How to Use Artificial Intelligence in Everyday Life

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Updated on June 8, 2026

Woman at laptop computer using Artificial Intelligence.

You’ve Heard of Artificial Intelligence. But Are You Actually Using It?

At this point, you’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard of Artificial Intelligence (AI). ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude… these tools have been all over the news for the better part of two years. But “hearing about it” and actually using it in a way that saves you time? Those are two very different things.

If you’ve played with AI once or twice and thought “okay, neat” before going back to Googling everything, this post is for you. Because AI has gotten significantly better in the past year, and most people are still barely scratching the surface of what it can do.

You don’t need a paid subscription. You don’t need any technical background. You just need to know how to ask it the right questions. That’s it.

What AI Is (and Isn’t)

Artificial Intelligence, in this context, means tools that can read what you type and respond in a genuinely useful way. Not a chatbot that sends you in circles. Not a search engine that returns pages of links. Something that actually answers the question, with context.

You’ve been using older versions of AI for years without thinking about it: Netflix recommendations, autocorrect, Google Maps re-routing you around a traffic jam. The newer tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) are a different league. You can have a full back-and-forth conversation. You can ask follow-up questions. You can ask it to rewrite something three different ways until you find one you like.

Think of it as Google, but instead of handing you ten links and wishing you luck, it actually reads the question and answers it.

The Three Tools Worth Your Time

A quick note on which Artificial Intelligence tools to actually bother with, because the landscape has shifted considerably:

ChatGPT (chatgpt.com) is still the most widely used, and for good reason. The free tier is solid, it handles a wide range of tasks, and it has image generation and voice features if you want to explore those later.

Gemini (gemini.google.com) is Google’s AI, and if you live in Google’s world (Gmail, Docs, Calendar), it integrates beautifully. It’s also excellent for research because it can pull live information from the web, not just what it was trained on.

Claude (claude.ai) is the one that tends to win on writing quality. If you need help drafting something, summarising a long document, or working through a complex problem, Claude is worth trying. The responses feel more measured and less generic than the others.

All three have free tiers. All three are genuinely good. My honest suggestion: try all three with the same prompt and see which one you like best. You’ll develop a preference quickly.

How You Ask Matters More Than Which Tool You Use

The biggest factor in whether AI is useful to you is how you ask. This is called “prompting,” and the difference between a vague prompt and a good one is the difference between a frustrating non-answer and something actually helpful.

You don’t need to be clever about it. You just need to be specific.

Quick prompting tips:

  • Be specific. “Tell me about birds” gets you a Wikipedia summary. “Give me 5 backyard birds common in Nova Scotia, with a fun fact about each” gets you something you can actually use.
  • Use normal language. You’re not programming it. Just talk to it like you’d talk to a smart, helpful person.
  • Set the tone. Tell it if you want something casual, funny, professional, or simple. It will match your request.
  • Push back if the first answer isn’t right. Say “that was too long, shorten it” or “I don’t like that tone, try again more conversationally.” It won’t take it personally.

The old principle holds: garbage in, garbage out. Give it clear instructions and you’ll be surprised at the quality you get back.

A Foolproof Prompt Structure

You don’t need a formula, but if you’re stuck, this works every time:

1. Say what you want to do. “I want help planning a dinner party for 12 people.”

2. Be clear about what you want back. A list? A step-by-step plan? A sample email? Tell it.

3. Add the important details. Budget, dietary restrictions, location, timing, whatever’s relevant.

4. Say what to avoid (optional). “No seafood,” “keep it under $50 per person,” “nothing too complicated to prepare.”

Prompt example, vacation planning: “Give me 5 all-inclusive resort options in Mexico for a week in March, for 2 adults. Budget around $3,000 CAD per person. Must be 4 stars or higher. Avoid adults-only properties. Include a short summary of each resort, and recent guest reviews.”

Prompt example, writing help: “Help me write an email to my HOA about the noise issue with a neighbour. Keep it professional but firm. I want to state the problem clearly without it sounding like a complaint letter.”

10 Everyday Ways to Use AI

Here’s where it gets fun. Once you know how to prompt, you’ll start using it for things you hadn’t even thought of.

1. Writing emails you’d rather not write “Write a polite but firm reply to a contractor who missed two deadlines. I don’t want to be rude, but I need this wrapped up.” or “Help me write a thank-you note to a colleague who covered for me while I was sick.”

2. Making sense of complicated stuff “Explain what tariffs are and how they affect grocery prices for Canadian consumers.” or “Summarise the top international news stories today in plain language.”

3. Meal planning and recipes “I have chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, and spinach. What can I make for dinner in under 40 minutes? Give me three options.” or “Give me five salmon recipes for two people, all under $20 to make. Avoid anything with cream sauces.”

4. Trip planning “Plan a 4-day itinerary for two adults visiting Portugal in September. Include a mix of culture, food, and some downtime. We’re not big on walking tours.” or “What are the best neighbourhoods to stay in for a first visit to Rome? We want good restaurants nearby and easy access to the main sites.”

5. Organizing events “Help me plan a backyard birthday party for 20 adults. I want a simple buffet menu, a signature cocktail (with a non-alcoholic option), and a rough timeline for a 4pm start.” or “Make me a Thanksgiving prep plan for 14 people: shopping list, make-ahead tasks, and a day-of timeline.”

6. Writing cards and messages you’re stuck on “Write a funny birthday message for my dad who’s turning 70 and has a dry sense of humour.” or “Help me write a condolence message for a friend who just lost her mum. I want it to feel warm and genuine, not like a greeting card.”

7. Learning something new “Explain how investing in ETFs works, like I’ve never invested before. Include the risks.” or “What’s the difference between a food processor and a high-speed blender? I make a lot of soups and sauces. Which one should I buy?”

8. Shopping decisions “Compare the latest iPhone and Samsung flagship models in plain language. Is the iPhone upgrade from an iPhone 14 actually worth it?” or “Give me 10 birthday gift ideas for a woman who loves gardening, under $75 CAD, available on Amazon.”

9. Health and wellness “Suggest a 10-minute morning stretch routine for someone with lower back stiffness. Include clear descriptions of each stretch.” or “What are some high-protein snacks that don’t need refrigeration and are easy to eat on the go?”

10. Entertainment and creative ideas “I need a theme for an adult game night for 8 people who all have sarcastic senses of humour. Give me 5 ideas with a brief description of each.” or “Suggest 5 movies to watch with kids aged 7 and 9 on a rainy Saturday. Nothing too scary, nothing too babyish.”

Just Try It

Here’s the honest truth: the only way to get comfortable with AI is to use it. You will get some bad answers. You’ll ask something vaguely and get a vague response back. That’s fine. Tweak the prompt and ask again. It takes about twenty minutes to get a feel for how it works, and after that, it genuinely becomes useful.

Start here, all free:

Pick one. Ask it something you actually want to know. See what it gives you. AI isn’t just for tech people or people who work in offices with ping-pong tables. It’s for anyone who writes emails, plans trips, makes dinner, or ever Googled something and got ten unhelpful links in return.

That’s basically all of us.

Interested in going deeper? Check out my follow-up post on how to write better AI prompts; click here. Or browse my “AI For Beginners” series; click here.

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