Beyond the Hype: 10 AI Use Cases That Actually Save Time
“AI is not a substitute for human intelligence; it is a tool to amplify human creativity and ingenuity.”
I’ve been experimenting with AI bots for a while now, and what was once mind-blowing technology is now becoming part of everyday life.
While the hype has died down since then, I’ve found a number of helpful use cases for day-to-day life.
Below are 10 ways it’s made an impact, along with some suggested prompts to try.
The prompts themselves are simplified to keep things brief. You will get much better answers with a more sophisticated version.
A handy way to do this is to briefly state the problem and ask the bot to generate a prompt you can use to get the best results. Or ask it to improve your initial prompt.
N.B. AI bots like ChatGPT make mistakes, so you must always sense-check their responses.
1. What Should I Make For Lunch?
Buying food, looking for good recipes, and making meals are among the most time-consuming and tedious tasks I do on a daily basis.
Instead of browsing recipe sites for hours, I tell the AI what I have in my fridge, and it generates a recipe for me.
Try this prompt: Act as a practical home cook and nutrition-aware recipe developer and suggest one healthy, flavourful recipe I can make in under 30 minutes using only chicken breast, spinach, carrots, cooked rice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and common spices, with clear steps, minimal prep, no specialist equipment, and smart substitutions where applicable.
2. The Checklist Generator
Checklists are one of the most powerful tools out there. I find it all too easy to forget essential items when I go on holiday, view a house to rent, or buy a second-hand car. Having AI generate a checklist of mission-critical items helps me avoid costly mistakes!
Try this prompt: Act as an independent automotive inspector and generate a plain-English checklist of only the highest-risk checks when buying a used car, covering paperwork, mechanical/drivetrain issues, electronics, accident damage, tyres/suspension, test-drive red flags, and common seller tactics, with why each matters, typical costs if wrong, and clear walk-away deal-breakers.
3. The Flora & Fauna Expert
When I’m out and about in nature, I’m always interested in the plants, trees and animals around me. If I can’t identify something myself, I’ll take a quick photo and then ask AI to identify it. It’s particularly helpful when you’re with inquisitive children.
Try this prompt: Act as an experienced flora and fauna expert and field naturalist and identify any plant, tree, insect, bird, or animal from this photo, giving a clear ID (or best match), key distinguishing features, habitat, seasonality, safety notes (if relevant), and a simple child-friendly explanation, while clearly stating confidence level and alternatives if uncertain.
4. The Travel Agent
Planning a trip involves a lot of desk research. AI helps me generate an itinerary in seconds.
Try this prompt: Act as a highly efficient travel agent and local guide and generate a 5-day, day-by-day Paris itinerary tailored to art, history, food, and quiet parks, explicitly avoiding tourist traps, with well-paced days, neighbourhood-level suggestions, food highlights, and optional swaps, written for fast scanning and instant use.
5. Gift Ideas
I find choosing the right gift for family members can be tricky, especially for my dad. AI is good at generating ideas based on people’s interests.
Try this prompt: Act as a thoughtful gift curator and generate original, non-plastic gift ideas under £50 for a 75-year-old man who enjoys gardening, sailing, and travel, explicitly avoiding books and generic gifts, and for each idea explain why it fits him, what it’s made from, and when it’s best given, with safe, tasteful options rather than novelty items.
6. The DIY Professional
Before calling an expensive professional to fix the problem, I first ask AI for instructions on how to solve it.
Try this prompt: Act as a practical DIY professional and provide three proven, step-by-step methods to remove a red wine stain from carpet using everyday household items, ordered from safest to strongest, with precise timing, do-and-don’t warnings, surface checks, and when to stop and call a professional.
7. The Critic
When I finish a great book, film, or podcast, I’m always interested in finding similar things I will enjoy. AI helps recommend what I should add to my media list.
Try this prompt: Act as a thoughtful media critic and recommender and suggest three high-quality books, films, or podcasts I’m likely to enjoy based on a specific favourite (e.g. Raymond Chandler), prioritising similar tone, themes, and craftsmanship over popularity, and briefly explain what carries over and what’s distinct in each recommendation so I know why it fits.
8. The Manual Helper
I’ve lost the manual for many household gadgets. AI can usually tell me how to operate it.
Try this prompt: Act as a clear, patient instruction-manual expert and explain exactly how to perform a specific task on a device (e.g. program a Honeywell thermostat to lower the temperature at 10 PM), using step-by-step instructions, plain language, button/menu names, common mistakes to avoid, and a quick check to confirm it worked, tailored to the specific model number.
9. The Personal Tutor
If I’m trying to understand a complex topic, AI can help simplify it for me.
Try this prompt: Act as a patient personal tutor and explain a complex topic (e.g. how inflation works and why supermarket prices are rising) in simple, accurate language suitable for an 8-year-old, using clear analogies, everyday examples, and no jargon, while keeping the explanation factually correct and reassuring.
10. The Personal Trainer
Personal trainers are expensive. AI can help me create an exercise routine for free.
Try this prompt: Act as a qualified personal trainer and design a 4-week beginner-friendly strength plan using only 8kg dumbbells, with 3 × 20-minute workouts per week, focused on building muscle safely, including clear exercises, reps/sets, progression, warm-ups, rest guidance, and injury-avoidance cues.
It goes without saying that the above are my examples only.
With this in mind, what are some of your favourite use cases for AI?
