Q: I鈥檇 like to get an AI app on my phone and learn to use it. Any suggestions?
A: If you鈥檝e been thinking about installing an AI app but aren鈥檛 sure where to start, you鈥檙e not alone. Artificial Intelligence sounds complicated, but using it doesn鈥檛 require advanced technical skills.
A simple way to understand AI is to compare it to a librarian. A traditional search engine is like a librarian who points you to an entire section of the library and says, 鈥淭he books you want are in this area.鈥� An AI assistant is the librarian who walks you to a specific shelf, pulls out a book, opens it to the right page, and highlights the paragraph you鈥檙e looking for.
Getting started
The easiest place to begin is with a general-purpose AI assistant. Good beginner choices include ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot. They鈥檙e free to install, easy to use, and available from your phone鈥檚 app store. Don鈥檛 worry about picking 鈥渢he best鈥� one at first, just pick one and use it consistently until you get a feel for how to generate useful prompts.
Be conversational
These tools work best when you talk to them naturally and include details. Try to describe what you want as if you were asking a real person for help, not a machine. Try prompts like:
鈥淗ere鈥檚 a message I鈥檓 about to send. Rewrite it so it sounds clearer and friendlier.鈥�
鈥淚 have chicken, rice, broccoli and soy sauce at home. What鈥檚 an easy dinner I can make that鈥檚 on the spicy side?鈥�
鈥淩eview this document and explain it like I鈥檓 12, using simple language and analogies.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 taking a weekend trip to Santa Fe. Plan a relaxed itinerary with food, culture, and sightseeing.鈥�
鈥淭urn my meeting notes into a follow-up email that outlines the key points.鈥�
鈥淗elp me write a happy anniversary message for friends who鈥檝e been together 30 years without sounding cheesy.鈥�
The more context you give, the better the answer will be.
Supercharge your writing
AI is especially useful for writing. It can clean up grammar, shorten messages or turn rough notes into full sentences. If writing isn鈥檛 your strength, this alone can save time every day. It鈥檚 also a great research assistant. Instead of clicking through several websites, you can ask one question and get a quick explanation or summary.
A word of caution
AI is helpful, but it isn鈥檛 a fact-checker. When it doesn鈥檛 know something, it may guess. Always verify information that affects your health, finances or legal decisions and review sources when they鈥檙e provided.
Safety note
Avoid sharing personal or sensitive information with free AI tools. That means no passwords, bank numbers, Social Security numbers, medical details, or private documents. Once information leaves your phone, you no longer control where it goes, how long it鈥檚 stored, or who might access it later. Data can be saved, analyzed, or exposed in ways you never see.
Treat AI like a public space. If you wouldn鈥檛 say it out loud in a busy coffee shop, don鈥檛 type it into an app.
As for learning, look for built-in tips, short YouTube videos, and beginner courses on websites like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning. The real secret is practice, so spend a few minutes every day experimenting.
Ken Colburn is founder and CEO of . Ask any tech question on or .
