NEW TO AI?
Every month, Declan and Robert join Midwest Radio to talk about artificial intelligence in plain English.
These chats are practical, Irish-focused, and aimed at real people. No jargon. No hype. No scare stories.
MIDWEST RADIO / THINKAI KEY TAKEAWAYS – JANUARY 2026
Below are the key takeaways from our January 2026 discussion, created especially for people who are new to AI and want a safe, sensible place to start.
You do not need technical skills.
You do not need to change your job.
You just need to start small.
START BY ASKING QUESTIONS (NOT GETTING ANSWERS)
AI is best used like a helpful assistant, not an expert.
Instead of asking AI to decide things for you, use it to:
- Explain topics in simple terms
- Summarise information
- Help you think things through
Always remember:
Never trust AI output blindly. Always check it.
Use ChatGPT or Claude and try asking:
- “Explain this to me like I’m new to it”
- “Give me a simple summary”
- “What questions should I be asking?”
USE AI TO READ AND SUMMARISE
INFORMATION FOR YOU
One of the most useful things AI can do is save time reading.
Paste in long emails or documents
Upload PDFs or reports
Ask for short, clear summaries
This is especially useful if you feel overwhelmed by information.
Use NotebookLM to:
- Upload documents
- Ask questions about them
- Get clear summaries in plain language
USE AI FOR SEARCHING,
NOT JUST GOOGLE
AI search tools are now much better at:
This is far more useful than scrolling through pages of links.
Try Perplexity for searching:
LEARN BY DOING SMALL
THINGS REGULARLY
You do not need a course or training to begin.
The best way to learn AI is to:
Examples:
- Drafting emails
- Writing lists
- Planning trips
- Understanding forms or letters
Pick one small task this week and try AI with it.
If it helps, keep using it.
If it does not, ignore it.
That is how learning works.
AI should assist, not replace people.
IMPORTANT REMINDER
Every month, Declan and Robert join Midwest Radio to talk about artificial intelligence in plain English.
NEED HELP OR WANT TO
TALK TO US?
If you would like help understanding AI, or want to chat about how it might fit into your work or daily life:
If you would like help understanding AI, or want to chat about how it might fit into your work or daily life:
© ThinkAI · AI illustration