AI Doesn't Have to Feel Creepy - Here's a Guide
Any of the information below can change at any time. Before using any kind of Gen AI tool, please be sure to understand your privacy.
Remember January 2023? Chat GPT had broken through to the public and there was so much talk about how Generative AI was going to change our lives and how we work. Even saying the phrase “Chat GPT” is a mouth-full. I still struggle saying it! I also saw a lot of emotions and feelings with folks when the Gen AI topic came up. Some were excited, some scared, some anger, and overall, a wide range of emotions!
Being someone who is curious and I've been exploring how I can use it safely and a tool to help my business. I’ve been slowly experimenting with Gen AI over the past year and a half and wanted to share what I’ve learned.
Like so many things in our world, Gen AI is a tool that can be used in negative and positive ways. It’s similar to social media - do some research and soul searching on how you would like to use and how you will set limits on it.
Today I want to help you carve a path to make your life easier using Gen AI while staying safe.
First, Gen AI can be a great tool to brainstorm. Many time when I’m writing something - this newsletter, a blog post, a marketing blurb or an outline for a class curriculum, I use Gen AI first to help me get started.
Very important - you want to be careful what info you feed into any type of Gen AI tool
What I recommend you do to protect yourself:
Understand the privacy policy of Gen AI tools you use and understand how they use their data
Keep your Gen AI tool updated (if it needs to be)
Always use strong and unique passwords so it can’t easily be hacked into
Don’t dump your creative thoughts that could be proprietary into any Gen AI
Don’t share private info like your personal info: address, SSI, credit card, etc
Don’t share someone else’s private info
Don’t take it at face value, always fact-check, most Gen AI tools have statements at the bottom of their websites that share that they aren’t always accurate
Here's a list of GenAI Tools (other than Chat GPT itself)
Many times, I find I use Google’s free one, Gemini, more out of convivence. (You must be signed onto Google to use it) I use the free version and it's been pretty useful and helpful.
Canva’s Magic Write - this comes with a premium version of Canva and can accomplish most things compared to Chat GPT. I haven’t had a chance to play with it, but I get the impression this is a great option if you have a premium Canva account.
AnonChatGPT allows you to access Gen AI without an account. Past responses aren’t stored to look through later, so only one conversation can be held at a time.
Microsoft Co-pilot (Windows only) - there’s a free version, I’ve only played with it a bit and made a few images.
Something that I think is vital when using these tools - Don’t copy and paste what Gen AI spits out and use it.
First, Gen AI usually generates mundane writing that is super generic. Second, it doesn’t sound like you. The whole point of marketing yourself is so that you can share the essence of you and what you have to offer. There’s a Seth Godin podcast where he shares that soon you’ll be able to tell who is using Gen AI for their marketing writing and who isn’t based on the quality of the writing. Excellent writing that is written by humans still holds a lot of value!
Using prompts!
What has really blown me away is the prompts you can ask Gen AI and how it can create great ideas and results.
I’ve been taking a business relationship course over this past winter and one great takeaway was a series of prompts they gave us to help us narrow down potential referral partners. I wanted to share some prompts I've been experimenting with that have helped me.
Write a blog post title on [the topic] in [number] characters or less.
Outline a short 10 minute webinar and what to focus on for this topic - [enter your topic, be specific]
Act like I’m an online business owner, how to ask for consent when someone signs up for your email newsletter
Generate ideas for updating an outdated infographic on [topic] for [year]
Act as a copywriter and create a blog post idea for a business that works with [a service based business].
More prompts here: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ai-prompt-examples
Bonus: You can even use Gen AI to help with you daily life.
Have some random ingredients in the fridge and don’t know what to make? Enter them in Gen AI and it will generate ideas and recipes. (New twists on an avocado, strawberries, eggs, and leeks!)
Learning a new language? Ask Gen AI to create a story you can read with certain elements (I’ve had Gen AI simple stories in French I can actually read!)
How about you? Are you using prompts with Gen AI? Have you been curious, but overwhelmed where to start?