8 Common Questions About AI
Frequently asked questions (and answers) to help you understand artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly transformed from a sci-fi concept into an accessible tool used at work and at home. From professional workflows to everyday life, AI programs can boost productivity and efficiency by simplifying common tasks. But as AI becomes more common, it also raises questions around its accuracy, privacy, and best practices. Here are answers to eight common questions about AI that can help you better understand its origins, capabilities, and potential risks.
1. What is AI?
AI is when a machine, computer, or program produces output that resembles human intelligence. While they can mimic a person’s thought processes, AI systems are not self-aware or capable of operating without human input. Most options available for personal and professional use are generative AI programs built on large language models (LLMs), which are trained on vast amounts of pre-loaded training data or online information.
Depending on their specializations, AI programs can analyze and generate:
- Text
- Images
- Audio
- Video
2. What are some of the leading AI companies?
With the successful launch of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI quickly became one of the most recognizable names in AI. ChatGPT’s enhancements, from image generation via DALL-E to video generation via Sora, helped expand the company’s reach and expose more people to what generative AI can do. While OpenAI was one of the first significant AI breakthroughs, the list of reputable AI providers continues to grow.
Microsoft developed Copilot, an AI program built with ChatGPT components, with features that offer varying benefits. The online version of Copilot can be accessed in a web browser, and it has built-in versions for Microsoft Edge and Bing. Copilot for Microsoft 365 takes its AI capabilities to a whole new level, enabling it to reference your information in programs like Outlook and Word to further boost your productivity while keeping work content within Microsoft 365’s environment and controls.
Other companies that offer popular AI options include:
It’s also worth noting that choosing the right AI provider isn’t about picking the biggest name. Many tools share similar underlying technology—the differences often lie in security controls, data handling, integrations, and administrative visibility. Before you commit, consider which admin controls you need, what workflows you’ll use them for, and which data retention and privacy settings apply.
3. Is AI safe to use?
Because most AI companies publish and follow privacy and security policies, their AI tools are generally safe to use. You should still review each program’s privacy policy to understand how it processes and stores your data. That said, “safe” depends on how you use the tool and what protections your organization has in place. A consumer AI account used on personal devices is very different from an enterprise-controlled tool with company policies, access controls, and logging.
Even when a tool is considered secure, it’s important to follow basic precautions. AI programs often retain the information you include in your input, so you should never share personally identifiable, proprietary, or confidential information that could end up in someone else’s AI response. Here’s a good rule to follow: if you wouldn’t paste it into a public website or send it to an external contact, don’t paste it into an AI prompt.
As long as you don’t include sensitive information, these are generally safe ways to use AI:
- Learning new concepts and exploring ideas
- Summarizing lengthy notes or documents
- Drafting emails, messages, scripts, or outlines
- Brainstorming checklists or step-by-step plans
- Rewriting copy for clarity, tone, or brevity
4. Is AI always right?
Just like no human is perfect, a consistently correct AI program has yet to exist. AI can experience “hallucinations,” resulting in outputs that make no sense or are false. These AI programs can make odd connections and generate inaccurate outputs based on incorrect assessments. Additionally, AI may provide made-up responses to questions it can’t answer. These inaccuracies are unlikely but entirely possible, so most programs include a disclaimer that important information should be double-checked before use.
When using AI for any task, think of its output as a fast first draft rather than a final authority—especially for high-impact topics like customer communications, finances, compliance, or security. A simple check is to ask the AI to provide sources whenever possible. If it ties sources to key claims, review them to confirm they’re legitimate and actually support the AI’s claims. If the tool can’t provide citations or offers vague references, take time to validate its answers using primary sources before acting on them.
5. How should I talk to AI?
Most programs are built in chat-like formats, so the natural way to interact with AI is through text or speech. Much like talking with a person, the way you phrase your prompt to an AI program can directly influence the results you get. Simple requests often get simple answers, while messages with better prompt engineering techniques get more detailed explanations. Some AI designers have even noted that using a polite tone can also help generate more respectful, collaborative outputs.
Here are some helpful details you can give to AI to produce better outputs:
- Role: What perspective or profession do you want the AI to assume?
- Goal: What do you ultimately want to accomplish?
- Context: Who is your task for, and what are you working with?
- Constraints: Are there limitations on tone, length, or topics to avoid?
- Format: Would a list, outline, or other output be most helpful to you?
6. Are there ways to customize an AI program?
While many AI options offer a wide selection of uses, they can also provide specialized programs with heightened capabilities. With upgraded plans, providers like OpenAI and Anthropic grant access to customizable AI-powered tools. ChatGPT lets you access custom GPTs created by other users, covering writing, research, lifestyle, and other specialties. Anthropic’s Claude and ChatGPT can even operate within a specific context by using your uploaded writing, code, or file samples as references.
In business settings, customized AI programs can help with:
- Setting team guidelines for what can and can’t be worked on
- Creating and sharing prompt templates for repeatable tasks
- Connecting to approved internal sources for reference
- Establishing permissions and review steps for workflows
If AI customization involves uploading internal business documents, confirm who can access that content and how it’s stored or retained in the tool before doing so.
7. What are some of the best ways to use AI?
With AI tools like Copilot at your fingertips, being more productive, creative, and efficient at work is easier than you think. AI can automate time-consuming tasks, from summarizing long reports or email chains to helping you prepare for your next meeting, giving you more time to focus on high-priority work. If you need help researching a new project, creating an outline for an article, or proofreading an email, AI can handle first drafts in minutes, giving you more time to refine and verify the final result.
For business tasks, AI can be especially helpful for:
- Drafting and refining customer proposals
- Turning meeting notes into action items
- Creating first-pass internal documentation
- Summarizing support tickets or requests
- Building checklists for recurring processes
While AI offers plenty of benefits in office settings, you can also extend these time-saving, creativity-boosting benefits to your personal life and interests. An AI program enables you to accomplish everyday tasks and learn new things faster by quickly pulling together ideas, options, and explanations in one place. AI can even help eliminate knowledge barriers, whether you’re exploring a new interest or solving complex problems, by providing the context to understand the concepts and solutions.
You can also extend these time-saving, creativity-boosting benefits to your personal life. An AI program enables you to accomplish many everyday tasks and learn new things much faster. AI can help eliminate knowledge barriers, whether you’re learning a new language or trying to help your kids with homework, while giving you the context to understand the concepts and solutions.
Here are some ways you can use AI for personal tasks:
- Creating workout plans to meet specific goals
- Writing creative, personalized messages
- Taking better care of household or garden plants
- Planning meals based on specific ingredients
- Identifying different species of wild animals
8. Will AI replace people?
In movies, AI is often portrayed as an all-knowing superpower, making it easy to imagine it replacing people. And because AI can automate time-consuming tasks, it’s natural to wonder what that means for jobs. In reality, most AI tools are designed to support human work—not replace it—and they still depend on people for context, judgment, and accountability. What’s more likely is that AI will change how work gets done.
Teams may spend less time on first drafts, summaries, and routine documentation, and more time on decision-making, customer relationships, quality control, and problem-solving that adds value to their businesses. In that environment, the advantage goes to individuals and organizations that learn to use AI responsibly and effectively to improve how they work. The best place to start is with a few low-risk workflows, clear guidelines, and human review steps.
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AI can be a powerful productivity tool—but the best results come from pairing it with the right controls, processes, and support. If you’re exploring AI for your business and want to do it responsibly, Bit-Wizards can help you evaluate tools, set clear usage guidelines, and identify low-risk workflows where AI can make an immediate impact.
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