Best Practices Overview

Here's a focused list of AI best practices for beginners, especially relevant when using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for personal or professional tasks:

Understanding the Tool

Don't treat it like Google.
Instead of keywords, give clear instructions. Think: "Write a polite follow-up email to a client who missed a meeting," not "client email follow-up."

AI is a starting point, not a final product.
Review, revise, and verify anything it creates—especially if facts or tone matter.

Know its limitations.
It doesn't "know" facts—it predicts words. It can sound confident while being wrong.

Working Effectively

Be specific about what you want.
Clear, structured inputs yield better outputs. Add context about who you are, what you need, and who it's for.

Iterate through conversation.
You don't need perfect prompts. Ask follow-up questions, refine your input, and go step-by-step.

Try multiple tools.
Compare ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini on the same task. Each has strengths.

Staying Safe and Smart

Fact-check important claims.
Especially in legal, financial, health, or technical contexts.

Avoid pasting sensitive or private data.
Unless you're using enterprise tools with privacy guarantees.

Start with low-stakes tasks.
Practice on things like rewriting emails or organizing lists before applying it to sensitive work.

Check tone and appropriateness.
The model may not always align tone with your audience.