPhone or Android.

The free tier works for most people. I pay $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus. It’s worth it to me for access to the better features and faster response times. Start with free. If you find yourself relying on your favorite AI tool regularly, consider upgrading. It is worth considering.

ChatGPT isn’t the only option, but it is my preference (at least for now) and the most popular. You can also try Google Gemini, Perplexity and Claude.

With all these, the workflow is the same. Think of it like Google, but instead of punching in one search term and scrolling through results, you have a "conversation" with the bot to get exactly the output you want.

Like any tool, you need to use AI wisely and triple-check its results. Trust me, you don’t want to end up like those lawyers who used AI to draft court documents, only to have the judge catch the glaring mistakes.

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You’ve heard of prompts, right?

This is what we call the text, question or command you provide an AI system to guide its response or action. It’s your instruction on what you want, so the better your prompt, the more useful and accurate the response will be.

"Priming" is the insider term for telling a chatbot exactly what you want from it. With ChatGPT or any other, the more constraints you give, the better your answer. Examples: "Limit your response to 250 words," "Give me the list in bullet points," "Format the results as a table," "Use this data to create a bar chart."

Remember, AI can’t read your mind. It only knows what you tell it. Use "do" and "don’t" in your prompts to get the results you want. Say you’re cooking for friends, and some have allergies. Say, "Create a recipe for six people. Do include protein, fruits, vegetables and carbs. Don’t include dairy products, shellfish or nuts."

7 prompts to make life easier

Make your goals actionable: "I have a goal for 2025 to [fill in the blank]. Can you help me make it SMART?" (SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-related.) Maybe you’re not there yet. Try this: "I want to [fill in the blank], but it feels overwhelming, and I don’t know where to start. Can you help me by breaking it down into more manageable tasks?"

"Give me 10 more examples": That’s a prompt I use with ChatGPT all the time to make the chatbot a better brainstorming buddy. Some of its "ideas" are downright bad, but it might spark something creative in your brain, too.

"How can I make this better?" Add in anything you’ve written — a blog post, a travel plan, a resume or even a heartfelt email. This prompt works wonders for polishing your work and pointing out improvements, like a personal editor at your fingertips.

DO THIS WITH YOUR FAMILY VIDEOS BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

Your very own free assistant: Say you have messy notes from a meeting. By hand, you’d spend 15 minutes turning those into an email fit for your boss or team. Instead, open a chatbot and say, "Turn these notes into a professional, friendly email to my team." Paste your notes at the end and voila. Pro tip: Ask your bot of choice, "Is there anything that needs more details?" to fill in any missing info.

Shortcut your inbox: When you get a really long email, open your AI chatbot of choice, and type in the prompt, "Summarize this email for me. Tell me what I need to do, then write a thoughtful reply. Here is the email." Paste in the email and let AI do its magic.

Wanna get in shape? Ask your AI to create a custom fitness plan. Try this: "Create a 30-day fitness plan for fat loss and muscle gain tailored to a [male/female] beginner at [your age]." Or get specific: "Create a four-week fitness plan to help me run a mile for the first time." Don’t sweat it.

Spouse forgot to load the dishes again? Instead of firing off a rage-filled text, let AI step in. Ask your fave chatbot to reframe your frustration into something a bit more … constructive. I like this prompt: "Make this message sound more friendly."

Don’t forget about privacy

It's easy to think your bot is a trusted ally, especially when it’s pumping out helpful answers all day long. But it’s definitely not. It’s a data-collecting tool like any other.

Be smart about what you say. Never type in passwords, sensitive financial data, or confidential work or business information. My rule of thumb: Don’t tell a chatbot anything you wouldn’t want made public.

With a free ChatGPT or Perplexity account, you can turn off memory features in the app settings that remember everything you type in. For Google Gemini, you need a paid account to do this.

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