Asking good questions

The quality of the answer depends on the quality of the question. Here are seven habits that make a big difference.

1. Give it context. Instead of “Write a letter,” try: “I’m 72, I’ve been a customer of my electric company for 30 years, and my bill doubled this month. Write a polite but firm letter asking them to review it.”
2. Tell it who you want it to be. “Explain this like a patient high-school teacher.” “Answer like an experienced contractor would.”
3. Tell it what you want back. “Give me three options.” “Keep it under 100 words.” “Make a checklist.” “Put it in a table.”
4. Have a conversation. You don’t need to get it right the first time. Say “Simpler, please,” “Give me an example,” or “That’s not quite it. Here’s what I meant.”
5. Ask it to ask you questions. “Before you answer, ask me whatever you need to know to give me good advice.” This one habit can transform your results.
6. Ask for its reasoning. “Why do you recommend that?” “What are the downsides?” “What would someone who disagrees say?”
7. Paste in the real thing. If a letter, contract or article confuses you, paste the text in (with private numbers removed) and ask: “Explain this in plain English. What do I need to do, and by when?”

Eleven things to try this week

• “Plan five easy dinners for two using chicken, rice and whatever vegetables are in season in New England.”
• “Explain my Medicare Part D options in plain English.” (Then confirm with Medicare.gov or a counselor.)
• “Help me write a birthday message to my granddaughter, who just started college.”
• “I walk for 30 minutes every morning. Suggest a simple strength routine I can add at home, with no equipment.” (Check with your doctor if you have health conditions.)
• “What questions should I ask my doctor about [your condition] at my next appointment?”
• Take a photo of a plant, a bug or a mystery part and ask, “What is this?” (Many apps can see photos.)
• “Summarize this article in five bullet points,” then paste in a long news story.
• “Help me make a budget. My monthly income is about ___ and my regular bills are ___.”
• “Teach me how to make a simple spreadsheet to track my expenses, step by step.”
• Use it as a tutor. “Teach me conversational Spanish, ten minutes a day. Quiz me at the end.” Or, for homework help: “Be my grandson’s algebra tutor. Don’t give him the answers. Ask him questions until he works it out himself.”
• “Tell me the history of my town,” then check what it says against your own memory and the library. It’s a fun way to see where AI is strong and where it slips.

Uploading files and photos

You don’t have to retype a letter or describe a photo. Most assistants let you hand them the file itself.

1. Look for the paperclip, the plus sign (+) or the camera icon next to the box where you type.
2. Choose a file from your computer or phone (a PDF, a Word document, a spreadsheet or a photo), or take a picture right then.
3. Type what you want: “Explain this bill,” “What does this contract ask me to agree to?” or “Turn this photo of my recipe card into a shopping list.”

Memory and settings: the switches worth knowing

Every assistant has a settings page, usually behind your name or picture in a corner of the screen. The labels differ from app to app, and they change often, but look for these:

• Memory (sometimes “Personalization”): lets the assistant remember things about you from one conversation to the next, like your name, your town or that you’re vegetarian. Handy, but it means more about you is stored. You can usually see what it remembers and delete items, or turn memory off.
• Chat history: keeps a list of your past conversations so you can go back to them. You can delete single chats or all of them.
• Use my data for training (sometimes “Improve the model” or “Help improve”): lets the company use your conversations to improve its AI. Turn it off if you prefer your chats not be used this way.
• Temporary or private chat: a one-off conversation that isn’t saved to your history or memory. Good for anything sensitive.
• Connected apps (sometimes “Connectors” or “Integrations”): lets the assistant reach your email, calendar or files. Only connect what you actually need.
• Two-step verification: under Security or Account. Turn it on.

Trust, but verify

AI makes mistakes. These habits will catch most of them.

• Check anything important (names, numbers, dates, quotes, medical or legal facts) against a trusted source.
• If it gives you a source or a link, open it. Made-up references that look real are one of the most common AI mistakes.
• Ask the same question again in a new chat. If you get different answers, be suspicious.
• Ask it directly: “How confident are you? What might you be getting wrong?”
• When facts matter, use tools that show their sources. Some assistants include links you can click to check.

Protect yourself from AI scams

This is the most important section on this page. Criminals now use AI to copy voices, write convincing emails and fake videos. A scammer can clone a loved one’s voice from a short clip taken from social media, call you sounding exactly like them, and beg for money in an “emergency.”

The warning signs

• A sudden emergency: an arrest, an accident, a hospital, a lawyer.
• Pressure to act right now.
• A request for secrecy: “Don’t tell Mom.”
• Payment by gift cards, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or cash handed to a courier.
• A voice that sounds exactly right. A familiar voice is no longer proof of who’s calling.

What to do

1. Hang up. Then call the person back on a number you already know. Don’t call back the number that called you, and don’t use a number the caller gave you.
2. If you can’t reach them, contact another family member or friend to check the story.
3. Set up a family code word today. Agree on a word that has never been posted online. Anyone calling as a family member in trouble has to say it. A voice clone can’t know it.
4. Never pay with gift cards, wire transfers or crypto because of a phone call.
5. Slow down. Real emergencies can wait the five minutes it takes to check.
6. If you’ve been scammed, call your bank right away, then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at ic3.gov.

Sources: FTC consumer alerts, Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes (March 2023) and Fighting back against harmful voice cloning (April 2024).

Privacy in one minute

• Never type passwords, Social Security, bank or credit-card numbers.
• Remove names and account numbers before pasting in or uploading documents.
• In settings, look for “chat history,” “memory” and “use my data for training.” Turn them off if you prefer.
• Use a strong, unique password and turn on two-step verification for your AI account.

Using AI wisely

AI is a tool, like a calculator or a power drill: enormously useful, and you’re the one in charge of it. Use it to save time, learn things and get unstuck. Don’t use it to replace your own judgment, your doctor, or the people in your life. And if you ever notice you’re leaning on it for company more than on people, call a friend. The machine will still be there tomorrow.

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