Making AI Work for You (Even If You're Not a Tech Expert)

We talk a lot about smart tools and smart recycling at AVAY—but let’s take a moment to talk about smart living.

Artificial Intelligence isn't just for coders or tech companies anymore. It’s becoming a practical, everyday tool that anyone can use—especially adults who want to save time, get more organized, or make better decisions. And it doesn’t require knowing how it all works behind the scenes.

If you know how to use Google, you’re already halfway there.

Using AI in Real Life (Without Feeling Overwhelmed)

Think of AI as a personal assistant that doesn’t sleep. You give it a prompt, it gives you answers, suggestions, or ideas in return. Whether you're meal planning, managing a budget, or trying to simplify a complex topic, AI can take the weight off.

Beyond ChatGPT, here are a few tools that are making life easier for people who aren’t “tech people”:

• Perplexity AI – A search engine powered by AI that gives real-time, sourced answers. Great for fact-checking and quick research.

• Claude.ai – Known for understanding longer conversations and documents. Upload your resume or a contract and ask for a summary, edits, or help writing a cover letter.

• Notion AI – If you already use Notion for planning or notes, the AI feature helps you organize thoughts, auto-write drafts, and brainstorm content.

• You.com – A more private AI alternative to Google, good for quick summaries, writing help, or comparing products.

You don’t need to master all of them—just pick one that fits your needs.

Real-World Examples

Here’s how people like you are already using AI:

• Creating weekly meal plans based on health goals (keto, heart-healthy, low-cost)

• Writing polite but firm emails (without overthinking)

• Summarizing long PDFs or articles they don’t have time to read

• Translating texts between English and Spanish in real time

• Finding sustainable alternatives for household products

If you work in a warehouse or handle a lot of tasks each day, you can also use AI to help write instructions, translate safety notes, or generate reports without starting from scratch.

How This Connects to AVAY

At AVAY, we're all about giving tech a second life—and that doesn’t stop at recycling devices. Learning to use smart tools like AI gives your old laptop or tablet more value too. That device collecting dust in a drawer? It might run just fine with a clean-up and free AI tools that help you budget, plan, and simplify your life.

So next time you drop off electronics at our facility, ask yourself: could this device serve a second life for someone learning how to use tools like these?

And if you ever need help figuring out what to do with older tech, we’re here to help.

Start Here

If you're not sure where to begin, try this: Open Perplexity or ChatGPT and type:

“Create a healthy meal plan for 3 days using basic ingredients from Aldi.”

Or:

“Summarize this long email and write a short reply.”

Let it surprise you.

The point isn’t to replace your knowledge. It’s to support it. To clear mental clutter. To give you more time for what matters.

And just like recycling, using AI well means giving the right tool a new, purposeful use.

Let us know how you’re using AI in your daily life. And if your device is too slow to keep up—drop it off. We’ll make sure it gets a second chance.

– Team AVAYSmart tech. Smart recycling. Smarter choices.