Practical guides for everyday AI use
How to check an AI answer
An artificial intelligence tool can write a clear, confident answer that is still wrong. Treat its answer as a starting point, not proof. Before using a claim in a customer email, a business decision, or a public post, check the important details yourself.
Start with names, dates, prices, and quoted words. Open the original source and make sure it actually supports the answer. A link alone is not enough: the page may be out of date, or it may say something different. If the tool cannot provide a source you can check, leave the claim out until you can confirm it elsewhere.
For example, if a tool drafts a flyer with your opening hours, compare every hour with your own schedule before printing. For health, legal, or financial decisions, ask a qualified professional rather than relying on a generated answer. You remain responsible for what you share and act on.
Look up unfamiliar AI words →Choose an AI tool for one real task
Begin with a job you already need to do: shorten an email, outline a presentation, or remove a photo background. Choosing a tool for that one job is easier than signing up for several services without a clear purpose. Use the AI Directory to compare what each tool does and follow its link to the tool's own website.
Check what the price label means before creating an account. Free to try may mean a limited number of uses, a time-limited trial, or a free plan with paid features. Read the current offer on the official website, including whether a payment card is required and whether a subscription renews automatically. Directory prices are a useful starting point, not a promise that an offer has not changed.
Try the tool with a small, non-private example. If you want help rewriting a customer message, replace the customer's name and other personal details first. Compare the result with your original: did it save time, keep the meaning, and sound like you? If not, try a different approach before paying.
Compare tools in the AI Directory →Keep private information out of your first experiment
Before pasting text or uploading a document, consider whose information it contains. Customer addresses, passwords, bank details, employee records, and private business plans do not belong in a casual test. Use invented examples or remove identifying details instead. Removing a name may not be enough if the remaining details still identify someone.
Read the tool's privacy information and account settings. Different services have different rules for storing uploads, using conversations to improve their systems, and deleting your data. Do not assume that a free tool, a paid plan, and a workplace account all provide the same protections.
When trying a Google product, use The Google Guide to find the official site, then check that product's own privacy and sharing settings. Review who can open a document before sharing its link. A convenient tool is only useful if you are comfortable with how it handles the information you give it.
Browse The Google Guide →