Ok, I’m very familiar with using computers. Not an expert, even though some people called me one. I just knew more than they did. I wrote programs in the early 70’s in a high school class. As a programmer professional I was a Senior Programmer Analyst and a budding project leader. I can make a few simple repairs and upgrades to desktop PCs. So, I know my way around.

Then came AI. I read a little here and there about it, but being a Gentleman at Leisure these days, I didn’t know how I would ever be a direct user of it. Then one day, when using Google, there, suddenly was AI. Then I heard ChatGPT had a free version. But what use will this be to me? A friend of mine, who is suing someone Pro se, read me a letter going to the opposing attorney they had written with the help of ChatGPT. Oh boy, I said to myself, this is going to be bad. But it wasn’t - it was good, really good. I know it was good because I also had a career as a paralegal, so I’ve read a lot of legal documents.

Now, I’ve started using AI and maybe while we’re all waiting for AI to kill us or throw everyone out of work, my examples will lead you to use AI too.

My first deliberate use of AI was transforming a recipe that uses stone fruit to use apples. I didn’t know if the apples should be precooked or not. So, I pasted my recipe and my question into the Google search box and I got an answer. I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t see if (Google’s Gemini) AI was right, but the answer made sense. (No, don’t precook the apples.)

From there it expanded to car buying. I asked my AI assistant, how do I get the best price for my new car. AI answered: send this email to dealers near you selling the car. Ok AI, what are the email addresses for Mazda dealers near my zip code? AI gave me the addresses. Only one dealer responded with a price that was already on their website. So, while AI gave me answers, it seems it was out of date.

But AI was helpful with other questions. As the car I was interested in is bigger than my present car, would the new car fit in the space allocated in my garage? AI: show me a chart comparing the outside dimensions of my present car and my prospective new car. Done. The AI answer even accounted for the outside mirrors.

How about color? Can AI give me information about different color choices? I’m going to have this car for a long time, so I want it to look good as long as possible. AI: Which of these paint colors for a 2026 Mazda CX-50 hold up the best over time: Soul Red Crystal Metallic, Cypress Green, Ingot Blue Metallic? Summing up AI’s answer:

“From a long-term durability and maintenance standpoint, Ingot Blue Metallic and Cypress Green hold up better over time than Soul Red Crystal Metallic.”

Darn, I really like that red, but the green is nice too.

Then I tried another approach to AI and considered financial investments. I asked AI (Google’s Gemini) if I wanted to invest 1 million dollars, can AI help me create an investment portfolio? (A huge caution here, I may trust AI about car dimensions and paint colors, but I would consult other sources including financial professionals before making investment decisions.)

I wrote this request and copied and pasted into that little Google search (Gemini) window: In a chart, show the top 15 holdings of the top 15 Dividend ETFs and mutual funds. Assume $66,666.66 is spent for each stock assembling a portfolio of these 15 stocks. List each stock only once. Include columns for stock name, stock symbol, how many of the funds hold it, dividend yield as a percentage and in dollar amounts. For a 1 year period, show the annual growth of the portfolio, assuming dividends are not reinvested and the total amount of dividends paid.

Reading AI’s concise response, including charts, was fascinating. While I could have done all the research to answer these questions myself, even one of these questions would have taken me hours.

Just imagine how long researching the paint information would have taken. With AI, the longest part was writing out the questions as details matter. But AI often went further than I’d asked and included other useful data. If AI helped me, it could help you. Think about your questions and problems you’d like help answering. Have fun!