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How to ask AI for help

Simple tips on how to word a request to an AI tool so the answer is better and actually useful.

Practical3 min read

AI answers what you write, not what you meant. The clearer your request, the better the answer.

The request you type into the chat box is often called a prompt. These tips work for most AI chat tools.

Step by step

  1. Give the background. The AI knows nothing about you or your business. Say who you are and what the situation is, for example: "I run a small bakery in Akureyri."
  2. Say who will read it. An email to a supplier sounds different from a social media post for customers. Say which language you want, too.
  3. Show an example. If you have a piece of writing you like, paste it in and ask for something in a similar style. One example often says more than a long description.
  4. Ask for a format. Say how long the text should be and what shape it should take, for example "three short paragraphs" or "a list of five points".
  5. Check the answer. AI can be wrong, and its Icelandic can slip. Look closely at numbers, names and dates. If the answer is not good enough, say what needs to change and ask for a new version.
  6. Leave out sensitive data. Never paste national ID numbers, salaries, health details or other personal information about customers or staff into free public tools. You do not always know where that data ends up or whether it is used to train the AI.

Before and after

A request like this usually gets a bland, generic answer:

Write an email about a delay.

This one gets a much better answer:

I run a small bakery in Akureyri. A cake order for a confirmation party is delayed by one day because our flour delivery arrived late.

Write a short, warm email to the customer in English. Apologise, say when the cakes will be ready and offer a discount on their next order.

Keep it under 100 words and use a friendly, informal tone.

In the second request the AI knows who is writing, what happened, who will read it and what the text should look like. It does not have to guess.

Still read the answer before you send it. You are responsible for what goes out under your name, not the AI.

When the answer misses the mark

Sometimes the answer still is not what you wanted. It is usually quicker to keep going in the same chat than to start over. Write something like "cut this by half" or "too formal, write it as if you were talking to a neighbour". The AI remembers what came earlier in the same chat.

If you would like help using AI in your daily work, get in touch.

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