Understanding AI Tools What They Can Do, What They Cannot and How to Use Them Well

Artificial intelligence has been part of everyday technology for years, in spam filters, satellite navigation, recommendation systems and voice assistants. What has changed recently is the arrival of generative AI, tools that can produce text, images, audio and code in response to ordinary-language requests.

Chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot are based on large language models. These are systems trained on vast quantities of text, which learn statistical patterns in language, so that they can predict what words are likely to come next, and use this to produce fluent, relevant responses. Image generators work in a related way, creating pictures from descriptions. These systems do not look things up in a database of facts, nor do they understand the world as a person does, though they can produce remarkably useful results.

This helps to explain both their strengths and their weaknesses. They are good at drafting, rewriting, summarising, explaining, brainstorming and translating, because these tasks rely on language patterns. They are less reliable when accuracy matters, because a response that sounds plausible is not necessarily correct. They can also reflect biases in their training data, and are limited by what they were trained on and the information they are given.

Used with care, AI tools can be genuinely helpful. The best uses are those in which you can judge the quality of the result.

Drafting and editing is the most common use. You can ask an assistant to draft a polite complaint, tidy up a letter, adjust the tone of an email or suggest a better way to phrase a sentence. You then read, correct and make it your own. Summarising long documents, explaining unfamiliar topics in plain language, suggesting recipes from the ingredients you have, planning a trip, brainstorming ideas, practising a language and helping with spreadsheets or simple code are all things that people find useful.

AI can also be a patient tutor. You can ask it to explain a concept in a different way, to give examples, to quiz you, or to explain why an answer is wrong. Because you can ask follow-up questions without embarrassment, many people find it a comfortable way to learn. Accessibility is another benefit: AI tools can describe images, transcribe speech, provide captions and help people with dyslexia or other difficulties to write.

To get good results, be clear and specific. Say what you want, who it is for, what tone you need and any constraints. Provide the relevant background. If the first answer is not right, say what is wrong and ask for a revision. Treat the conversation as a collaboration rather than a vending machine.

AI tools make mistakes, and some of them are unusual. Knowing the main failure modes helps you to guard against them.

The best known is what is called hallucination: the tool states something false with complete confidence, including invented facts, quotations, sources, court cases and web addresses. It happens because the system is generating plausible text, not retrieving verified facts. Always check important facts, names, dates, figures and references against reliable sources, particularly when they matter. If you ask an AI for sources, check that they exist and say what is claimed.

AI tools may reflect biases in the data they learn from, and may give different answers to similar questions. They may also be out of date, since their knowledge comes from training data with a cut-off date, though some tools can search the web. They can struggle with arithmetic, logic puzzles and tasks that require careful, multi-step reasoning, although this is improving. They may be too agreeable, telling you what you want to hear.

Do not rely on AI to detect AI. Tools that claim to detect AI-written text are unreliable and have wrongly accused people of cheating. Do not assume that a polished answer is a correct one, and do not use AI as a substitute for professional advice.

When you type something into an online AI tool, you are sharing it with a company. It is worth knowing what happens next.

Check the privacy policy and settings of any AI tool you use. Some services keep conversations and may use them to improve their systems, unless you opt out, and some allow staff to review them. Do not enter sensitive information, such as passwords, bank details, medical records, confidential work documents, or personal information about other people, into a general AI tool, unless you are certain how it will be handled. Many organisations have policies on AI use, and using unapproved tools with confidential data can breach them and data protection law.

Be careful with apps that claim to use AI. Some are fronts for data collection or scams, and fake AI apps have spread malware. Download tools from official stores and well-known providers. Be cautious about giving AI assistants access to your email, files or accounts, and review the permissions you grant.

Remember that AI-generated content may infringe on others' rights or raise copyright questions, which are still being settled in the UK and elsewhere. If you use AI-generated text or images for work, a business or publication, check the tool's terms of use and your organisation's rules, and be honest about where AI has been used if it matters.

The same technology that helps with everyday tasks also helps criminals, and it makes some old scams more convincing.

Voice cloning can reproduce a person's voice from a short clip, such as one posted on social media, and criminals have used it to make calls that sound like a relative in trouble who needs money urgently. Deepfake video can place a face on another person's body, and has been used in investment scams, fake celebrity endorsements and impersonation of company executives. AI also helps scammers to write fluent, personalised phishing messages without the spelling errors that once gave them away, and to run fake profiles and chat conversations at scale.

The defence is to rely less on how something looks or sounds and more on verification. If you receive an urgent request for money, even from a voice or face you know, end the contact and call the person back on a number you already have. Agree a family safe word, a phrase that only you know, to be used in genuine emergencies. Be suspicious of unsolicited investment offers, however convincing the video, and check them against the Financial Conduct Authority's register. Businesses should have procedures for verifying payment requests.

Be careful about what you post online. The more that voice, video and personal details are available publicly, the more material there is for criminals to use. Set accounts to private where you can. The ebooks on spotting scams and on spotting misinformation give more guidance.

AI is changing quickly, and the rules around it are still being developed. A sensible approach is open, curious and careful.

In the UK, there is no single AI law at the time of writing. Existing laws on data protection, consumer protection, equality, copyright and online safety apply, and regulators such as the Information Commissioner's Office, the Competition and Markets Authority and Ofcom have roles. The European Union has adopted a specific AI Act, and policy in the UK and elsewhere continues to evolve, so it is wise to check for current developments. Decisions that significantly affect you, such as in recruitment or credit, made solely by automated systems are subject to safeguards under data protection law, including in some cases the right to human review.

At work, find out what your employer's rules are, and consider how AI could change your job, in tasks and in skills. Learning to use AI tools well is likely to become a valuable skill, but human judgement, accountability and relationships matter more, not less. With children, talk about when AI use is acceptable and when it is not, particularly in schoolwork, and encourage them to think critically about what AI tells them.

Keep your own thinking in practice. Using AI for everything can weaken skills that you want to keep, such as writing, reasoning and memory. Use it as an assistant and not as a substitute for effort where learning is the point. Stay curious, check what matters and keep a sense of proportion.