An older Finnish couple considering a menu and ingredients at a table in a summer cottage.
AI-generated illustration

What can you do with AI? 10 useful things to try in everyday life

About 3 min read

AI for Beginners 60+ · part 2 of 5

Recipes, trips, hobbies and making sense of a difficult letter. AI only becomes fun once you give it the right job.

Not a robot in the living room – just a little help with daily life

AI is often talked about as if it were going to change the world overnight. In everyday life the benefit may be smaller and much more pleasant: what to cook for dinner, how to make a trip easier, or how to write a polite note to the neighbours?

You don’t need to give AI your personal details to get something out of it. You can use made-up names and general information. Start with things where a mistake won’t do much harm.

Ten things to try

  1. Fridge chef: name three or four ingredients and ask for two meal ideas. Check cooking times and that everything is cooked through yourself.
  2. Travel companion: ask for a relaxed day out in Bath, Boston or even Berlin. Check opening times on the official websites.
  3. Garden helper: ask which plants do well on a sunny balcony. Say roughly which part of the country you live in – there’s no need for your home address.
  4. Crafting companion: ask for a knitting idea explained for a beginner. Check the stitch counts with a test swatch.
  5. Translator: ask it to explain a foreign-language restaurant menu or a short message in English.
  6. Letter writer: ask for a friendly thank-you note or a polite draft complaint. Take out personal details before you paste anything in.
  7. Hobby ideas generator: tell it what interests you and ask for five things to try that don’t need expensive equipment.
  8. Plain-English explainer: copy in a public, hard-to-read text and ask it to explain the main points. Don’t paste in private letters from the authorities in full.
  9. List maker: ask for a packing list for two nights at a cottage. Add your own special needs yourself.
  10. Study buddy: ask for a five-minute introduction to a topic that interests you – the night sky, say, or the history of the Finnish sauna.

How do you get better ideas?

AI answers better when you tell it three things: what you want, who it’s for and on what terms. Compare “think of some food” with “suggest a cheap vegetarian dish for two, ready in about 30 minutes, without using the oven”. The second request is much easier to answer.

If you don’t like the result, don’t start again from scratch: say “give me another suggestion”. That’s often how you find the idea that’s genuinely useful.

Pick just one

Don’t do all ten exercises on the same day. Choose one you can use straight away. The smaller the first benefit, the more easily the tool becomes a natural part of everyday life.

Try it yourself

Try:

I have potatoes, onions, eggs and cheese. Suggest two easy dinners for two. Give the quantities in everyday kitchen measures and point out if anything needs to be cooked especially thoroughly.

The Hilavitkutin reality check

If the AI suggests a six-course dinner for Sunday lunch, remind it that even the dishwasher needs a day off now and then.

Remember this

An AI answer can sound certain even when it’s wrong. Check important information against reliable sources. Never type in your online banking details, your National Insurance or Social Security number, or other people’s private matters.

The AI for Beginners 60+ series

This is part 2 of a five-part guide that helps you get started with AI calmly and safely.

All parts of the series: AI for Beginners 60+ – a free beginner’s guide