Lab 05 · Intro to Computers · About 45 minutes
Working With AI
AI assistants are now everyday tools in IT and almost every other field. You'll learn what they actually are, how to use them responsibly, and how to write prompts that get great results, then put them to work. Along the way you'll complete 5 hands-on challenges, document your work, and write a professional lab report.
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Step 1
Before you begin
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Same three boxes as every lab:
- HintHelp if you get stuck. Searching the web or asking an AI is encouraged; check what it tells you against your own screen.
- ChallengeHands-on work you do yourself, then capture as evidence for your lab report. Tick the box when you have it.
- Quick checkA question to make sure it clicked. Unlimited tries, and every answer explains why.
You'll need an AI assistant, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot. Free versions are fine. Use one your school or workplace allows; some networks block them, and most require users to be at least 13.
Step 2 · Lesson
What an AI assistant actually is
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AI assistants are built on large language models: programs trained on enormous amounts of text until they get very good at predicting what words should come next. When you ask a question, the assistant writes an answer, one piece at a time. Some can also search the web, but at its core it's generating, not looking things up.
That explains both why it's so useful and where it goes wrong:
| Great at | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Explaining ideas in plain language, at any level | Confident answers that are simply wrong, sometimes called hallucinations |
| Brainstorming, outlining, and rewording | Outdated information, since it learned from data up to a certain date |
| Walking you through troubleshooting step by step | Not knowing your situation unless you describe it |
| Writing and explaining code | Made-up sources, links, or quotes that sound real |
Quick check
Why can an AI assistant give a wrong answer that sounds completely confident?
Quick check
An AI assistant backs up its answer with a link to an article. You click it, and the page doesn't exist. What probably happened?
Step 3 · Lesson
Using AI responsibly
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Professionals use AI every day. The ones who use it well follow a few simple rules:
- You're the author. Whatever you hand in or send is yours, including any mistakes the AI made. Check facts against reliable sources and your own screen.
- Protect private information. Never paste passwords, personal details about other people, or private school or company data. What you type may be stored or reviewed.
- Know the rules. Classes and workplaces have different policies. When an assignment says do it yourself, do it yourself.
- Be open about it. If AI helped in a meaningful way, say so, for example in the References section of your lab report.
Quick check
Your manager asks you to summarize a spreadsheet of customer names, emails, and purchases. Is it okay to paste it into a public AI chatbot?
Step 4 · Lesson
Writing prompts that work
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The quality of the answer depends on the quality of the question. Good prompts usually include four things:
| Ingredient | What it means |
|---|---|
| Context | Who you are and what's going on |
| Task | Exactly what you want it to do |
| Format | How you want the answer: a list, a table, a short paragraph, a certain reading level |
| Limits | What to avoid or focus on |
Weak: my computer is slow
Strong: I'm a beginner. My Windows laptop has 8 GB of RAM and a hard drive, and it takes three minutes to start. Give me the three most likely causes in a numbered list, simplest fix first, in plain language.
And don't stop at the first answer. Ask follow-up questions, push back, and ask it to explain its reasoning. A conversation beats a single question.
Quick check
Which prompt will probably get the most useful answer?
Quick check
The AI's first answer is full of jargon you don't understand. What's the best next step?
Step 5 · Challenge
Put it to work
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Challenge 1 · Screenshot
Upgrade a prompt. Ask your AI assistant a vague question about something tech-related you actually care about. Then ask again, using all four ingredients. Compare the two answers.
Take a screenshot (or two) showing both prompts and the difference in the answers.
Challenge 2 · Screenshot
Check its work. Ask the AI: What is the latest version of [your operating system]? Then look up the answer on the official website, using what you learned in Search Like a Pro.
Take a screenshot of the AI's answer and the official page. Was it right, outdated, or unsure? Any of those is a good result; note it in your report.
Challenge 3 · Screenshot
Make it your tutor. Ask the AI to quiz you on something from an earlier lab, for example: Quiz me on the parts of a computer with 5 multiple-choice questions, one at a time. After each answer, tell me why it was right or wrong.
Take a screenshot of part of your quiz.
Step 6 · Challenge
Open your mind
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AI is useful for far more than answering questions. Pick one of these, and see what's possible:
- Build a web page. Ask for a simple personal web page in a single HTML file. Save it as
index.htmlin your Intro to Computers folder and open it in your browser. You just made a website. - Fix a real annoyance. Describe a tech problem you actually have and ask for step-by-step troubleshooting. Try the steps.
- Plan your week. Describe your classes, work, and goals, and ask for a realistic study schedule. Then push back on anything that won't work for you.
- Decode something confusing. Ask it to explain a confusing set of instructions or a term from your field in plain language. Make sure nothing you paste is private.
Challenge 4 · Screenshot
Take a screenshot of what you made or learned. In your report, say what worked, what you had to correct, and what surprised you.
Quick check
You used AI to help write your lab report, and it included a fact that turned out to be wrong. Who is responsible?
Step 7 · Finish
Get your badge
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Connelly Labs badge
AI Navigator
Your name
Challenge 5 · Screenshot
Your badge, with your name showing.
Your lab report evidence
- Challenge 1: upgrading a prompt
- Challenge 2: checking the AI's work
- Challenge 3: AI as a tutor
- Challenge 4: your open-ended project
- Challenge 5: your badge
Write it up
Put these images into a short lab report: what you set out to do, what you did, and what you found. Include the prompts you used, and list the AI assistant under References. The Start Here guide has a template and tips. Accuracy matters more than polish.