Whether you’re turning on the news or scrolling through Instagram, it’s hard not to hear about AI technology, so this week I wanted to take some time to cover what the buzz is about and how you can use this technology to make your own life easier.
AI (artificial intelligence) language models like ChatGPT and Jasper in particular are enjoying the spotlight this year. Essentially, these are online software programs that have the ability to interpret natural language and provide human-like responses. In a nutshell, that means you can type in questions or commands as if you were writing a message to a real person, and the software will produce an equally human-like response.
What has the world buzzing over these programs is their ability to understand and interpret the text you enter into them in the same way a real person would, including the ability to modify its response based on your follow-up questions or commands.
If you think AI technology seems a bit too “sci-fi” for daily use, I’m happy to share that there are a number of ways you can use an AI language model to make your family’s life easier right now, from saving you time, helping you communicate, and even helping you plan that much-needed vacation.
Here are three everyday applications for AI that you’ll want to start using today.
1. Get Help Writing a Tricky Email
I think it’s safe to say that we all have times in our lives when we have to deliver an uncomfortable message via email, text, or phone. Maybe you’re resigning from a job, critiquing someone’s work, or delivering bad news. Whatever the situation might be, it can be stressful to try and deliver a message in a way that clearly delivers your message with the right tone for that situation.
Instead of staring blankly at your email or anxiously picking up the phone, try drafting out your message in an AI language model like ChatGPT or Jasper first.
For example, I typed the following into ChatGPT to get a prompt for approaching an employee about a performance issue:
“Imagine you need to give negative feedback to an employee. This employee is friendly and hard-working but makes many spelling mistakes in the company’s meeting minutes. You want the employee to know that you value having them on your team, but that their accuracy needs to be improved. Write an email that I could send to this employee.”
ChatGPT provided the following sample email that I can use:
“Dear [Employee Name],
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to provide you with some feedback regarding the meeting minutes you have been responsible for drafting. First and foremost, I want to express how much we appreciate your hard work and dedication to the team. You are a valued member of our team, and we are lucky to have you.
However, I have noticed that there have been a number of spelling mistakes in the meeting minutes recently. While I understand that mistakes can happen, accuracy is critical when it comes to recording important decisions and actions taken in meetings. I wanted to bring this to your attention so that we can work together to improve the accuracy of the meeting minutes.
I would like to suggest that you take some extra time to review your work before submitting it to ensure that it is error-free. You might also consider using spell-check or grammar-check tools to assist you in catching any mistakes.
Please know that we have confidence in your ability to improve in this area, and we are committed to supporting you in any way we can. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you again for your hard work and dedication to our team.”
Not only did the software draft a natural-sounding email, but it suggested ways the employee could remedy the situation. What’s more, you can ask the AI to further modify and refine its previous responses. For instance, you could ask it to rewrite the email with a more empathetic or casual tone, or to shorten the length of the message.
Gone are the wasted hours trying to craft the perfect email for a challenging situation!
Even if you need to communicate with someone over the phone, using an AI language model can help get the conversation off on the right foot by providing you with an outline for how to start the conversation or outlining the points you want to cover.
2. Find the Best Flight Prices Faster
If you’ve ever planned a family vacation, you know how time-consuming searching for flights can be. What seems like an easy enough task on the surface can easily become a days-long marathon of comparing airlines, prices, layovers, seasons, and the difference in travel time if you fly from one city versus another.
Now, thanks to integration with KAYAK, you can ask ChatGPT questions about your travel plans and ChatGPT will sort through your travel options for you.
For example, you could ask, “What’s the cheapest flight from Fargo to Orlando?” and the software will provide you with the best options that meet your request.
Want a direct flight? You can alter your request by adding, “Show me direct flights only” to further narrow down your options. No need to worry about manners, you can simply be direct and to-the-point with your requests.
Want to compare prices depending on what day of the week? You can ask the software, “What is the cheapest day to fly to Orlando from Fargo in June?”
The KAYAK integration is currently only available for paid ChatGPT subscribers, but plans are underway to make it available in the software’s free version. If you’re anxious to do some traveling and want to try out ChatGPT’s KAYAK integration, paid subscriptions are billable based on how much you use the software and include a free five-dollar credit to get you started.
3. Create a Better Resume and Cover Letter
Whether you’re actively looking for a job or wondering how you could improve your resume to increase your chances of a promotion, having a great resume can mean the difference between getting an interview and being passed up. But it can be difficult to write a resume or cover letter that truly conveys the value of what you bring to the workplace without sounding overly self-promoting. Thankfully, using an AI language model like ChatGPT can help flesh out your resume and create a cover letter that will stand out to a company’s hiring manager.
For example, let’s imagine I’m a receptionist for a medical clinic and want to apply for a similar position at another clinic. I’ve written a resume, but I don’t feel confident that it highlights my skills in the role. In this situation, I pasted my skills from my resume into ChatGPT and entered the following instruction:
“Improve this job description for my resume:
Take patient phone calls and respond to messages
Schedule appointments based on the provider’s availability
Help team members with questions
Follow-up with patients to reschedule canceled appointments”
ChatGPT provided the following improved bullet points:
Responding to patient inquiries via phone, email, and messages with a friendly and professional demeanor, while providing accurate and helpful information.
Coordinating and scheduling appointments based on the availability of healthcare providers, while ensuring that patient needs were prioritized.
Supporting and collaborating with team members by answering questions and providing guidance when needed.
Conducting timely follow-ups with patients to reschedule canceled appointments and ensure their continued care.
The output from ChatGPT conveys my responsibilities as a receptionist in a more interesting and descriptive way, while also highlighting my skills by showing my focus on patientcare and teamwork.
By using an AI language model such as this, you can either start your resume or cover letter from scratch or get tips for how to improve a resume you already have. You can also use the software to customize the same cover letter for different companies, saving countless hours in your job search.
4. Get Help with Your Kids Homework
If you have kids, you know that helping them with their homework can sometimes feel just as tough for you as it does for them. The good news is that you can use an AI language model to walk through homework problems to make them easier for your child - and you - to understand.
All you need to do is type the math problem into the software program and ask for an explanation. For example, I entered the following into ChatGPT:
“Explain how to do this math problem to a 4th grader: 1/2 X 2/3 =”
ChatGPT responded with the following:
“Certainly! We want to find out what happens when we multiply these two fractions together. To do that, we need to multiply the numerators (which are the numbers on top) and then multiply the denominators (which are the numbers on the bottom).
So 1/2 X 2/3 would look like this:
To multiply the numerators, we just multiply the numbers on top: 1 X 2 = 2
And to multiply the denominators, we just multiply the numbers on the bottom: 2 X 3= 6
So the answer is 2/6!
But we can simplify this fraction by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by the greatest common factor, which is 2. If we divide 2/6 by 2, we get 1/3. So the final answer is 1/3!
That means if we had one whole thing that we cut into two equal pieces, and then we shaded in one of those pieces, and then we took that one piece and cut it into three equal pieces, and then we shaded in two of those pieces, we would end up with 1/3 of the whole thing.”
Pretty helpful, right? Now that was a pretty simple example, but you can even ask more complicated math questions or questions for other subjects as well.
Not only can this help you and your child better understand their homework, but can help eliminate the frustration you two may feel over the daily homework struggle.
More Than Legal Advice - Your Trusted Advisor
By using AI technology, you can save time, communicate more effectively, and plan vacations with ease. As your Personal Family Lawyer ®, I will use AI and other technology in my own practice to create more efficiencies and better service, so I can use my heart and humanity to serve you. I’m here to do the parts of lawyering that can never be replaced by a machine and be a trusted advisor for my clients and their families. I know that life can be hectic and stressful, and I’m here to provide resources that can make your life easier now and in the future.
In that vein, I love learning about new technologies and the ways they can improve our lives. But I also know that technology - no matter how good - can never replace the care and humanity that real people have to offer. To me, the best part about technology is that by saving us time, it frees us up to spend more time connecting with one another.
That’s why when it comes to your legal planning, I offer a Life & Legacy Planning Session™ where I not only discuss how the law affects you and your loved ones, but I truly get curious with you about your life, your goals, and the legacy you want to leave behind, so you can rest assured knowing that your estate plan will work perfectly for you. And by using the best technology and systems to do my work, I’m able to be more available to my clients when they need me most.
If you're interested in learning more about how I serve my clients differently than most lawyers or have questions about estate planning, please don't hesitate to schedule a free 60-minute discovery call with me today at 60-minute discovery call link. I’m not just your family’s legal advisor; I’m a trusted advisor for life.
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