What AI chatbots are, and what they're not
What they're good at
Drafting and rewording emails and letters, explaining a topic in simpler terms, brainstorming, summarising a long document you give them, planning (meals, trips, budgets), and practising a language or a hard conversation.
What they're bad at
Being reliably right about facts, numbers, laws, medicine and recent events. They can invent sources, quotes and statistics that look real ('hallucinations'). They don't know you, and they can reflect biases in what they learned from.
The pros
They save time on writing and research, they're patient teachers, and they can make technology and paperwork more accessible to people who find them hard.
The cons
Wrong answers that sound right, privacy (what you type may be stored and reviewed), over-reliance (especially for kids' learning), and scams that now use the same technology.
A good rule
Treat AI like a very well-read assistant who sometimes makes things up. Great for a first draft, never the final word on anything that matters.
Check your understanding
What is an AI 'hallucination'?
When the AI confidently states something false, like an invented fact, quote or source.
Name one thing AI is genuinely good for.
Drafting and rewording text, explaining topics simply, brainstorming, summarising something you give it.