Let us start with what artificial intelligence actually is.
Artificial intelligence — AI — is software that has been trained on a massive amount of human writing. It has read books, articles, conversations, and instructions. When you type a question, it predicts the most helpful answer based on everything it has read. It is not a brain. It is more like a library that talks back.
That is it. You do not need to understand neural networks, large language models, or training data to use it. You just need a question and a willingness to try.
Your first five minutes.
Open your browser and go to chat.openai.com. Click "Sign up." You can use your email or your Google account. It is free. No credit card required. The website will guide you through the steps.
Once you are in, you will see a text box at the bottom of the screen. That is where you type. The AI will answer in the main part of the screen, and you can keep the conversation going by typing more questions.
Five prompts to try in your first hour.
Copy and paste these in order. Each one shows you something different about how AI works.
- "Explain what AI is in one paragraph, as if I am curious but have never used it before."
- "Plan a three-day weekend trip to Asheville, North Carolina, for two people who like hiking and good food. Keep the budget under $1,000."
- "Rewrite this paragraph to sound more professional: [paste a sentence you wrote]"
- "Give me three questions I should ask my doctor about this medication: [name your medication]"
- "Summarize this article in three bullet points: [paste a link or text]"
After each answer, ask a follow-up. "Make it shorter." "Give me more options." "Explain that term." That back-and-forth is how AI works best. It learns from your reactions, just like a good assistant would.
What not to type.
AI companies store your conversations. Do not share personal information you would not put in an email to a stranger. That means no Social Security numbers, no bank account details, no passwords, no medical record numbers. General health questions are fine. "I have high blood pressure, what foods should I avoid?" is fine. "My patient ID is 44783 and my diagnosis is..." is not.
The most important thing to know.
You cannot break it. You cannot ask a question that will cause a problem. You can ask anything. If the answer is bad, say "try again" or ask differently. The worst thing that happens is you get a useless answer, and you move on.
OATS — Older Adults Technology Services — published a guide called AI for Older Adults that uses exactly this approach. Short classes, plain language, no assumptions. The philosophy is simple: AI is a tool. You do not need to understand how the engine works to drive the car.
Your move this week.
Open ChatGPT and try prompt number two from the list above. Plan that trip. See what it suggests. Then change one thing — a different city, a different budget — and watch how the answer shifts. That is the whole skill: asking, adjusting, asking again.
Sources: OATS, AI for Older Adults (oats.org); OpenAI Academy + AARP Partnership (openai.com/aarp); Future Leaders in AI, Getting Started with Generative AI