Put your toe in the artificial intelligence waters

I bought my first computer in the late 1980s. I paid $1,200 for a used Kaypro. It was the size of a sewing machine carrying case, had sturdy all-steel housing, and it weighed 26 pounds. The manufacturer didn't have the nerve to call it "portable." We proud Kaypro owners called it "luggable." I sidled up to the evolving technologies over the decades because, as a practical matter, I thought they could help me be a better educator and communicator. And now: artificial intelligence (AI).

Yes, it is mind-blowing and eye-popping. It has the capacity to transform our lives for the better, and it has the power to usher in an apocalyptic future. Really. But here, in this brief article, we'll just talk about how to begin to use that empty box in the center of your screen-the place where you tell AI what you want.

Bravely download the free version of OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, or maybe Anthropic's Claude onto your computer. Sign in and crank it up. So there you are staring at that empty rectangle.

Remember 40 years ago when you bought a stereo or a tape recorder it came with a handy little printed manual? Those days are gone. Now you kind of poke around, click on something to see what it does, and ask questions, aka "prompts." Go ahead, you can't break it. If you ask a general question you'll get back a general answer. If you ask a detailed question you'll get back a detailed answer.

For example you might type in, "I am new to using AI. Explain to me how it can help me in my everyday life." Want help writing letters, email, or documents? Ask how it can help you do that. It may have the ability to help you refine or change your digital photos. Ask about that. It may have the ability to create images based on a prompt you give it. Ask AI how to do that. Have you ever seen a giant green unicorn standing in downtown Anchorage? Ask it to make an image of that...or something else.

Do you need a large, complex document summarized? Or maybe you want to ask questions about where stuff is in the document. Load the document or documents into AI (question it for details about how to do that) and ask away.

You can ask for three good recipes for New Mexico green chile. Any time you want to know where the information comes from for recipes or anything else, ask AI to "fully document" its response. Or tell it some of the main items you have in the fridge and the pantry, and ask it to suggest recipes using some or all of that.

Ask AI anything you would ask on Google search. You'll get back a structured response with organized sources (if you ask for them) rather than just a jumble of potential sources. Visiting an island off Greece? Ask AI where the most interesting historic sites are to visit and where the best open-air markets are.

Here are some of the ways I use AI. I have all three of the above-mentioned free versions of AI platforms loaded on my smart phone. Every day I walk 2 miles. Sometimes, when I am mulling over a problem or a new project, I'll pick one of the platforms and talk with it. Maybe I describe the problems or issues and ask it for suggestions. The voices used by the computer to communicate are disarmingly human-sounding. In return I get facts, ideas, and analysis typically of remarkably good quality.

I often use AI as a more sophisticated replacement for Google search. Sometimes I write a document and ask AI to review it for grammar, conceptual clarity, etc. Sometimes I ask it a question but I want it to get the answers from certain sources I think are reliable, so I direct it to make sure it visits those websites as part of its search.

You will have an astounding experience as you explore AI, but a couple words of caution. Your communications with AI are generally not secure or private. Your communications may, for example, be used to train subsequent models for years into the future. So, no social security numbers or bank statements. And then there is the "hallucinations" problem. AI will periodically tell you stuff that is not true. "Trust but verify." Eyeball the sources. You can also ask AI from a different company the same question and compare responses.

AI might be helpful to you and is sure to be entertaining. You can't break it. Experiment. Have fun.

Lawrence D. Weiss is a UAA Professor of Public health, emeritus, creator of the UAA Master of Public health program, and author of several books and numerous articles.