The Cogito Brief

Good morning,

Do you need to be an expert in Artificial Intelligence to benefit from it?

Absolutely not. In fact, nobody is truly an expert in AI because the technology changes too quickly. New models, tools, and features are released every week.

Instead of trying to memorize every new feature, focus on learning how to use AI to solve problems, learn faster, and make better decisions. Today, I want to share three simple prompts that can help you do exactly that.

Let's begin.

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When was the last time you learned something completely new?

Maybe it was years ago or maybe it was recently. Either way, learning something unfamiliar can feel overwhelming at first. The good news is that AI can act like a personal tutor that is available whenever you need it.

Here is the first prompt and feel free to copy and paste:

"Explain photosynthesis to me as if I were in high school. Use simple language, provide examples, and quiz me afterward to make sure I understand."

This prompt is incredibly powerful because it forces AI to simplify complicated ideas into easy-to-understand language. Instead of drowning you in technical terms, it breaks concepts down into manageable pieces and helps you build a strong foundation before moving on to more advanced material.

As your understanding improves, you can continue asking follow-up questions and gradually increase the difficulty level.

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Have you ever asked ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini a question and received what felt like an entire textbook in response? Sometimes more information isn't better.

At the end of every response, ask AI to provide a short summary and the single most important takeaway. Copy and paste this prompt:

"After answering my question, provide a three-sentence summary and tell me the single most important takeaway."

This helps you quickly understand the key point before diving into the details. For example, let's say you ask Gemini for advice about your landscaping project. It might give you several paragraphs explaining different options. But maybe all you really want to know is:

"Should I turn my sprinklers on at night or not?"

A summary helps you find the answer faster and makes it easier to decide what follow-up questions to ask.

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The third prompt is one of my favorites because it helps turn information into action. Ask AI to give you an example or real-world scenario related to your question. Copy and paste the following prompt:

"Give me a realistic example that demonstrates how this works. Walk me through it step-by-step and explain why each step matters."

Learning becomes much easier when you can see a concept in action. For example, let's say you're trying to understand a new budgeting strategy. Instead of simply asking how it works, ask AI to walk through a realistic example using actual numbers.

Or if you're trying to assemble furniture, ask it to explain the process step-by-step using a practical example.

The more context you provide, the more useful the example becomes.

The biggest mistake people make with AI is focusing on specific workflows instead of learning the process behind them.

But if you know how to ask good questions, learn efficiently, and think critically, you'll be able to adapt no matter what changes next. Over the next few weeks, I'll also be sharing a free resource that you can keep handy whenever you need help writing prompts or learning something new with AI.

In the meantime, I just posted a new video on my YouTube channel walking through practical ways to use AI. You can check it out here.

Zack Wright