Explain what AI is (and isn’t) in plain language to a coworker, family member, or friend without resorting to jargon.

Write effective prompts that get useful, specific results and know how to iterate across multiple turns when the first response isn’t right.

Compare major AI tools — ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini — and make informed choices about which to use for different tasks, based on firsthand experience rather than marketing.

Evaluate any new AI tool critically by asking what it actually does, what data it needs, who made it, and whether its claims hold up.

Spot AI-generated content(including deepfake images, synthetic text, and manipulated audio) and verify what’s real using available tools and techniques.

Articulate the ethical, environmental, and political dimensions of AI, develop your own informed position on the water costs of AI infrastructure, the implications of military and government AI partnerships, and the concentration of power in a few companies.

Develop a personalized AI workspace with Projects for different areas of your life, Connectors to your real tools, Artifacts for creating documents and interactive outputs, and Memory that builds context over time.

Identify when AI is the right tool and when it isn’t — know the difference between tasks where AI genuinely helps (organization, synthesis, brainstorming) and tasks where it reliably fails (nuanced judgment, emotional intelligence, facts without verification).

Recognize bias and limitations in AI which reflect its training data, reproduce stereotypes, omit perspectives, and present confident-sounding nonsense.

Have a personal AI use framework, a set of principles and habits for when and how you choose to use AI in your own life that is grounded in both practical experience and critical awareness.