On teaching loved ones to use AI

This is the rare AI-and-eldercare piece that actually helps. The advice is concrete, calibrated, and based on the realities of our loved ones — not the abstractions vendors push. This article triggers many of the Tug principles below.

Tug’s Principle

1. Today is the Day

This will be one of the constant themes for this community. Don't overthink it, just make progress as soon as you can. Any help provided by virtual hands frees your time to focus on the joys.

2. Build Confidence

This will be the next constant theme for this community. You need to make you loved one feel the 'you got this' mentality.

3. Consistency Rules

You should put some thought into which app is best for your specific situation. Some providers have family services so your loved one can create an account under your account.

4. Privacy is Paramount

All apps have privacy settings that you can enable so your loved one's data is not used for training.

5. Structure Can Help

Leverage the last best practice for prompting, ex. "I want you to act as a [ROLE] to [TASK] for [GOAL], using [CONTEXT], following [CONSTRAINTS], and ask clarifying questions before responding in [OUTPUT FORMAT].”

Next Steps

My next step isn't even in the article — I'm upgrading my father's flip phone to a smartphone first.

For you, I hope you get started. And please share feedback on this article in the comments so we can all learn from each other.

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