Your first useful conversation.

A ten-minute introduction to asking, improving, and checking AI output.

Pick a small, real task

Choose something you can judge: a meal plan, an email draft, or an explanation of a topic you know a little about. Open an AI chat you already have access to. You do not need a subscription to try a basic text task.

Explain the situation

Say what you want, who it is for, what information the AI should use, and what would make the result useful. “Plan dinner” is a start. The ingredients, time, and dietary needs turn it into a workable request.

Make one specific correction

If the first answer misses, explain what missed: too long, wrong audience, missing constraint, or an unsupported assumption. Ask for a change and compare the versions.

Check before using it

Read the result. Verify facts, dates, numbers, and promises. If you cannot assess a high-stakes answer, get help from a qualified person. Finish by trying a small part of the result in real life.

Try it

• Make dinner from what you have.
• Understand a confusing letter.
• Learn something until it sticks.

Go deeper

Follow a learning path or try an interactive lab.

Related Power of AI pages

Keep reading with Start here, everyday uses, the tool guide, the writing workshop, and sources and standards.