SURVIVING THE AI APOCALYPSEA Field Guide for People Who Remember VCRs
Start here · New to AI

Your first ten minutes with AI

One small, low-stakes job, start to finish. If you can send an email, you can do this.

At a glance

The job
Turn rough notes into a polite email
You'll need
A phone or computer, and an email address to sign in with
Cost
Free
Time
About 10 minutes
Difficulty
Beginner

First step Open chatgpt.com, claude.ai or gemini.google.com in your web browser.

  1. 1Pick one chatbot. Any of the big three will do.

    A chatbot is a website or app where you type a request in plain English and the AI writes back. The best known are ChatGPT (made by OpenAI, at chatgpt.com), Claude (made by Anthropic, at claude.ai) and Gemini (made by Google, at gemini.google.com). Our guides work with any of them.

    Do I need to pay? No. Each one has a free version, and that's enough for this guide and for everything in our field guide. They also sell paid plans. You can ignore those.

    Where do I find it? Type the address into your web browser, or get the app from your phone's app store. In the app store, check that the maker is listed as OpenAI, Anthropic or Google. You'll be asked to sign in, usually with an email address or a Google or Apple account.

  2. 2Find the message box.

    It's the long box near the bottom of the screen, with words like "Ask anything" or "Message" in it. That's where your request goes. Typing there works like writing a text message.

    What can I help with?
    Ask anything
    Illustration. Every chatbot looks a little different, but they all have a box like this.

  3. 3Copy our prompt and fill in the blanks.

    A prompt is just the instructions you give the AI. Every prompt on this site has a Copy prompt button. Press it, then click in the message box and paste (on a phone, press and hold in the box, then tap Paste; on a computer, Ctrl+V, or Command+V on a Mac).

    What about the [square brackets]? They're blanks. Delete the brackets and what's inside them, and type your own words. Here's the prompt for today's job:

    Turn my rough notes below into a short, polite email to [who it's for]. Keep it friendly, under 120 words, and don't add any facts I didn't give you.

My notes: [type your rough notes here]
    1. Press Copy prompt.
    2. Open ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
    3. Paste it into the message box and fill in the [blanks].

    Keep it private. Before you paste: leave out passwords, codes, and account, card, ID and policy numbers. Swap real names for "my mother" or "the company."

    And here's what it looks like with the blanks filled in:

    YouTurn my rough notes below into a short, polite email to my neighbor Pat. Keep it friendly, under 120 words, and don't add any facts I didn't give you. My notes: your tree branch hangs over our fence. worried about it in winter storms. happy to split the cost of trimming. no rush but before December. can talk this weekend
    Illustration of a filled-in prompt. Your notes can be as messy as you like.

  4. 4Send it and read the answer.

    Press the arrow button or the Enter key. In a few seconds an answer appears below your message. It will look something like this:

    The AISubject: The branch over our fence Hi Pat, I hope you're well. One of your tree's branches is hanging over our fence, and I'm a little worried about it in the winter storms. Would you be open to having it trimmed? I'm happy to split the cost. There's no rush, but it would be good to get it done before December. Could we talk this weekend? Thanks,[Your name]
    Example answer, written by us to show the idea. Yours will be worded differently.

  5. 5Ask for changes in plain English.

    This is the part most people don't know: you can keep talking to it. No special words needed. Type what you'd tell a helpful assistant: "Make it warmer." "Shorter, please." "Leave out the part about the cost." It remembers what you were working on.

    YouMake it a bit warmer, and say Saturday morning works for me.
    The AISubject: The branch over our fence Hi Pat, I hope you and the family are doing well! I wanted to mention that one of your tree's branches is reaching over our fence, and with winter storms coming I'd feel better if we got it trimmed. I'd be glad to split the cost. No rush at all, as long as it's done before December. Saturday morning works well for me if you'd like to talk it over. Warmly,[Your name]
    Illustration of a follow-up request and the revised answer.

  6. 6Check it, then use it.

    Read every word before you send it. AI can misunderstand, add things you didn't say or get facts wrong. You're the editor. When it's right, copy it into your own email and send it the usual way. The chatbot won't send anything for you.

What never goes in a chatbot

  • Passwords, PINs and the codes companies text you.
  • Full account, card, Social Security, Medicare or policy numbers.
  • Anything you wouldn't write on a postcard. When a guide asks you to paste a document, black those parts out first.

That's it. You've used AI.

Everything else on this site is the same move with a different job: copy a prompt, fill in the blanks, read the answer, ask for changes, check it.

Three easy next steps

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Or browse the whole field guide by problem.

Sources

Free versions confirmed on each maker's pricing page, October 31, 2026. Plans change, so check before you pay for anything.