5 Insider Tips to Make AI Work for You (Not the Other Way Around!)

Everyone keeps raving about AI and all the great things it can do. But whenever I try using AI tools for my work presentations, the results are very generic. I also have to prompt the AI over and over again so it will do what I need it to do. Using it doesn’t seem to save me much time.

Am I doing something wrong? Or am I just expecting too much from AI?

— Kevin

A lot of AI users are feeling like Kevin these days. Maybe you are one of them. You’ve tried different AI tools, or perhaps you keep using the same one over and over again, hoping this time you’ll get better results. You keep hearing stories about all the nifty things AI can do, but you’re just not seeing that in your own work.

So, how can you get the most out of AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini? First, it helps to understand how these tools operate—this article explains the basics. Then check out the five tips and tricks below to help you take control and make AI work for you, not the other way around.

1. Keep your goals in mind

Every time you’re about to use AI, ask yourself: “What is the purpose of this content?” Being aware of your goal will help you steer the AI in the right direction.

• Do you want to inform? Ask the AI for a clear, concise, and well-organized text.
• Do you want to persuade? Tell the AI to use language that’s more emotional and motivational.
• Do you want to engage your audience? Ask the AI for a text that’s casual, conversational, and fun.

Once you know exactly what you want the AI to do, you’ll be able to guide it more effectively and avoid irrelevant or incomplete responses.

2. Be specific with your prompts

What’s the number one rule for working with AI? Clarity is everything.

Think of your prompt as a set of instructions. The more details you feed into the AI, the better its response will be. If you type in a vague request like “Write a brief article about marketing”, the response will be bland and forgettable. Also, anyone who is familiar with AI-generated writing will be able to tell that the text wasn’t written by a real human.

But if you type “Write a 300-word article about social media marketing trends in 2025 for a LinkedIn audience that consists mainly of moms who sell organic health and beauty products”, then the AI is more likely to give you a high-quality response.

For best results, your initial prompt should include the following:

• Context: Who is your audience? Where will they be reading this text (e.g., on a blog, on LinkedIn, in a written publication)?
• Tone: Do you want to sound formal, informal, or “business casual”?
• Format: Should the text consist of paragraphs, bullet points, a numbered list, or some combination of these?

3. Use AI for first drafts

One of the biggest mistakes people make with AI is treating its first response as a finished product. Even if the AI gives you an excellent first draft, your work is not done. AI is not a replacement for human judgment and editing. You’ll still need to review the AI’s output, tweak it to match your style, and check for accuracy.

You may need to add more content, especially those key details that only you can provide, such as company-specific information or your own personal insights. You also might need to remove parts of the AI-generated content, especially if it’s repetitive, weird, or doesn’t fit your project or message.

4. Experiment with different prompts

Sometimes the AI’s first response will totally miss the mark. That doesn’t mean it failed—you might just need to tweak your approach. See if you can pinpoint where the AI went wrong and then try to fix it with different prompts.

“One time I asked ChatGPT to make sure my presentation would generate excitement,” Kevin recalled. “But it went too far. It gave me something that made me sound like a game show host instead of an engineer.”

Kevin managed to find the right balance with his next prompt. “Instead of asking ChatGPT to generate excitement, I gave it more details about my audience,” said Kevin. “I told it what I wanted the audience to learn and take away from the presentation. So I got a better response.”

5. Add your expertise and creativity

AI can do a lot, but it doesn’t have your experience, insights, creativity, or social skills. That’s where you come in. While AI can help you generate ideas or provide structure to your text, you will see the best results when you include your own personal touch.

Imagine you’re writing a LinkedIn article about time management and the AI spits out a list of five generic tips. You can spice those up by adding real-world examples from your own life experience that will resonate with your audience.

AI knows patterns in language, but it doesn’t know you! Your unique voice will make your content stand out.

Bonus Tip: Stay curious and keep learning

AI tools are evolving fast and new ones are popping up on a regular basis. The best way to stay on top of the game is to keep playing around with AI until you feel more confident using these tools. Try new prompts, test different tones and formats, and don’t be afraid to explore features you haven’t used before. Each interaction with an AI tool gives you an opportunity to improve your skills.

Remember: You are the one who is driving the “AI bus”. It cannot move without you. And it does something you don’t like, it’s up to you to steer it in the right direction!