Added Intelligence: How to Use AI to Improve Daily Life

Added Intelligence: How to Use AI to Improve Daily Life
A calm, plain-English guide for busy adults and cautious beginners
You don’t need to “be technical” to use AI well. You need a clear guide, safe defaults, and a handful of tiny prompts that fit in one breath. This book gives you all three without hype, and with your privacy and judgment in front.
What this book does: It treats AI like a bicycle for the mind. You steer. It adds a gentle push. You’ll learn when to use it, how to ask for what you need, and how to check the results before you act.
Who this book is for: If you’re the household IT helper, a small-business owner, a caregiver, or simply an adult who wants calm, useful tech, this is your lane. No coding required.
What you’ll be able to do: quick wins you’ll use right away:

• Set safe defaults in minutes: control History/Training, use Temporary Chat, and know where Export/Delete live.
• Shape answers with the Prompt Sandwich (Role → Task → Details → Output) and the simple Nine Dials (tone, length, audience, and more).
• Avoid bad info with the Verify Triangle (official source → second opinion → common-sense check) and the Source Ladder for higher-stakes tasks.
• Break big jobs into small steps using the Conveyor method, so you get better drafts, faster.
• Protect yourself with a friendly Scam-Proofing Ribbon and a Risk Stoplight (green/amber/red decisions).
• Save time on everyday tasks: trip plans, tricky emails, club newsletters, summaries, and shopping comparisons, done safely.

Inside you’ll find: short chapters, checklists you can print, and plain-English worksheets you’ll actually use. A QR code brings you to the Added Intelligence Hub for updated info, downloads, and extras, so when something change, you stay current without buying a new edition.
Why this works: The book is built for attention that’s already busy. You use short prompts, small steps, and light verification. When stakes rise (money, health, or legal)you slow down, check sources, and call a human if needed. You stay in charge.
What’s covered (at a glance):

• AI in plain English: what it is, what it isn’t.
• Privacy first: History, Training, Temporary Chat, Export/Delete.
• Prompts that work: the Sandwich, the Nine Dials, and example scripts.
• Safer sharing: placeholders, redaction, and when to keep files local.
• Troubleshooting: a seven-rung ladder to fix drift and get back on track.
• Monthly tune-up: a 10-minute routine to stay current without drowning in news.

What you won’t get: jargon, hype, or unrealistic promises. You won’t be told to trust everything the tool says. You will be shown how to verify, when to pause, and how to keep your own voice.
About the series: Added Intelligence is a two-volume set. Vol. 1 covers daily life essentials with safety and clarity. Vol. 2 goes further with repeatable workflows, privacy-aware routines for money/health/travel, light automations, voice and images, and optional “describe-it coding” projects.
If you want AI to make life calmer, not noisier, start here. Read a chapter, try a two-minute exercise, and keep what works. You’ll get real help today, and you’ll keep the final say tomorrow.