What is AI Used for?
Now that we understand what AI is and how to write effective prompts, let’s dive deeper into real-world use cases. There are virtually endless AI use cases. It’s hard to find an area of life or work where AI doesn’t have something to offer. I’ve broken down the use cases into 7 main categories: content generation, planning & strategy, brainstorming, problem solving, document analysis, learning, and image generation. Let’s unpack each category with specific examples and prompts. For each use case, we’ll incorporate the prompt engineering principles discussed in the previous section to write effective prompts.
Although there are many use cases and prompts listed below, we are barely scratching the surface of what’s possible. As you read through this section, try to think of your own use cases and prompts and test them in an AI tool of your choosing.
Content Generation
AI’s ability to create endless forms of content was one of its first standout features. AI can effortlessly write high quality emails, poems, multi-page essays, Youtube scripts, song lyrics, you name it, all in a matter of seconds. The user simply specifies the type of content (e.g. essay), topic (e.g. Bitcoin investing), length (e.g 1,000 words), tone (e.g. academic), style (e.g. William Shakespeare), and any other constraints (e.g. never start a sentence with the word “it”) and AI does the rest. There may be no practical purpose for a 1,000-word academic essay on bitcoin investing in the style of Shakespeare, but AI will effortlessly knock it out of the park. Keep in mind that you won’t always like AI’s initial output. When this happens, describe exactly what you don’t like about the content it created and use iterative prompting until you’re satisfied with the result.
“Suppose you are an expert in professional writing. Write a 5-sentence email to my boss asking for approval to attend a sustainability conference in Miami, FL. Total cost will be $1,000. Emphasize that the event aligns with our company’s sustainability goals and that I plan to share key insights with the broader team upon return. Use a formal tone.”
YouTube Script
“Suppose you are a world class YouTube video producer. I am making a 15-minute YouTube video on the pros and cons of nuclear energy. Come up with 3 different creative intro hooks that will attract viewers’ attention. Then generate an outline I can follow for the remainder of the video, including suggested times for each section.”
Sales Copy
“Suppose you are an experienced salesman. Write a compelling 150-word product description for a new eco-friendly laundry detergent. Highlight its cleaning power, biodegradable ingredients, and hypoallergenic formula. The tone should be persuasive yet informative, and the copy should appeal to environmentally conscious consumers looking for a safe alternative for their families.”
Writing that sounds overly formal, relies on buzzwords (like boost or unlock), or uses lots of em dashes (—) can be a sign it was written by AI. Use AI as a writing assistant to refine your ideas, not to replace your voice. Overreliance can make your work sound impersonal and hurt your credibility.
I find that ChatGPT and Claude are the best AI tools for content creation. Use ChatGPT if you value more creativity, and Claude if you value a writing tone that is more human-like.
Learning
AI is like having a personal tutor available 24/7 that knows virtually any topic you want to explore. The best part? You’re in complete control of how you learn. With traditional resources (articles, books, YouTube videos) you’re stuck with however the creator decided to explain things. But with AI, you can specify exactly how you want a concept broken down. Need a detailed, technical explanation? Done. Prefer a quick summary or an explanation simple enough for a five-year-old? AI can do that too. And if something doesn’t click? Just tell the AI and ask it to explain the concept differently.
Deep Dives
“Suppose you are an experienced nuclear physicist. I’d like to do a deep dive into nuclear energy. How is it created and where does it come from? What is it used for? What are the pros and cons? What is the current state of the technology and where is it headed? Any other information you think I should know? Please explain in simple terms.”
Comparing Several Items
“Suppose you are an experienced financial advisor. I’d like to understand the difference between a 401k, Roth IRA, traditional IRA, HSA, taxable brokerage account, and high yield savings account. Explain the purpose of each account, tax benefits, and how I should prioritize each account. Show the results in a table.”
Analogies
“Suppose you are an experienced macroeconomist. Come up with an easy to understand analogy to explain inflation: what it is, where it comes from, and how to mitigate it.”
AI knows many things, but not everything. Stay alert for hallucinations. If you suspect that AI's explanation is incorrect, cross check it against a reputable source.
If you are using AI to learn about a topic that is especially complex and you don't quite understand its explanation, ask it to "explain it in simpler terms" or "explain it like I'm 5". Feel free to pinpoint the exact part of the explanation you don't understand for even more context.
Problem Solving
Problem solving is something everyone struggles with, no matter how intelligent you are. Problem solving is difficult because it often requires technical knowledge about the problem at hand, which is something we don’t always have. Thankfully, AI has an in-depth understanding of almost every concept out there, so it can tackle most problems you throw at it. Simply state the problem in detail and ask AI to solve it. However, keep in mind that AI sometimes struggles with problems that require math. As mentioned in the previous section, be sure to tell AI to “think step by step” for these types of problems for a higher success rate. Below are some problems I’ve solved with AI’s help in the past.
Home Troubleshooting
“Suppose you are an experienced AC maintenance professional. My home’s AC has stopped cooling the air inside my home. My thermostat says my AC is on, the indoor blower is still circulating air inside my home, but the fan on the outdoor condenser unit will not turn on. Please suggest possible issues including ways to test them in a bulleted list.”
Microsoft Excel Help
“Suppose you are a Microsoft Excel wizard. I’d like to write a formula that determines the periodic payment needed for an investment to grow from an initial value to an ending value. The initial investment is in cell A2, the rate of return is in cell B2, the number of periods is in cell C2, and the ending value is in cell D2. Please write this formula for me.”
Vehicle Comparison
“Suppose you are an expert in automotive finances. I would like to purchase a 2024 Toyota Camry but unsure if I want to buy the gas version or the hybrid version. Please perform a life cycle cost comparison of each vehicle, assuming I own the vehicle for 10 years. I ultimately would like to purchase the vehicle that minimizes total cost of ownership over these 10 years. Think step by step and show your work. Output the results in a table.”
Don't expect AI to always solve the entire problem for you. Sometimes it will, but it's more likely that AI will expedite the process rather than tackling the entire issue.
When using AI for problem solving, upload photos to provide additional information. Better yet, share your live surroundings with Gemini's live video sharing capabilities.
Ask AI to show its work and state its assumptions if you want to understand its thought process.
Brainstorming
It takes a lot of time and mental energy to brainstorm ideas, and even after all that effort, you might not end up with anything great. That’s where AI makes a huge difference. Just tell AI what you’re trying to brainstorm, and it quickly produces a wide range of ideas. It frequently uncovers ideas I never would have considered on my own. Keep in mind that you won’t always like AI’s initial ideas. When this happens, simply explain what you don’t like about the ideas and use iterative prompting until you land on an idea that meets your needs.
Gift Ideas
“Suppose you are a thoughtful gift-giver. I would like to get my husband something special for his 40th birthday. He enjoys traveling, whiskey, live music, and spending time outdoors. He appreciates experiences over material things. I want this gift to reflect how much he means to me and how well I know him. I have a budget of up to $1,500. We live in Seattle, WA. Please suggest a mix of creative experiences, unique gift ideas, or possible weekend getaways that match his personality and interests.”
Team Building Activities
“Suppose you are an experienced event planner. I have been put in charge of planning a team-building event at work. My team contains 15 people, is culturally diverse, and contains an even split of men and women from 30-50 years of age. We are located in Nashville, TN and have a budget of $4k. Please brainstorm at least 5 activities to choose from and be creative.”
Personal Finance
“Suppose you are an expert in personal finance. I just received a $5k bonus that I’d like to make the most of, but I’m not sure what I should do with it. Can you list out potential options to make the most of this $5k, assuming I have no debt? List out all the options in a table and compare the pros and cons of each.
For best results when brainstorming, encourage AI to "be creative" and "provide ideas that most people wouldn't think of on their own".
Planning & Strategy
Like many others, I’ve never been much of a planner. The process of creating a plan has always felt painful because I tend to overthink the details and get stuck along the way. That completely changed when I started using AI. I simply feed AI the relevant context (my goals, preferences, constraints, etc.) and it generates a structured, thoughtful plan in seconds. AI’s plans won’t always be perfect and often require some tweaking, but it provides an excellent starting point which you can then build on.
Itinerary Planning
“Suppose you are an experienced vacation planner. I am spending 4 days in Munich with my wife in May. We are both 30 years old and enjoy outdoor activities, local food/beer, and unique experiences. We’d like to avoid tourist traps and lean into local culture. Please create a 4 day itinerary for us to follow, including primary recommendations and back-up options.”
Training Plan
“Suppose you are a world class marathon coach. I am running the Chicago half-marathon in 4 months. I’d like to finish the race in under 2 hours using a negative split strategy. This is my first half marathon, and can currently run 5 miles at a 9:30 pace. Create a detailed 4-month training plan for me to follow. Include tips for race day hydration and fueling. Lastly, recommend target mile by mile splits in a table format to help me achieve my sub-2 hr goal.”
Negotiation Strategy
“Suppose you are a negotiation expert. I received a job offer for $120k and 3 weeks of vacation. I would like to negotiate either a salary bump to $130k or a vacation increase to 4 weeks. I have another job offer for $125k and 4 weeks of vacation, but I would rather have the first one. Please create a negotiation strategy for me to follow, assuming it will be done over the phone.”
If using AI to help with planning, always review its initial output before putting the plan into action.
AI is great at role playing! If you are preparing for an important life event (job interview, salary negotiation, etc.), ask AI to assume the role of the other party and you can practice with it in real time.
Research
AI can handle research tasks that would normally take you hours of tab-switching and information gathering. Instead of opening dozens of links and piecing together information from multiple sources, you can have AI do the heavy lifting for you. Whether you’re trying to find the best camera under $1,000 with specific features, diving into technical research papers to disprove a bold claim your uncle made on Facebook, or researching promising stocks in the clean energy space, AI can act as your research agent. Just tell it what you’re looking for and what criteria matter to you, and it’ll synthesize information from across the web into a clear, consolidated answer.
Shopping
“I’d like to purchase a bonsai tree that meets the following criteria: can live in my house with minimal sunlight, requires minimal upkeep (I travel a lot and am often gone for a week at a time), is non poisonous to children and cats, and is under $75. List out the best options, comparing their features in a table. Include links where I can purchase them.
Technical Research
“I’ve heard that blue light from screens before bed disrupts sleep, but I’m not sure if this is actually backed by science or just a myth. Can you research this topic and tell me: What does the scientific research actually say about blue light and sleep quality? How significant is the effect compared to other factors that impact sleep? Are blue light blocking glasses or screen filters actually effective based on the studies? What do sleep researchers recommend? Please cite specific studies where possible so I can verify the information.”
Real Estate Investing
“I’d like to purchase a rental home in an up and coming area that is expected to experience short and term growth. I’d like to use the home for rental and personal use. The home should be no more than $400k, close to mountains and located in an area that experiences all 4 seasons. Suggest a handful of options and compare their current markets in a table.”
As always, watch out for hallucinations when using AI to conduct research. Always cross check AI's output against reputable sources, especially when researching for work purposes.
Perplexity is currently the best AI tools for conducting quick research, especially when real-time data is critical. It even cites its sources, which you can click on to verify the accuracy of Perplexity's output.
For longer form research (typically for highly technical topics), ChatGPT and Gemini offer an incredibly useful feature known as "Deep Research".
File/Image Analysis
You can also attach files and photos directly to an AI model, allowing it to analyze and answer questions about their contents. This approach can save you a significant amount of time, effort, and even money in some situations. For example, imagine having a question about your lengthy apartment lease and not wanting to sift through all 30 pages yourself. Or perhaps you spot a leak in your car. Rather than immediately paying a mechanic, just snap a photo, upload it to AI, and ask for advice. While AI typically provides helpful insights, remember it might not be perfect on the first try. If you’re not satisfied with its initial answer, try refining your question or providing more context until you get the clarity you’re after.
To attach documents and photos, simply hit the “+” button located in the bottom left corner of the AI’s input box.
Finding Info in a Lengthy Document
“I’ve attached a 50 page user manual for my 2018 Toyota Corolla. Please read through the usual manual and find the following information: what type of engine oil do I need? What is the recommended tire pressure? Where is the car’s jack point?”
Summarizing a Long article
“Suppose you are an expert in real estate. I’ve attached a 30-page document on the current state of the real estate market in Austin, TX. Please read through the entire document and boil it down into 5 key points in a bulleted list. Based on these points, offer advice to home buyers and sellers.”
Image Analysis
“I came across this visualization comparing different stocks, but I’m having trouble interpreting what all these metrics mean and how they relate to each other. Can you break down what this chart is showing and and what the key takeaways are?”
You can also attach screenshots! Simply use your computer's snip tool and copy/paste the screenshot into the input box.
Don't limit yourself to one attachment! AI can handle many attachments at once.
Image Generation
AI allows users to quickly produce customized visuals without needing professional design skills or expensive software. While AI is not a full replacement for digital media professionals, it’s a good option when you need a decent image on short notice. Common uses include generating logos, social media graphics, concept art, and image editing. However, AI-generated images often struggle with accuracy. You can improve results through careful prompting and iteration. While far from perfect, AI image tools can significantly reduce barriers to visual creation in many situations.
Logo Creation
“Create a logo for a sustainable home building company called “GreenBeam.” Use a combination of a small modern house and a leaf, line-art style, pastel green and warm beige color palette, flat design, vector graphic, with natural lighting and soft shadows, clean white background.”
Image Transformation
“Transform the attached summer mountain landscape into a snowy winter version. Cover the ground and trees in snow, adjust lighting to feel cooler and more subdued, and add a few snowflakes falling.”
Painting Reenactment
“Create an image of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, painted in the style of a 1700s classical oil painting, dramatic chiaroscuro lighting, earthy color palette with rich reds and browns, ornate frame aesthetic, medium brushstroke texture, historical accuracy prioritized.”
AI struggles to produce images with words or fine details like fingers, necklace beads, etc. These details may appear as blurred, warped or melting together.