What an AI assistant does for you

An AI assistant is a program you talk to in plain language. Depending on the product, it may appear as a desktop app, a website, a panel inside your browser, or a feature built into software you already use.

Common things you can ask it to do

• Draft, rewrite and shorten text
• Explain a concept at the level you need
• Summarise a document, meeting notes or a long email thread
• Brainstorm options and list pros and cons
• Turn messy notes into a table or checklist

What it cannot reliably do

• Know about events after its training, unless it has search tools or you supply the sources
• Check facts it has not been given a source for
• Remember your preferences across every chat, unless the product offers a memory feature and you have turned it on
• Replace your own judgement on decisions that matter

A simple habit

Before you act on an answer, ask two questions: could I check this quickly, and what happens if it is wrong? If the second answer is "something serious", verify the output against a trusted source.

Products differ, so check the help pages of the tool you use to see what it supports.