Module 1: Welcome and getting set up
What ChatGPT can help you do
Allow 3 minutes, including any practice below.
Start with a small task
ChatGPT is a conversational AI assistant. You give it instructions in everyday language. It can help draft, rewrite, and summarise text. A prompt is the message you send it.
Use it to make a first version of work you understand. For example, our fictional Hamilton accountancy needs a plain-language reminder about documents for an appointment. The team supplies the required documents. ChatGPT helps organise the message.
| Useful starting task | What you still do |
|---|---|
| Rewrite a long email | Check meaning, tone, and promises |
| Turn supplied notes into actions | Check owners, dates, and missing details |
| Draft headings for a procedure | Confirm each step with the person doing the job |
| Explain a supplied table | Recalculate important numbers |
Recognise a confident mistake
ChatGPT can invent facts, references, or dates. This is often called a hallucination. A fluent answer can still be wrong. It can also miss context or simplify a difficult question too far.
Warning: A role prompt such as "act as an accountant" does not make ChatGPT a qualified adviser. Keep professional decisions with the responsible person.
For current information, ask it to use search when available. Open the original sources yourself. A citation gives you something to check; it does not prove the claim.
Choose your first task
Write down one task where you already know what a good answer looks like. Choose a fictional email or a public document for practice. State how you will check the result.
Write a goal such as: "I want a clearer draft that I can review against my notes." Keep business decisions with the responsible person.