[AI Introduction] Where should I start? Grasping the big picture of AI | "AI from Scratch" #2
✦ What you will learn in this article
AI can help you not only with research, but also with writing, summarizing, and organizing your thoughts. In this article, I will summarize the
big picture of what AI can do, along with the steps and prompts to ensure you don't get lost on your first step. You don't need to memorize technical terms. The content is designed so you can try it out immediately with your current tasks starting today.
✦ AI is not just for "looking things up"
The first thing to know to avoid getting lost is the scope of "what it can do." Broadly speaking, AI can help you with these five things:
🔘 Research: Searching / Reading multiple pages to dig deeper
🔘 Creating text: Writing, editing, or softening the tone
🔘 Summarizing: Making long texts shorter and focusing on key points
🔘 Consulting: Organizing thoughts / Getting a different perspective
🔘 Organizing: Creating lists / Prioritizing tasks
Recent AI is also quite good at searching, and can even handle "deep research" by reading multiple pages and summarizing the content.
However, I feel that its real value lies beyond that. Its strength lies in being able to take the information you've researched and turn it into text or use it to organize your thoughts.
If you only view it as a "research tool," you might only be using half of its potential.
✦ Where people often stumble at first
These are the areas where people usually get stuck when they first start using AI.
🔘 I don't know which AI to use
→ One is enough to start. If you stick to just one, like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, you won't get exhausted by comparing them.
🔘 I don't know what to ask
→ You don't need to think of a brilliant question. Even a simple phrase like "shorten this text" will work just fine.
🔘 I'm worried if the answer is correct
→ AI can sometimes be confidently wrong. I will summarize how to verify answers in the next section.
🔘 I get stuck on the word "prompt"
→ A prompt is just a "request to the AI." It's nothing more or less than that.
🔘 I can't see how to use it in work or daily life
→ Emails, shopping lists, meal planning, research. In fact, it's better suited for smaller tasks.
I think these are all places where everyone gets stuck at first.
Once you get past them, things become much easier.
✦ The trick is to "ask small, then add on"
If you try to write the perfect instruction from the start, you're likely to stop and think "it's too difficult after all" when it doesn't go well.
I recommend asking short questions and then adding requests to the answer you get back.
✅ Start by choosing one AI
✅ Begin with short questions
✅ Add follow-up requests to the answer, like "make it shorter" or "make it softer"
For example, ask "summarize this text," and then add "make it 3 lines" or "reduce the technical jargon" to the result.
Just by doing this, it feels like you get closer to the desired result faster than trying to get it perfect on the first try.
It's easier to think of interacting with AI as a conversation rather than a one-shot deal.
✦ How to deal with "worrying if the answer is correct"
AI is convenient, but it can sometimes be confidently wrong about facts.
It's easier to work with if you view this as a characteristic rather than a flaw.
✅ Do not trust numbers, dates, or proper nouns blindly; verify them lightly.
✅ For information used in important decisions, also check original sources like official websites.
✅ Ask the AI follow-up questions like, 'What is the source of that information?'
For rough summaries or drafting text, minor inaccuracies are rarely a major problem.
On the other hand, for matters where mistakes could be problematic—such as money, health, or contracts—I feel it is safer to use the AI's answer as a draft and verify it yourself at the end.
✦ Procedure: The first 5 steps
First, decide on one AI (if you're unsure, ChatGPT is fine).
Try asking a short question (you don't need to worry about writing it perfectly).
Ask follow-up questions based on the answer you received (saying 'do more of X' is enough).
Use it for small tasks in your daily life or work (start with things like emails, notes, or research).
Finally, check for any mistakes (especially numbers and proper nouns).
No special preparation is needed.
You can start by opening the app on your smartphone and just talking to it.
✦ Prompts you can try by copying and pasting
You can use these just by copying them and replacing the text inside the 【 】 with your own.
🔘 Summarize long text
次の文章を3行に要約してください。
専門用語は避けて、やさしい言葉でお願いします。
【ここに文章を貼る】🔘 Make LINE messages or emails sound softer
次のメッセージを、やわらかく丁寧な印象に書き直してください。
意味は変えず、冷たく感じない言い方にしてください。
【ここにメッセージを貼る】🔘 Prioritize your to-do list
次のやることリストを、優先順位の高い順に並べ替えてください。
それぞれ、なぜ先かを一言ずつ添えてください。
【ここに箇条書きで貼る】🔘 Turn notes into a checklist
次のメモを、抜け漏れのないチェックリスト（□付き）にしてください。
実行しやすい順番に並べてください。
【ここにメモを貼る】🔘 Have complex topics explained simply
次のことを、予備知識がない人にもわかるように、
たとえ話を使って説明してください。
【ここに知りたいことを書く】🔘 Think of dinner ideas based on ingredients you have
冷蔵庫にある「卵・キャベツ・豚肉」で作れる夕食を3つ提案してください。
できれば30分以内、簡単なものでお願いします。🔘 Check text for errors
次の文章を、誤字・脱字と不自然な言い回しだけ直してください。
直した箇所は、最後にまとめて教えてください。
【ここに文章を貼る】🔘 Organize the main points of your research
「〇〇」について、初心者向けに要点を5つにまとめてください。
むずかしい用語には、短い補足をつけてください。
【知りたいテーマを書く】At first, just trying one of these is enough.
If you save the ones you like in your notes, it will be easier to use them next time.
✦ Save the answers you like as prompts
As you use it, there will be moments when you think, 'This answer is just right.' If you just close that conversation, you will have to start from scratch the next time you want to achieve the same result.
I recommend having the AI itself turn the answer into a prompt within the same chat where you got a good result.
The best approach is to have the AI turn the good answer into a prompt within the same chat session.
✅ Immediately after getting an answer you like, send the following sentence
✅ Save the returned prompt in a memo or Notion
✅ From next time on, just paste it and replace the 【 】
Here is a sentence you can use as is.
いまの答えを、別の内容でも使い回せるプロンプトにまとめてください。
毎回変える部分は【 】にしてください。The prompts you collect this way will become your own personal prompt library.
The more successful interactions you save, the less you will have to write from scratch, and the easier it will be to recall the same quality of output.
✦ The order to read next
By now, you have grasped the basic entry point. Once you get used to it, it is hard to get lost if you expand your knowledge in this order.
Differences between AI tools (strengths of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.)
Prompt basics (accuracy improves just by refining how you convey your request)
Writing (emails, posts, document creation)
Research (how to use it for searching and deep research)
Learning (support for language learning and study)
Image generation (creating illustrations and images for materials)
Safe usage (handling personal information and maintaining a critical mindset)
You don't have to try to do everything from the start.
I think it is enough to start with one thing at a time, as you need it.
✦ Today's small step
First, choose one short piece of text you have on hand and paste it into the 'summarize' prompt above.
Once that goes well, try expanding the scope little by little, such as 'make it softer' or 'turn it into a checklist'.
As you use it in small ways like that, I think you will naturally see other situations where AI is useful beyond just research.
Thank you for reading. See you in the next article.
If you only want to see the article, you are good to go here.
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This page is a guide
compiled so that you can reach the articles you are interested in without getting lost.
Please take your time and browse from the sections that interest you.
*Currently being updated as needed.
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