How to use AI to answer questions

You probably have multiple questions popping into your head throughout the day – from simple curiosities to existential explorations. Googling is great, but the answers aren’t always what you’re looking for. You need to search SEO rankings, advertisements and common search terms to choose the most suitable reference.

Search results also change depending on your region, and Google often can’t answer specific questions. It presents a lot of information and leaves it up to you to contextualize it all.

Enter artificial intelligence, the new “just Googling.”

Microsoft’s Copilot has access to the Internet, so I can chat with it and consult the links it provides whenever I ask it something. Copilot was released in February 2023 and, like ChatGPT, has undergone recent GPT-4o updates.

GPT-4 Turbo, the OpenAI model that powers Copilot, is now available with the free version. Copilot Pro is available for $20 per month, but isn’t necessary for lightweight everyday searching.

Here’s how you can use AI to find answers to your questions and problems. The models are built for question and answer.

Get answers, not ads

Think about the series of questions and ideas that come to mind every day. Questions about weather, geography, historical events, people, movies, health, food and life. Just take a look at your Google search history to see the possibilities of what you can ask AI.

As with all AI tools, the answers are only as clear as the questions you ask. You also need to be aware of errors and biases to believe what AI produces. It is good practice to always check sources, especially if you are using the information to make decisions.

Asking AI to answer questions is a broad use case, but as you chat with Copilot you’ll get an idea of ​​how far you can go.

Some answers will be simple and clear, while others will require more prompting and context. For example, asking which movies Leonardo DiCaprio is in is different from asking which movies are similar to the movie you liked by Leo.

Copilot gave me DiCaprio’s most notable films, but I wanted the full list. I also asked for it without images, to keep the conversation clear.

It also gave me the rest of the list (post-2000), and I liked how the films were met with critical acclaim. From there you can direct the conversation in any direction. You can ask if any of your favorites on the list have the same director, get links for reviews and analysis, ask which film ultimately won them an Oscar, and see what other films are similar to the one you love.

Copilot also automatically generates follow-up ideas, in case you’re in the mood to go down a rabbit hole. Such as ‘Tell me more about Killers of the Flower Moon’, ‘What awards has Leonardo DiCaprio won?’ and “Do you have any fun facts about Leonardo DiCaprio?”

The Wolf of Wall Street is a standout, so let’s use that example to learn about similar, non-DiCaprio films. It gave me a pretty good list, but it did include a movie with DiCaprio, even though I had indicated not to. Dallas Buyers Club, The Big Short, and The Social Network were good suggestions with high-stakes plots and complex characters.

Copilot is useful because it also adds clickable links in the answers – so you can click to verify for yourself that AI hasn’t hallucinated (that is, made up the answer by scraping some weird part of the web).

You can continue with the questions and answers. I asked Copilot which directors were inspired by Scorsese and it returned a list of two names I recognized: Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan. Looking at their body of work could provide ideas for follow-up directions.

You can read more about the art of writing AI prompts for chatbots and image generators on CNET’s AI tips page.

AI as a doctor?

We all turn to “Dr. Google” for health questions. You can’t rely on it because it often leads straight into scary, worst-case scenarios. Although AI is trained based on current information on the Internet, it can help you find possible answers to more general health questions, less individualized questions with a clear, quick doctor visit.

For example, if you have digestive problems, you can ask Copilot about foods to avoid. You can also use it proactively, for example to calculate your ideal daily calorie intake.

You can even ask him for the latest research or top-rated articles on a particular health topic, or for answers to quick questions like when women should get annual mammograms and why you may feel more nauseous during your period.

But always check AI advice with your doctor. AI answers should not be taken as fact or as a substitute for professional medical advice.

AI tools are a fast way to get information to answer your questions. Just like you don’t get an answer on the first Google search, the same goes for AI. It’s an iterative process, with each prompt bringing you closer to clarity. But again, for the final answer, your doctor is the one you should consult, especially since health advice and diagnoses are completely personal and depend on the individual.