AI Quick Tips 207: This is how you get better at using AI tools

Using modern AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, etc. is a skill (a lot of skills actually).  That means that you will not be good initially, AND that you can get better, but you have to put in work.  

So, in the spirit of slightly better every day.  Or 1% better.  Or whichever one of those is trending this week, I will share a repeatable way to get better with AI tools each day.

The idea is actually really simple - Every time you sit down to do something at your computer (or stand if you have one of those fancy standing desks), think about how you could do that thing with an AI tool.

That doesn’t mean that you have to do it with an AI tool. 
Just walk through in your head how you could. 

This could be:

• having a tool do the task for you,
• working with the tool to help you get it done,
• having the tool teach you how to do it,
• having the tool call another tool to do it, etc.

If you have the time, actually use an AI tool and go through the process that you came up with.  Keep in mind that this will likely take longer than doing the task “normally” until you build up the skill set.

In case this is all too high-level and abstract, I’ll give you a concrete example.  I’m sitting at the computer right now, typing this out.  If I wanted to walk through how I could use one or more AI tools to help me, here’s what it might look like -

• I don’t have an idea of what to write about so I will use ChatGPT to help me brainstorm ideas
  • Possible prompt - “Your job is to help me brainstorm ideas for my next blog.  The series is called “AI Quick Tips”.  Look through my existing blogs to make sure we don’t duplicate anything.  Ask me questions to generate ideas and capture context”
• Once I’ve chosen a topic, I could use Claude to write an outline 
• After I’ve written a post, I could use Gemini to read it over, suggest improvements, or write it in a different style to see if I want to change anything
• Etc.

To be clear, I didn’t actually do any of this.  It was a thought exercise.  But just going through it leveled up my AI tool skills since so much of it happens before you ever open the program(s).