New to AI? Here’s what to open and what to ask

Just want somewhere to start?

Open ChatGPT and ask it something you were already going to look up or ask a friend. If you already use a Google account, Gemini is another easy place to begin.

That’s our suggestion for getting going. You can try the others whenever you’re curious.

Which AI apps are there?

Here are five you’ll come across, with a few ideas for your first chat.

App	Open it here	Something to try
ChatGPT by OpenAI	chatgpt.com	Ask a question, work on a message, or brainstorm weekend plans.
Gemini by Google	gemini.google.com	Sign in with your Google account and ask for help planning or learning something.
Claude by Anthropic	claude.ai	Talk through an idea or ask it to help you rewrite a paragraph.
Microsoft Copilot	copilot.microsoft.com	Ask an everyday question or get ideas for something you’re working on.
Perplexity	perplexity.ai	Look up a topic and get an explanation with links to read more.

How do I get one?

On a computer: click a link above. You can start in your browser, without installing anything. Follow the sign-in or signup steps if they appear.

On your phone: those links are a starting point too. If you prefer an app, look for its name in the App Store or Google Play. For example, Claude’s download page links to its apps; the Copilot app is called Microsoft Copilot.

For your first chat, stay with the ordinary chat screen. You can explore the extra buttons later.

What do I type?

Something you actually need. Dinner, a message you’re putting off, or a thing you’ve never quite understood.

• Dinner: “I have eggs, tofu and cabbage. What can I make in about 20 minutes?”
• A message: “Help me tell a friend I can’t make dinner tonight. Warm and casual, please.”
• Learning: “I keep hearing about cloud storage. Explain it with an everyday example.”
• A day out: “Help me plan a relaxed afternoon in Taipei. I like bookstores and cafés.”

These are starting ideas. Change them to fit your own day. You can write in English or try “請用繁體中文回答我” if you’d like Traditional Chinese.

The useful bit is the next message

You can keep talking in the same conversation:

“Too long. Give me the short version.”

“I don’t eat tofu. What else could I make?”

“That sounds like a work email. Make it sound like a text to a friend.”

You don’t have to restart or write a perfect first question. Tell it what would make the answer more useful.

Give it a place in your day

Next time you get stuck writing something or wonder “how does that work?”, open the app and ask. That’s enough for a first go.

Want a few more ideas? Try chatting more naturally with AI, getting help with a message, or learning with an AI tutor.