AI Educator: This Is The Number 1 Mistake AI Users Make—and How to Fix It

What is the biggest mistake people make when starting to use AI? Mel Robbins got the answer from Allie K. Miller, a leader of AI in business. 

“The average person is not bringing in enough context,” Miller said on the Mel Robbins Podcast. “They’re coming into these systems and they’re going, ‘Plan me a family vacation to Greece.’” 

“That’s not enough detail to elicit an accurate response,” Miller says. “Who’s your family? What vacations have you taken before?” 

The more context an AI agent receives, the stronger and more relevant its answer will be. Strategically curating your ask helps AI process more smoothly and provide a more accurate result.

Miller gave the example of moving into a new apartment. Rather than asking AI to help you organize the apartment, consider specific concerns you have and the context that would be necessary to give solutions. 

If you’re worried about a lack of storage, submitting a photo of the space along with measurements would help an AI agent tailor its recommendations. Maybe you’re debating which couch to buy. Tell the AI about the layout of your existing furniture and the color scheme of your living room. 

The answers to a vague versus narrowed question will be vastly different, says Miller. Providing details at the start may feel like a longer process in the moment, but you’ll save time when AI’s first answer is relevant. If you give a lackluster prompt from the beginning, you’ll likely waste time retroactively trying to catch the chatbot up to speed.

AI is smart, but it can’t read your mind. If you find yourself regularly frustrated that the program doesn’t understand your request, you’re likely being too broad. 

“Bringing the right context into an AI system can make all the difference,” Miller said in a LinkedIn post. 

The tools are yours for the taking, but it’s critical that you know how to use them most efficiently. 

Watch Mel Robbins’s full interview with Miller:

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