AI for Everyone

Lesson 1

AI is a friendly helper rather than a mysterious machine.

Seeing a helpful reply often brings that first “Oh, I get it now!” moment. 

1. Choose one of these links to click to open up a Chatbot:  chat.openai.com to open ChatGPT or Perplexity to open Perplexity
   • Type "Hello" where it says, ‘Ask me anything’ and press the up arrow.
2. Try a simple request, such as “Tell me a story about a frog”, or “Write a short poem about a u3a member”, or “Draw me a picture of a u3a group flying in pink clouds”, or “Is AI a friend or a foe” (you do not need to put a question mark), etc.
3. Keep exploring, ask follow-up questions, try different topics and enjoy seeing what it can do.
4. AI Chatbots always come back enthusiastically and sound convincing.  They are programed to do so.  Like people, they occassionally make mistakes and provide misinformation.  Use your thinking skills to assess the accuracy of the response.
5. I personally only share detailed personal information with my Bank and the NHS apps.  Anything you put online through Social Media, AI, or any Apps may end up being used by a 3^rd party and/or a scammer.
6. There are other AI Chatbots: Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, Claude etc.

You don’t need special knowledge to use AI — only a bit of curiosity and the confidence to give it a try. I’ve seen how quickly members surprise themselves once they start chatting with these tools. AI is not something to fear; it’s another way to make learning, creativity, and everyday life a little easier and a lot more interesting.

Lesson 2

• You only get a limited access with the FREE links above. Not a problem, just come back tomorrow and get a new allowance.
• Chatbots will encourage you to register and this will give you more options.
• You can also choose to download Chatbot Apps. For ChatGTP, make sure it is the one from OpenAI. There are a lot of impersonators.
• You might find a microphone icon next to where you type your instruction.
  • Click the microphone and dictate your instruction, then press the upward arrow.
• You might have a squiggly icon next to the microphone.
  • Click the squiggly icon, wait for a window to appear and then talk and listen to it as you would a friend.
    • Remember it is just a machine. It does make mistakes. It does NOT understand what it is saying, unlike you.
    • Always verify important information.

Join me on a Breakfast time Zoom to ask any questions about AI. I am there every Wednesday at 8.30am.

We have a comprehensive library of useful AI related resources. AI for Everyone Library

Visit the u3a Online Learning events webpage to register for events.. u3a Online Learning Events

We have a vibrant network of members interested in AI AI Network.