Welcome, this is charley from Common Sense News with a new video primarily for baby boomers but also for anyone else who wants to know how to start using Artificial Intelligence tools. These tools are the way of the future, and no matter how old you are, if you are capable, you should know how to use these tools to survive in today’s technical world.
I am a baby boomer myself, blessed to have spent 20 years in a career at a financial institution where technology was front and center. While I am not a techie expert, I know enough to do many things. My first career of 20 years was in the military, which I owe so much to, which is another story. So, the bottom line is I am old.
My goal for this video is to provide a summary of the basic tools, with examples that I hope will open your eyes to how easy it is for someone to commit fraud and hopefully save you from falling victim. Unfortunately, the elderly are the first people fraudsters target with current technology. However, even some of the most technically savvy people fall prey to scams. My goal for this video is to inform you about basic Artificial Intelligence to help protect you from fraud and enhance your life using available tools.
Artificial Intelligence has expanded rapidly and is still on a fast track, with improvements coming out daily. The technology is here to stay, so you need to get on the train, bandwagon, trend or whatever else you want to call it or miss out on the potential improvements to your life that come with the tools I will review. Once you begin using these tools, there are no limits to creating art, writing articles, blogging, and so much more to help you in your daily life. You are only limited by your imagination and efforts. Once you get started, you will be amazed.
With AI at your fingertips, there is no reason for a person to fall for misinformation because these tools have the capability to give you the truth in a split second. And these tools are available on your phone and other handheld devices. So, basic common-sense double-checks should be the norm going forward.
For this article, I will focus on the internet-based aspects of AI, not on the physical uses, such as in construction, retail and other similar items. That is for another video. For this video, I want people to understand that AI is real and dangerous to the uninformed. However, there is no reason to fear technology, and it is time to jump in with two feet.
The examples I will review are the AI tools readily available on the internet, such as ChatGPT, Gemini and others. These are valuable tools available for your use today, but so many people have no idea how to get started. I hope I can help with that. But there are some basics for those wanting to learn, such as:
You need a device such as an iPhone, laptop, computer or tablet, with an internet connection.
Willingness to learn, realizing it will take patience and knowing how to count to 10 when things don’t go as planned.
Understanding how to use a web browser or phone application.
For this video, I will be using a Dell laptop with Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge as my web browser. No special setup or technical skills are required. Of course, if you don’t know how to use the internet at all, this training may be a bit difficult and require you to ask your children, a relative or a friend for basic help.
Let’s begin with the AI tool I use most frequently: ChatGPT, by entering the internet address into the Edge browser as displayed. Once you enter the address, the tool will pop up and wait for your questions. You are now in the Artificial Intelligence world.
Pretty easy, as you can see, and you can do the same thing on a tablet or phone as long as you have access to the internet and know how to download the apps from Apple or Google. You can also use a web browser on your other devices as well.
Okay, let’s begin by using my favorite tool, ChatGPT. As you can see on the screen, near the top in the address bar, I simply typed in ChtGPT.com, and that is all it takes to get started.
To show the power of these tools, I am going to ask ChatGPT to “Summarize the available AI tools similar to ChatGPT with pricing.”
You will notice the result is ready to use in a spreadsheet, a Word document, or a presentation tool. In addition, the result includes a plain-English summary. Nice, isn’t it?
I wanted ChatGPT to do more than just summarize this video, so I requested a PowerPoint presentation, and AI quickly provided what I asked for.
The following is a quick display of how I take what AI provided in a PowerPoint presentation and use AI in PowerPoint to enhance the deck.
AI provided me with a really basic structure for a presentation, but with no graphics, which is a limitation for now. The next few shots show how I easily used PowerPoint’s Design Suggestions with minimal effort. All I had to do was decide, click, and each chart is designed for a professional presentation. The end result is a slide show that you are viewing.
I might be geeky, but I find this truly amazing. I used to do all this stuff manually, the research, the summarization, the graphics and it could take days on end to finish a professional product. I just did this in a matter of minutes, to do the same thing.
You can ask these tools anything you can think of, especially when it comes to fraud. While I was creating this video, I received the following text message, which I have received multiple times. The offer sounded too good to be true, and I never answer these types of texts. But for this presentation, I want to show you how to check for fraud using these tools.
I can do this fraud check in two ways: either copy and paste the received text or upload an image, and ask ChatGPT whether it is fraudulent. These tools can save you from fraudsters, and you don’t have to be a genius to use them. Not using these tools in our world of AI will leave you susceptible to fraud, so jump on in.
The following are a few examples of AI’s capabilities.
A couple of points about these tools that you should be aware of:
The information provided is usually a lot more than you need.
You are asked if you want other options that the tool provides.
Ask anything and give it a try, I am still learning more about the tools each day.
AI isn’t always correct, but generally, you don’t have to worry about it; you just need to be aware. Remember, data on the internet may or may not be true, and AI uses all available information.
The basic tools are free, but to access the full features, you will need to pay, as I do.
ChatGPT stores all your information, and its responses take your history into account. For instance, I am a liver transplant patient, and AI knows this and takes it into account when I ask a medical question. I don’t mind this, but others may be more concerned about privacy than I am.
Never use AI to replace your Doctor because that would be dangerous. Simple stuff like what is good for the common cold is fine, but AI does not replace the doctor.
AI responds with woke statements built in, but you can call out AI, and they will skip the woke and give you just the facts. It is amazing what these tools can do.
Let’s move on to briefly review the other tools so you can pick and choose what you want to try. They all do the same thing, but with a different focus is how I would explain it. I have not tried the following tools beyond their use in this video, so I lack some experience, but my goal is only to get you started.
Let’s start with Gemini, a tool from Google. For example, I recently used Gemini to confirm something I thought was true but wasn’t sure about. So, I asked a question to confirm that what I thought I remembered was true. It was about an article saying that Elon was willing to fund TSA agents during the government shutdown, which I found interesting and worth posting. But, I was seeing a lot of hate speech against Elon as well as statements that it would be illegal for him to fund TSA. So I wanted to double-check.
To confirm my suspicion before posting anything, I asked Gemini, which stated it was factual. This result allowed me to confidently post that my information was correct. You need to avoid making assumptions and always confirm using AI, because it can quickly flag fake news, images or videos.
One final example is a tool called Perplexity, where I asked for a plan for a three-day trip to New Orleans. The results were fantastic, and I actually used something similar on a trip with my wife. AI made my trip planning with knowledge that far exceeds what I could have researched. I also used AI to check the status of TSA waiting lines, and it was right on. Pretty handy, isn’t it?
My primary goal is to inform the elderly and non-technical people, and if others learn as well, that is good. These tools also provide busy time for the elderly as they learn new things, so they are not just sitting at home doing nothing, but rather learning and using Artificial Intelligence to meet their many needs. Including having someone to chat with. Personally, I think these tools should be available in elderly living homes with someone to teach them. But that is me.
Engagement is one thing the elderly seek, and AI can be a useful tool. I’m not saying real people don’t need to be around, but what I am saying is when friends and family don’t visit, at least there’s another friend around, AI.
To prove my point, I asked AI to provide uses for the elderly, and the results were far more than I could have provided without doing a lot of research.
These are real-life examples, not only for the elderly but also for non-techies. Once people get involved with AI, their world will change, and they will be informed, which is my goal. I am trying to make the elderly the informed generation who can research their prescriptions, plan a trip, check a flight’s status, find a joke, and so much more. Think about it, an elderly person at the grocery store checking out the prices of items with AI to see if other stores offer the same product at a lower price. I find this exciting, but that is just me.
Planning dinner is now easy; all you have to do is ask for suggestions or a recipe, and it’s all at your fingertips. No looking through recipe cards or magazines. If you have issues with a recipe, all you have to do is provide AI with the info, and it will give you ways to resolve the issue next time. Also, you can set reminders for appointments and check your meds, which is important for the old like me.
These tools can write emails or texts for you with only a few details provided, and you can even use the microphone to talk to AI for those who don’t want to type.
Research any history you want and get as many details as you want, because you can keep asking deeper questions.
You want jokes, AI has them
You want tech help with your computer or phone, AI can help. I use it all the time to ask technical questions instead of going online to try to find the information, and AI has the answers to everything. I tried what the tool provided, responded to the results, and the tool then took me through additional steps to resolve the issue. Remember, AI has access to most or all of the data available on the internet and summarizes it for you. And with follow-up questions for you. You will love these tools once you get started.
There is one thing the elderly and non-techies have in common: a fear of new technology, while the generations who grew up in today’s world of automation take it for granted. I’m not sure these folks understand how amazing all of this is because it’s all built in from birth and assumed to always be there. My only regret is that I won’t be here for a future that I can see as Jetson’s World.
The uses are unlimited, and your AI tool is waiting and ready for you. So, jump in the water, it is warm, and give it a try.
Thanks for watching this video, and I hope it helps someone. I apologize if this was too technical or not technical enough, but I wanted to reach a wide audience. Have a great day and be safe and stay informed,, signing off, charley from Common Sense News.
