Labor Day Tech Talk · Grandma's House

AI for Normal People

What ChatGPT can do for you today, without becoming a computer person.

The whole lesson: ASK → SHOW → CHECK
Senior cheat sheet
1 · Opening

You don't need to learn AI.

You need to learn how to talk to it.

Old way: search Google for the right words.

New way: explain the problem in normal language.

“My Samsung TV has no sound. I am not technical. Give me one thing to try at a time.”
2 · Tech support

Use AI as your patient tech helper.

TV

Picture the ports, remote, error message, or blinking light.

Printer

Show the screen and ask what the error means.

Phone

Ask for one setting at a time instead of a 20-step list.

Wi-Fi

Show the router lights and explain what stopped working.

Magic phrase: “Give me one step at a time. Wait for me after each step.”
3 · Show it

Sometimes don't describe it. Show it.

Take a picture or screenshot and ask a question about what is actually in front of you.

“What is this cable, where should it plug in, and what should I photograph next if you can't tell?”
Plants · appliance labels · dashboard lights · remotes · thermostat screens · old tools · confusing settings · mystery cords
4 · Image generation

Now make something that never existed.

Describe a picture. AI creates a new image from your instructions.

“Create Grandma riding a Harley through Times Square wearing sunglasses and a fabulous red jacket.”
“Turn a 1950s family reunion into a vintage magazine-cover illustration.”

Best live demo: make the room invent the image together.

5 · Family history

Your old photos can talk back.

Describe

Ask AI to carefully describe everything visible.

Preserve

Create captions and family-history notes for younger generations.

Restore

AI image tools can help clean up scratches or damage.

Investigate

Ask what clues might reveal date, place, clothing, or objects.

“Describe this photograph for my grandchildren. Separate what you can actually see from what you're only guessing.”
6 · Paperwork

Turn bureaucracy into English.

“Explain this letter in plain English. What do I need to do, what is the deadline, and what happens if I do nothing?”
Good targets: insurance notices, utility bills, warranties, instructions, government letters, travel rules, contracts you want summarized.
7 · Scam spotting

Make suspicious messages defend themselves.

“Look at this text message. Give me the evidence that it may be legitimate and the evidence that it may be a scam.”
Do not paste: passwords, Social Security numbers, full banking credentials, PINs, or one-time security codes.

For money, medicine, or legal decisions: AI helps you investigate. It doesn't get the final vote.

8 · What's behind the curtain?

Where does the answer actually come from?

Your phone
→
Internet
→
AI data center

You're borrowing a tiny slice of an enormous computer factory for a few seconds.

Specialized chips

Lots of computation happens very quickly.

Cooling

All that computation produces heat.

Electricity

Modern AI infrastructure uses serious power.

Fiber networks

Your request and answer travel back and forth fast.

9 · Get better answers

Tell it who you are and what success looks like.

Weak: “Help me exercise.”
Better: “I'm 76, haven't exercised regularly in years, and want a gentle 10-minute routine I can do inside without equipment. Keep it simple.”

Context makes AI dramatically more useful.

10 · Remember only this

ASK → SHOW → CHECK

ASK

Explain what you want in ordinary language.

SHOW

Add the photo, screenshot, letter, or other context.

CHECK

For important things, ask why and verify.

ITERATE

Say “simpler,” “slower,” “one step at a time,” or “try again.”

11 · Grand finale

Who has something annoying in their life?

Let's actually use AI on it.

Fix something

TV, phone, printer, thermostat, Wi-Fi.

Understand something

Letter, bill, rules, instructions.

Create something

Picture, invitation, recipe, story.

Plan something

Trip, meal, project, shopping list.

The best demo is a real problem from someone in this room.
12 · Finish

AI is not a computer class.

It's a new way to ask for help.

Start with: “I don't know how to do this. Help me one step at a time.”
Open the take-home guideOpen ChatGPT