AI Can Help Us Learn More. First, We Need to Learn How to Use It.
By Samira Jahanpak
AI can help us practise a language, understand an unfamiliar concept, prepare a first draft or explore a new work skill. We can ask it to explain something more simply, offer another example or create an exercise. To make good use of that opportunity, we first need to learn how to work with AI itself.
I see AI literacy as a practical necessity in everyday life and work. We need to understand what to ask, which tool to use and when to check an answer. That knowledge gives us more control over how we use the technology and helps us recognise its limits.
What is AI literacy?
AI literacy is the ability to understand AI tools’ strengths and limitations, use them for an appropriate purpose and assess their outputs responsibly. Generative AI is the part of this field that produces content such as text, images and audio.
For an everyday user, it starts with a few questions: What am I trying to do? Is this tool suitable? What information am I sharing? How will I know whether the result is useful?
This approach is consistent with UNESCO’s guidance on generative AI in education, which emphasises human agency and protecting privacy.
Starting in the middle of a career
I am writing especially for CAMA learners in their forties and early fifties. Based on my own understanding of our audience, a large share are around 40 to 55. For someone balancing work, family and other responsibilities, the questions are practical: Where should I start, and how will this help me?
My suggestion is to begin with one real need, such as understanding a work-related text, practising a conversation or organising a report. Your professional experience can help you recognise whether an answer makes sense. You can build your familiarity with other tools as you need them.
Write prompts that are clear and easy to refine
A prompt is the request or instruction you give an AI tool. Describe your goal, the relevant context, your level of knowledge and the kind of response you want.
For example:
“I want to practise writing professional emails in English. My English is intermediate. Create a fictional situation where I need to ask to reschedule a meeting. Ask me to write the email first. Then suggest improvements and explain the most important corrections in Persian.”
This leaves the practice with the learner. If the explanation is difficult, ask for simpler language. If the answer misses the point, clarify your request. A useful prompt helps you communicate what you need, but it cannot guarantee an accurate answer.
Choose a tool for the task
Define the task before choosing a tool. For conversation practice, audio features and useful feedback matter. For summarising a document, you need to compare the summary with the original. For current information, look for access to recent sources that you can open and check.
Consider cost, ease of use, language quality and how the service handles information. Features and protections can differ between tools and between plans offered by the same provider.
Start with a fictional, low-risk example. Is the result helpful? Does checking and correcting it take more time than doing the task directly? Those questions make the choice more practical.
Protect privacy and respect other people’s work
Before entering information, ask whether you have permission to use it. Practise with fictional details. Avoid entering customer information, student records, identity documents or confidential workplace material without checking the necessary permissions and safeguards. Removing a name does not necessarily make someone unidentifiable.
The Canadian privacy authorities’ principles for generative AI make clear that organisations using AI remain subject to applicable privacy laws. They also emphasise limiting personal information to what is necessary and being transparent about its use.
Read the service’s terms and check permissions for material you upload or publish. Processing a text, image or voice with AI does not automatically resolve questions about other people’s rights. For sensitive uses, seek appropriate professional or organisational advice. Legal requirements depend on the circumstances and the applicable jurisdiction.
Check an answer before relying on it
An answer can sound fluent and still be wrong, incomplete or outdated. The Government of Canada’s guide to generative AI, written for federal institutions, warns about inaccurate information and invented sources. It recommends checking outputs against trustworthy information.
If an answer includes a number, a law, a quotation or an important claim, open the original source and check its date and content. A link alone is not proof. For medical, legal or financial decisions, qualified professional review is especially important.
Better knowledge and careful use can reduce risk. Errors, bias and exposure of private information still need attention.
Keep learning as your work changes
Start with short, regular practice. Choose one low-risk task, write your request, review the result and note what helped and what went wrong. Adjust the next attempt accordingly.
As tools and responsibilities change, our learning needs change too. Revisit features, terms and privacy settings periodically. Useful training should offer room to practise, receive feedback and ask questions that relate to your own work.
For me, AI’s value lies in how it helps people: understanding more, making thoughtful choices and freeing time for what matters to them. Learning to use it responsibly is part of realising that value.
Begin learning AI with CAMA College
According to CAMA College’s internal figures, over roughly ten months in 2026, up to mid-October, we have taught AI knowledge and practical skills to more than 300 Persian-speaking learners. Hundreds of other people in Canada have also taken our English-language training during this period.
If you would like to explore this learning path, visit CAMA College’s events page to find upcoming learning opportunities. Get to know our approach and consider how practical AI learning could fit your working life.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need programming skills to start learning AI?
You generally do not need programming skills to begin using everyday AI tools. Start with clear requests, suitable tools, privacy awareness and checking results.
Can a good prompt prevent incorrect answers?
A clear prompt can improve relevance, but it does not eliminate errors. Important claims and sources still need independent checking.
Which AI tool should I start with?
Choose one task, then compare tools on output quality, verifiable sources, cost, language support and privacy protections. The right choice depends on your needs.
What information should I use for practice?
Use fictional examples and non-confidential information. Before sharing real information, check the service’s terms, your permission to use the data and any workplace requirements.
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