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What AI Is Good At vs. Bad At

In Lesson 1, you learned AI is a very well-read assistant, not a mind. Now let's get specific: which tasks should you actually hand off, and which ones should stay yours?

Use this lesson as a filter. Before you ask AI to help with something, run it through this quick test.

The 30-Second Test

Ask yourself: "Am I asking it to draft/organize/explain something, or am I asking it to decide something?"

Draft, organize, explain → good fit for AI
Decide, judge, know you personally → keep that one yourself (AI can inform it, not make it)

Good fits — hand these off with confidence

First drafts — emails, letters, thank-you notes, cover letters
Summaries — long articles, dense documents, meeting notes
Explanations — "explain this like I'm not a doctor/lawyer/engineer"
Organizing messy info — turning notes into a clean list or plan
Brainstorming — gift ideas, trip ideas, ways to phrase something awkward
Practice — rehearsing a hard conversation before you have it

Bad fits — don't rely on AI alone here

Anything with today's exact facts — current prices, live news, "is X still true" — it can be out of date or wrong
Specific numbers you'll act on — medical dosages, legal deadlines, tax figures — verify with a real source
Anything about a real person's private situation — it doesn't know your family, your finances, your history
The final decision — AI can lay out options; you weigh what matters to you
Anything sensitive you wouldn't want stored or seen by others (more on this in Lesson 4)

A simple example

Bad question: "What should I do about my mortgage?"
Too open — it doesn't know your numbers, your goals, or your risk tolerance.

Good question: "Explain the difference between a 15-year and 30-year mortgage in plain terms, with pros and cons for each."
Specific, informational, and you make the final call with real numbers from your lender.