AI crash course: start here

About 10 minutes. Updated Oct 26, 2026.

Never used AI? This page explains what it is, how to try it for free, how to ask good questions, and how to stay safe. No experience needed.

1. What is an AI chatbot?

An AI chatbot is an app or website you can talk to like a very well-read helper. You type (or say) a question, and it writes back an answer in a few seconds.

You type or say a question

The AI app writes an answer

You check it, and ask a follow-up

How a chat works (our diagram, not a screenshot)

The best known are Grok, Claude, Gemini (from Google), ChatGPT, Copilot (from Microsoft) and Perplexity. They all work in a similar way.

2. What it's good at, and where it goes wrong

Good at: explaining things in plain words, writing and fixing emails or letters, summarizing long documents, brainstorming, planning, translating, and answering "how do I…?" questions.

Where it goes wrong: it can be confidently wrong. It sometimes makes up facts, numbers or quotes and says them as if they're true. The companies say so themselves: xAI, for example, tells users to "carefully consider and verify" Grok's answers ¹

The rule: for anything important (health, money, legal matters), use AI to understand and prepare, then check with a real source or a professional.

3. Getting started for free

Pick one app. Any of the big ones is fine to start. If you use Gmail, Gemini is handy. If you use Windows or Microsoft Office, Copilot is already there. ChatGPT is the best known.
Go to the official website or app. Type the address yourself⁷ (Grok), ⁸ (Claude), ⁹ (Gemini), ¹⁰ (ChatGPT), ¹¹ (Copilot), ¹² (Perplexity). In the App Store or Google Play, check the app is made by that company.
Make a free account with your email, or sign in with an account you already have (like Google, Microsoft or Apple). Some apps let you try a few questions without an account, but an account keeps your chats.
Type your first question in the box at the bottom and press Enter (or the arrow button).

You don't have to pay to start. Not sure if paying is worth it later? Read Should I pay for AI?

4. How to ask a good question

The more you tell it, the better the answer. A good question has:

What you want ("write", "explain", "plan", "list")
The details (who it's for, how long, any must-haves)
How you want it ("in simple words", "as a list", "in 3 sentences")

Not happy with the answer? Just reply: "shorter please", "simpler", or "try again, but friendlier". It's a conversation.

8 things to try today

Copy any of these into the app and change the details to fit you.

Prompt: write an email

Write a short, polite email to my landlord asking when the broken dishwasher will be fixed. It's been two weeks. Keep it friendly.

Prompt: explain a letter or bill

I'll paste a letter from my insurance company. Explain in simple words what it says, whether I need to do anything, and by when.

Prompt: plan a trip

Plan a relaxed 3-day trip to Banff for two people in their 70s in June. We don't want long hikes. Suggest where to eat and how to get around.

Prompt: cook with what you have

I have eggs, spinach, half an onion, cheddar and rice. Suggest two easy dinners I can make in 30 minutes, with steps.

Prompt: get help with your phone

How do I make the text bigger on my iPhone? Give me the steps one at a time.

Prompt: summarize something long

Summarize this article in 5 bullet points, then tell me the one thing I should remember. [paste the article]

Prompt: practise a language

Let's practise simple Spanish. Ask me one question at a time about my day, and gently correct my mistakes.

Prompt: think through a decision

I'm deciding whether to replace my 12-year-old car or keep repairing it. Ask me questions first, then help me weigh it up.

5. Talk to it, or show it a photo

Talk out loud: most of the big apps have a voice mode: Grok Voice (on a paid plan), Claude's voice mode, Gemini Live and ChatGPT Voice, for example. On a phone, look for the microphone or sound-wave button next to the message box. You can then just talk, like a phone call.

Show it a photo: tap the + or paperclip button next to the message box, take or choose a photo, and ask about it. Try a photo of a plant ("what is this and how do I care for it?"), a confusing sign, a menu in another language, or a letter.

Free versions limit how much voice and how many photos you can use.

6. Which model, and how hard should it think?

Many apps let you pick a model (the AI "brain") and how long it thinks before answering.

For everyday questions, leave it on the default or "Auto". It's fast and fine.
For something hard or important (a tricky problem, a long document, a big decision), pick the smarter model or a higher thinking level. It's slower and uses up your limit faster, but makes fewer mistakes.

Which AI model should I use? The 60-second guide, with where to find the setting in each app.

7. Staying safe and private

Never type these into an AI chat

Passwords or PINs
Bank or credit card numbers
Your Social Security, Social Insurance or health card number
Anything you wouldn't want a stranger to read

It's fine to ask about your health or money in general terms ("what does a high cholesterol number mean?"). Just leave out the ID numbers.

Watch out for AI scams

Fake voices: scammers can copy a family member's voice from a short clip online and call you asking for money. The US Federal Trade Commission's advice: don't trust the voice. Hang up and call the person back on a number you know is theirs (FTC¹³).
Payment red flags: anyone asking you to wire money, send cryptocurrency or buy gift cards is very likely a scammer (same FTC advice).
A family code word that only you and your family know can help you check a call is real.
Fake AI apps and "cheap" subscriptions: only download apps from the real company and pay on its own website. xAI, for example, says Grok subscriptions are sold only on its official website and anything else is unauthorized ¹⁴
In Canada, report scams to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre¹⁵; in the US, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

What happens to your chats

AI companies keep your chats, and many may use them to improve their AI unless you turn that off. Here's where the setting is, from each company's own help pages:

How to stop your chats being used for training
App	Where to turn it off	Source
Grok	Settings → Data (web) or Data Controls (app) → turn off “Improve the model”; or use Private Chat	¹
Claude	Settings → Privacy → turn off “Help Improve our AI models”	²
Gemini	Gemini → Settings & help → Activity → turn off Keep Activity	³
ChatGPT	Settings → Data Controls → turn off “Improve the model for everyone”	⁴
Copilot	Older Copilot app: profile → Privacy → turn off “Training on conversation activity” and “Training on voice conversations”. Microsoft moved settings in the new app (Aug 18, 2026); check its privacy page	⁵
Perplexity	Settings → turn off “AI Data Usage”	⁶

Turning it off usually only affects new chats. Companies may still keep chats for a while for safety and legal reasons.

8. Glossary: AI words in plain English

AI (artificial intelligence): Computer programs that can do things we used to think needed a person, like writing or understanding speech.
Chatbot: An AI you chat with by typing or talking. Grok, Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT are chatbots.
Prompt: What you type or say to the AI: your question or request.
Model: The AI "brain" inside the app. Apps often let you choose between faster models and smarter ones.
Free tier: The free version of an app, with lower limits.
Plan (subscription): A monthly payment for more use and better models.
Limit: How much you can use before you have to wait or upgrade.
Thinking / effort: A setting that lets the AI take longer to work through a hard question. Better answers, but slower, and it uses up your limit faster.
Hallucination: When the AI makes something up and says it confidently. Always check important facts.
Context window: How much the AI can read and remember at once, like a long document or a long chat.
Deep research: A mode where the AI reads many web pages and writes a report with links to its sources.
Agent: An AI that can take actions for you, like browsing websites or doing a task step by step.
Voice mode: Talking out loud with the AI instead of typing.
Memory: When the app remembers things about you between chats. You can usually see and delete what it remembers.
Training: Companies may use chats to improve their AI. Many let you turn this off in settings.

9. What next?

Sources (15)

Sources checked Oct 22 to Oct 26, 2026.