3 Ways to Use AI That Are Not Work-Related

I use AI (ChatGPT) a lot in my daily life. I don't use it to replace my "thinking" work, but I think of it as a helpful supplement. Or, in some cases, ChatGPT is running in the background via Zapier [affiliate link], saving me time on everyday tasks.

Additionally, I also have a lot of personal use cases for AI. I still turn to Google for quick answers to common questions. But I also recognize that Google searches have limitations. For example, sometimes I have to wade through an article that is stuffed with useless information, added only to improve search engine optimization (SEO).

In other cases, I know the answer to my question might not be in a single source, and I'd have to wade through a lot of articles (or Reddit threads) to find the answer. That's where ChatGPT searches come in.

Here are a few fun ways I've used ChatGPT.

Note: In these cases, I was using the ChatGPT app on my phone (although I took the screenshots from my desktop).

1. Finding a place to eat at O'Hare Airport

A few weeks ago, I was at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, which is one of the largest airports in the world. I had arrived at the airport very early for an international flight, and found myself with more than two hours to spare before boarding began.

I started wandering around, looking for a place to eat dinner. The airport is so large that I quickly grew tired and frustrated, unable to find an appealing sit-down restaurant.

So I asked ChatGPT, using a very specific prompt.

I am at O'Hare airport waiting for a flight that doesn't leave for a few hours. I want a sit-down dinner. I'm in Terminal 1, Concourse C. Ideally I could stay in Concourse C, but I'm willing to walk elsewhere for better options. I can't leave terminal 1, but I could go to a different concourse within terminal 1. I'm a vegetarian. Where should I go?

ChatGPT gave me several options in Concourse C. Through no fault of ChatGPT's, I didn't like any of the options. One of the restaurants was more like a bar, so not exactly what I had in mind.

So I asked again, specifying that I was willing to walk to Concourse B, and that I wanted Italian food. Of the options ChatGPT gave me, I wanted to make sure the restaurant was what I had in mind before walking to a different Concourse, so I asked for photos.

It worked! The images confirmed that the restaurant was what I had in mind. I walked over to Concourse B and had a lovely sit-down dinner before my flight.

2. Shopping at a large outlet mall

I was recently on the hunt for a rain jacket and having terrible luck. I live near a very large outlet mall, with more than 170 stores.

I went from store to store with no luck. The mall has a directory, but if you don't know what you're looking for, 170 stores is a very long list.

So I asked ChatGPT, specifying the mall I was at and what I was looking for.

I am at the [outlet mall name, location]. I need to buy a lightweight rain jacket. I like athletic style. I have not had any luck. Based on the stores listed on the [outlet mall name] website, which stores should I visit?

ChatGPT gave me a bunch of stores to check out. I didn't even know some of them existed at the outlet mall – even though I've lived here for years! The mall is just so big that I'd never walked past them before.

I still had to walk to several stores to find a jacket, but my search was much more targeted. ChatGPT even gave me the store locations based on Store Number. I was incredibly skeptical that the Store Numbers were accurate, since ChatGPT is prone to hallucinations, so I consulted a directory. Lo and behold, the Store Numbers were correct.

3. Imagine a bathroom remodel

I've lived in my current house for twelve years. It's an older home, and we've made significant updates over time.

A tricky part of any home improvement project is imagining the final result. Last year, for example, I repainted my living room. I bought a few sample cans of paint and painted two swatches on the wall, trying to get an idea of what it would look like. But I was basically picking from two shades of a neutral tan. The final result wasn't exactly what I had envisioned based on the samples (though I still ended up liking it).

So I asked ChatGPT for help with some changes I want to make in our bathroom.

I started by finding the paint color I wanted to use and downloading an image from the paint company's website. Then I uploaded a photo of my current bathroom along with the paint color and the following prompt:

Make an image where the wall in the first photo is changed to the color in the second photo. Keep the layout and composition of the bathroom photo as accurate as possible, only replacing the blue wall with the green color.

I kept going. I asked ChatGPT to change the trim color (from brown to white), change the flooring (uploading an image of the flooring I wanted), and change the shower curtain (also uploading an image).

With this prompt, you have to tell ChatGPT – repeatedly – to keep the photo as close as possible to the original.

But at the end of all this back and forth, I have a really good idea of what my bathroom might look like.

More resources:

• My personal guardrails for using AI as a solopreneur
• AI is overhyped. You should use it anyway.
• 12 unique AI tools to power a solo business.

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Tinkering With IdeasAnna Burgess Yang