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Five things AI can do that surprise people
From a tricky letter to a confusing document, explained in plain English.
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From a tricky letter to a confusing document, explained in plain English.
Honest, useful writing about AI in everyday life. No jargon, no hype, just ideas you can actually use.
New here? Read these in any order you like. Have a scroll through to find any that catch your interest.
Play with real apps, songs & games made with AIThose lines in italics are examples. Most posts include lines written in italics inside quotation marks. Those are examples of what you might type or say out loud to an AI such as ChatGPT. They are starting points rather than magic words. Any way you phrase a question is the right way.
Change them to suit you. Swap in your own garden, your own team, your own situation. Where you see something in [square brackets], that is a gap for you to fill in with your own details.
You decide how deep to go. If an answer is too complicated, say “explain that more simply”. If it is too basic, say “tell me more about that”. Keep asking follow-up questions until it makes sense. Nothing is ever waiting on you and no question is too basic to ask.
The one trick worth knowing. Before AI answers, ask it to question you first. Try: “Before you suggest anything, please ask me whatever you need to know about my situation.” The answers come back shaped around you rather than around anybody.
Completely new to all of this? Start here. Still deciding if it is for you? This one is written for you.
A calm, honest look at the concerns people have about AI and some answers that might change your mind.
There’s nothing to download and no technical knowledge needed. If you can type a question, you’re ready. Here’s how to get started in under five minutes on whatever device you have.
Most of us carry a phone everywhere. Here’s how to put the real ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot app on yours, sign in and spot the copycat apps.
Find typing on a phone fiddly? One tap on the microphone and you can just say what you want. Here’s how, in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot.
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot? Free or paid? This post walks you through the questions to ask and gives you the actual words to type so the AI guides you through it itself.
Most people start with a question that’s too vague. Here’s how to get a much better result from the very first thing you type.
Whenever you’d like AI to do something differently, ask it to slow down and coach you through it. Here’s how to use AI as your most patient, most personal teacher, including a real example from my own experience.
From writing a tricky letter to explaining a confusing document in plain English, here are five everyday examples of what AI can quietly do for you.
Scams look more convincing than ever. You now have a calm, patient helper available free, any time of day, that will look at any suspicious message with you and tell you honestly what it thinks.
You come out of an appointment with a head full of half-understood terms. AI gives you a patient, unhurried space to go back over it all until it makes sense, including those consultant letters.
Ten minutes goes quickly. AI can help you organise your thoughts beforehand, describe your symptoms clearly and walk in with the questions that actually matter.
Managing a special diet, eating well without eating boringly and finding the words for something that has been sitting with you. The quieter, daily side of staying well.
Care needs assessments, home care, benefits with unfamiliar names. AI can help you understand the options in plain English and prepare for the conversations that matter.
Energy bills, bank statements, pension letters and council tax. AI can explain them in plain English and help you see what you might be entitled to.
Complaint letters, thank-you notes, formal requests: AI handles them all beautifully. Here’s exactly how to do it.
From recipes based on whatever’s in the fridge to meal planning and adapting dishes for dietary needs, AI can be a remarkable kitchen companion.
Hold your phone up to the open fridge, upload the photo to ChatGPT and tell it what’s in the cupboard. It will suggest a full meal from exactly what you have, including things you’d never have thought to combine yourself.
Road trips, once-in-a-lifetime adventures, long haul, short breaks, staycations: AI will plan any of them in extraordinary detail. Here’s how.
A menu in an unfamiliar language, photos of unfamiliar dishes? AI handles both beautifully. A game-changer for anyone who loves travelling or eating out abroad.
Gardening, painting, family history, crafts: AI can advise, inspire and teach in ways that bring real joy to the things you already love.
Whether you have supported the same club for fifty years or are only just taking an interest, AI can explain the history, the rules and the tactics at whatever level of detail suits you.
Rugby has a rulebook with plenty to learn, even for lifelong supporters. AI will explain any of it patiently, in plain English, as many times as you need.
Few sports change as fast as Formula One. AI is a patient guide to the technology, the strategy and the personalities, without assuming you already know the jargon.
A shape to your day, week and month means the things you care about actually happen. Here is how to build one, from paper diary to AI planning partner.
From Tai Chi to chair yoga, walking to swimming, AI can help you find the exercise that suits your body and your mobility right now, then help you build it into your week.
You can describe any image you can imagine and AI will paint it for you. Here’s how to get started, what to try first and how to stay safe while you explore.
Restore a faded old photograph. Put the whole family in one picture even when they’re scattered across the world. Create something funny for a birthday or reunion. ChatGPT can do all of it.
Birthdays, funerals, weddings, new babies, Valentine’s Day: AI can write a personalised verse for any occasion in seconds. Here’s how.
AI can write a personalised bedtime story in under a minute, using real names, real pets and today’s real events. Here’s exactly how to do it.
From explaining tricky topics to creating practice questions at exactly the right level, AI can make you a useful homework helper, whatever the subject and whatever the age.
Tell AI what you are trying to achieve as well as what you want to buy. Ask it to question you. What comes back is better than any review site and tailored to your exact situation.
Tell AI what you need, ask it to question you and let it walk you through both decisions (the right car for your situation and the best way to pay for it) in plain English.
Solar quotes come in all shapes and sizes. Here’s how to use AI to work out what you need and compare providers fairly.
Take a photo of what you need to replace, ask AI for the right spec and a fair price. Then ask for alternatives. I tried it for a car battery and came away with a better one for £40 less.
House clearance, downsizing or simply getting value from what you own? Photograph the item, ask AI what it is and what it’s worth, then let it tell you exactly how and where to sell it.
Strange noise, warning light or something that feels a bit different? Here’s how to work out what’s happening and decide whether to try to fix it yourself or walk into a garage already informed.
An error message, a wifi signal that won’t reach the back bedroom, settings that have changed by themselves. Here’s how to describe the problem to AI and follow simple, practical steps to try to fix it.
A coffee machine flashing an unfamiliar light, a smart device that’s stopped doing what it should. Here’s how to describe the problem to AI and follow simple, practical steps to try to fix it.
A strange symbol on the washing machine, a stubborn stain, a confusing manual. Here’s how AI can be the person you ask, for all the little jobs around the home.
From astronomy to Italian to the stock market, here’s how AI can become a patient personal tutor for anything you’ve always wanted to learn, starting exactly where you are.
Always fancied writing your life story, restoring a classic car or building a model railway? Here’s how AI can help you start, from scratch, whatever it is.
Photos scattered across old phones and drives? Here’s how AI can help you name, store and share family photos, so everyone can add to them too.
Kevin’s free library presentations bring these ideas to life with live demonstrations and real examples. Come along. It’s free, friendly and no booking needed.
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