Course Catalog / BMU 120 / Lesson 1 of 8
Lesson 1: What AI chat tools are, and what they are not
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Why this matters
This lesson is for anyone who has never used an AI chat tool, or tried one and was not impressed. You will learn what it is, where it goes wrong, and get one real, useful result safely.
Start with what you already do
You already know how to ask a coworker for help. You say what you need, who it is for, and when you need it. Asking an AI tool works the same way.
Common belief: AI looks things up and gives you facts.
What is actually true: An AI chat tool writes text that fits patterns it learned. It can be right, and it can be confidently wrong. You check the facts.
In this lesson you will
- Explain in plain words what an AI chat assistant does
- Name what it is good at and where it goes wrong
- Produce a first useful draft safely in under ten minutes
Key words
- AI chat assistant
- A program you type or talk to in plain language that writes a response.
- prompt
- What you type to tell the AI what you want.
- hallucination
- When AI states something false as if it were true.
- private information
- Anything you would not post on a public bulletin board, like passwords, account numbers, or medical details.
No hype, just a useful tool
You have probably heard that AI will change everything, or that it is a fad. Neither helps you on a Tuesday afternoon. This course treats AI as what it is for most people: a free or low cost tool that can save you time on writing, planning, and figuring things out, if you use it with care.
We do not recommend any one company's product in this course. Tools come and go, and features change often. The skills you learn here work with any AI chat assistant.
What an AI chat assistant actually does
An AI chat assistant is a program you type to (and with some tools, talk to) in plain language. It was trained on a very large amount of text, and it learned the patterns of how words fit together. When you ask it something, it writes a response that fits those patterns, one piece at a time.
That is why it can write a polite email in seconds. It is also why it can be wrong. It is built to produce a response that sounds right, and sounding right is not the same as being right.
What it is good at
- First drafts: emails, letters, cover letters, social posts, and meeting agendas.
- Rewriting: making something shorter, friendlier, more formal, or easier to read.
- Summaries: turning a long article or document you paste in into key points.
- Brainstorming: gift ideas, names, meal plans, ways to explain a hard topic to a child.
- Explaining: walking you through a concept step by step, at your pace, without judgment.
- Organizing: turning a messy list into a checklist, a schedule, or a table.
Where it goes wrong
- It can make things up. AI tools sometimes state false facts, fake quotes, or sources that do not exist, and they say them with full confidence. People often call this "hallucinating." AI can sound confident even when it is wrong, and asking it how sure it is does not prove anything.
- It may not know recent events. Some tools search the web and some do not. Unless you can see where a fact came from, do not assume it is current.
- It can get math and details wrong. Always check numbers, dates, names, and amounts.
- It can reflect bias. It learned from human writing, and human writing has blind spots.
- It is not a search engine. It writes an answer instead of pointing you to a source. Do not use it as your only source for health, legal, or money decisions.
- It is not a professional. It is not your doctor, lawyer, accountant, or counselor. Use it to prepare questions for those people, not to replace them.
The three rules for this whole course
- Protect private information. Do not paste passwords, Social Security numbers, bank or card numbers, medical details, or private work documents. Some tools may store what you type or use it to improve their systems, depending on the tool and your settings. On some tools, people at the company may review chats, and deleting a chat may not delete the data. If you would not post it on a public bulletin board, do not paste it.
- You are the editor. AI writes the first draft. You check the facts, fix the tone, and decide what goes out with your name on it.
- Follow the rules where you are. Many employers and schools have policies on AI use. Know yours before you use AI for work or school.
Your first win: a hard email in two minutes
Open any free AI chat assistant you are comfortable with. Think of an email or text you have been putting off, maybe asking for a schedule change, following up on a bill, or saying no to a request. Then type something like this, filling in your own details but leaving out anything private:
Write a short, polite email to my child's coach saying we will miss practice next Tuesday because of a family event. Keep it under 80 words and sound friendly, not overly apologetic.
Read what comes back. Then ask for a change: "Make it warmer," or "Make it shorter," or "Use simpler words." Notice that you are having a conversation, not running a search. When it sounds like you, copy it, fix anything that is not true, and send it yourself.
That is the whole loop you will use all course long: ask clearly, review carefully, refine, and stay in charge.
Try the free AI Prompt Builder. Fill in a few boxes and it writes a clear prompt you can copy into any AI tool. It also warns you if it spots something private like a phone number or email address.
Try it: Your first AI win
Pick your scenario:
- A message to a coach, teacher, or school
- A follow up about a bill or appointment
- A polite no to a request
- Pick your scenario above.
- Pick one email or message you have been putting off
- Write a prompt with who it is for, what it should say, and how long it should be, leaving out private details
- Ask for at least one change, like warmer, shorter, or simpler
- Fix anything that is not true, then send it yourself
Do it by: Tomorrow
Reflect
Check your understanding
1. AI gives you a confident answer that includes a date. What should you do?
- Use it. It sounded sure.
- Check the date in a trusted source before you use it.
- Ask the AI if it is sure, and use it if it says yes.
See the answer and feedback
B is correct. AI can be confidently wrong, so you check facts like dates yourself.
A: Sounding sure is not proof. Review Where it goes wrong.
C: AI can be wrong about how sure it is. Review Where it goes wrong.
2. Which of these should you never paste into an AI tool?
- A recipe you want to double
- Your bank card number
- A draft thank you note
See the answer and feedback
B is correct. Card numbers are private. Some tools store chats, and people at the company may review them.
A: A recipe is not private. Review The three rules.
C: A thank you note with no private details is fine to improve. Review The three rules.
3. What is an AI chat tool best used for?
- The final word on a health question
- A first draft that you review and edit
- Replacing a lawyer
See the answer and feedback
B is correct. First drafts are where it shines, and you stay the editor.
A: It is not a doctor. Use it to prepare questions for one. Review Where it goes wrong.
C: It is not a lawyer and should not be your only source for legal decisions.
Recap
- An AI chat assistant writes responses that sound right; you decide whether they are right
- It shines at drafts, rewrites, summaries, and brainstorming
- Never paste private information, and always review before you use the result
You now have: a first AI draft you reviewed and sent yourself, and three rules that keep you safe.
Keep going with BMU All Access
That was lesson 1 of 8. The rest of BMU 120 is included in BMU All Access, $9.99 a month for unlimited access to the course catalog. Enrollment is not open yet, so join the free waitlist to be first in.
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AI tools change fast, and every tool has its own privacy settings. Never paste passwords, Social Security numbers, medical or financial records, or private work information into an AI tool. Follow your employer's rules, and check anything important before you rely on it.
Sources
- NIST AI 600-1: Generative AI Profile (describes confabulation, often called hallucination) (current as of Oct 29, 2026)