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If you have a friend, child or co-worker who won’t shut up about ChatGPT or some other generative-AI chatbot, but you’ve been too embarrassed to ask where to start, this is for you. The buzzy, mysterious tech is transforming every aspect of our lives, from high-school English to pharmaceutical discovery.
At the very least, by using these tools, you’ll understand how generative AI is changing our world. And you might discover some productivity hacks for your own life in the process. Recent breakthroughs in image generation create impressive pictures within minutes. And voice chats and other advanced tools are now available in free accounts.
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First, a primer. If you’re wondering which bot to use and how all this is different from searching the web, welcome, you’re in the right place.
Choose your bot
Don’t think of a “chatbot” as a conversational buddy. It’s a massive trove of information and “learning” that you can access by typing or speaking plainly.
Each bot has a different personality and a different way of surfacing information. While they were all trained on books, websites and other media—gazillions of words, images and sounds—each one has its own strengths and weaknesses.
• OpenAI’s ChatGPT was first on the scene and is the most well-known. It has the most features—including a (subscribers-only) video generator.
• Microsoft Copilot, powered by a mix of OpenAI and Microsoft tech, has an approachable interface for beginners.
• Google’s Gemini brings search into the mix and can export data to Docs.
• Anthropic’s Claude markets itself as “safety-first” AI. It currently doesn’t have image or voice tools.
And there are many others, including Meta AI and xAI’s Grok.
You can try most free through a web browser or mobile app, often with an account sign-up. Free accounts tend to limit how far you can go, and premium accounts typically cost $20 a month.
How—and why—to prompt
Generative AI can save you time. A chatbot can synthesize a relevant answer in seconds, instead of sending you down a 15-minute search rabbit hole. Once you get the hang of it, you can consult it as a thought partner for more-creative pursuits.
The technology can still make mistakes, known as hallucinations, but it is maturing. And its responses often provide the starting point you’re looking for.
