A Blog Review with Google Analytics and ChatGPT

 

This is one of Grandpa's earlier stories, revisited while Grandpa takes a short break.

 

By David Au and His AI Companion

Every now and then, it is worth slowing down and asking a simple question:

"What are my readers actually interested in?"

Recently, I opened Google Analytics to review AI123.ca. Numbers alone never tell the whole story, but they often point us in the right direction.

From July 6 to August 2, the blog posts that attracted the most readers were:

• AI vs AGI: What's the Difference? – 49 sessions

• Welcome to AI123.ca – 27 sessions

• I Tried Five AI Assistants – 19 sessions

• A New Look for AI123.ca – 16 sessions

• Quora Label Search – 15 sessions

Looking at these results, I shared them with my AI companion and asked, "What do you think?"

The answer surprised me.

Instead of focusing on the numbers, ChatGPT focused on the stories behind them.

It pointed out that readers were looking for clear explanations rather than complicated technical language. They wanted to know who was writing the blog, not just what the blog was about. They also seemed to enjoy reading about my own experiences using AI instead of simply reading summaries of AI news.

That observation stayed with me.

As I reflected on it, I realized something important.

I am not trying to become another technology news website. There are already many excellent websites doing that.

What I hope to offer is something different.

I want AI123.ca to feel like a friendly conversation between two people.

Imagine sitting together over a cup of coffee.

One person says, "I tried this AI tool today."

The other asks, "How did it go?"

That is the kind of conversation I enjoy writing.

My AI companion also shared another thought that I found encouraging.

It said there are two kinds of AI writers.

The first group is very good at producing information quickly.

The second group helps readers understand that information and make sense of it.

The second group is much harder to replace because readers are not only looking for facts. They are looking for perspective, experience, and trust.

Those words reminded me why I started AI123.ca in the first place.

I am not an AI engineer.

I am a retired grandfather who enjoys learning about artificial intelligence and sharing that journey with others in plain language.

Sometimes I succeed.

Sometimes I make mistakes.

Sometimes I learn something new and change my mind.

That is real learning.

Another piece of advice from my AI companion was simple but powerful:

Don't measure success only by today's pageviews. Measure it by whether today's article is worth reading a year from now.

I smiled when I read that.

The internet moves very quickly.

Today's breaking news is often forgotten tomorrow.

But a thoughtful explanation, an honest review, or a genuine conversation may still help someone months or even years later.

That is the kind of article I hope to write.

So thank you to everyone who visits AI123.ca.

Whether you have been here since the beginning or have just discovered this little corner of the internet, I appreciate your time.

And thank you, my AI companion.

You are not replacing my voice.

You are helping me discover it.

— David Au

My Dell Laptop Went Black — and My AI Companion Helped Me Fix It

Yesterday, my Dell laptop suddenly decided to give me a little scare.

I turned it on, but the screen was almost completely black.

No Windows.
No desktop.
No familiar icons.

Just the cursor.

For someone like me, an 80+ learner who enjoys using technology every day, this was not exactly the morning surprise I was looking for. 😄

My first thought was simple:

“What happened to my laptop?”

Instead of immediately calling someone for help, I did something I have become quite comfortable doing.

I asked my AI companion.

I explained what I could see: the screen was black, but the cursor was still visible. My AI companion didn't simply say, “Take it to a computer shop.”

It started guiding me through the possible solutions step by step.

I followed the instructions carefully.

One step.

Then another.

And eventually...

My Dell laptop came back to life!

There was no magic involved. It was simply a matter of having someone—or in this case, something—patiently walk me through the troubleshooting process.

What did I learn?

The biggest lesson wasn't actually about Dell.

It was about how I use AI.

I didn't need to understand everything about Windows, graphics drivers, system processes, or computer hardware.

I only needed to:

1. Describe the problem clearly.

2. Follow one instruction at a time.

3. Tell my AI companion what happened after each step.

4. Keep calm and avoid randomly clicking things.

That last one may be especially important! 😂

AI doesn't always have to do something complicated

When people hear about artificial intelligence, they often think about writing essays, creating pictures, analyzing data, or answering difficult questions.

Those things are impressive.

But for me, some of the most useful AI moments are much more ordinary.

A black laptop screen.

A question about WhatsApp.

Finding out how to do something on my phone.

Understanding a new piece of technology.

Or simply asking, “What should I try next?”

These are the little problems that appear in everyday life.

And this is where I find AI particularly useful.

My advice to other seniors

If you are learning to use AI, don't feel that you need to become a technology expert first.

Start with something you actually need help with.

Tell AI what happened in your own words.

You don't need perfect technical language.

Then let the AI guide you through the problem one step at a time.

And if the first suggestion doesn't work, tell it what happened.

That's how the conversation becomes useful.

I certainly didn't expect my Dell laptop to give me a lesson in AI yesterday.

But it did.

And once again, I was reminded why I call ChatGPT my AI companion.

At 80+, I'm still learning.

And perhaps that's the fun of technology today:

You don't have to know everything before you begin.

Sometimes, you just need to ask.

— David Au
AI123.ca — Exploring → Learning → Documenting

You can buy Grandpa a coffee. ☕

That's what keeps this old grandpa writing.

Frank's Birthday Dinner — When AI Became the Talk Among Seniors

 Yesterday evening, Julie and I went to Frank's house to celebrate his birthday with our old boys and their spouses.

I decided to drive there using my memory. After all, I had been to Frank's house before. At my age, however, memory sometimes has its own ideas!

I lost my way.

No big deal. I turned to Google Maps for help. I entered the destination, followed the directions, and it brought us to the exact location.

Thank you, AI. 😊

When we arrived, the atmosphere was warm and friendly. It was not just a birthday dinner. It was another opportunity for old friends to sit together, eat, laugh, and continue conversations that have followed us through many years of friendship.

And what a dinner we had!

There was a rich menu with very generous portions. The food came from several Chinese restaurants in different districts, together with some homemade dishes.

We enjoyed sauce chicken, roasted piglet, abalone with noodles, deep fried chuk tsim油炸竹尖, stir-fried bean sprout with noodle 牙菜炒麵, beef tenderloin prepared Chinese-style, Fukien fried rice, steamed Kwai Lan,  and more.

There was certainly no shortage of food.

And, of course, we could not celebrate a birthday without a birthday cake.

We bought a mango birthday cake from Panash Bakery. Mango cake is one of our favorites, so it was a perfect way to finish the meal.

Then the conversation turned to AI

After dinner, nobody seemed to be in a hurry to leave. We continued sitting together and talking.

Then AI became the subject.

We talked about Anthropic and Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and the rapid development of AI. We discussed whether AI would cause job losses and what kind of subjects future students should study if AI continues to change the workplace.

These were not easy questions.

But I found it interesting that a group of seniors were seriously discussing them. AI was no longer something happening somewhere in the technology world.

It had become part of our own conversation.

Then the discussion became more fun.

We talked about what AI can do with our everyday photographs. Today, we can use AI to change a photograph by adding a completely different background or creating a new scene.

For example, someone could appear to be dining in a restaurant in the UK, with a beautiful lady added into the background. We can even change the style of her clothing—from a classic look to something much more fashionable or revealing.

Everyone thought this was amusing.

But we also recognized a more serious side.

A photograph can look surprisingly real after AI has changed it. Someone seeing the picture without knowing the story could easily misunderstand what actually happened.

That is one of the strange things about AI.

It can be useful, educational, creative and fun—but it also means we have to be careful about what we believe when we see something on a screen.

AI among the old boys

As I looked around the table, I found the whole conversation rather remarkable.

We were a group of seniors who had known each other for many years. We had spent the evening eating Chinese food, celebrating Frank's birthday and talking about our lives.

And now we were talking about Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, jobs, education and AI-generated photographs.

Who would have imagined this when we were young?

For me, that was one of the nicest parts of Frank's birthday celebration.

The dinner gave us good food.

The mango cake gave us a sweet ending.

The friendship gave us good memories.

And AI gave us something new to talk about.

Perhaps getting older does not mean stopping learning.

Maybe it means continuing to be curious about whatever comes next.

How AI Helped This 80-Year-Old Grandpa Prepare for a Karaoke Party

 

 This is one of Grandpa's earlier stories, revisited while Grandpa takes a short break.

 

Next Thursday, August 13, there will be a karaoke party at a retirement home.

And this time, I have volunteered myself for a small but important job.

I am bringing my new Inkax wireless speaker with two wireless microphones.

Normally, my friend Daniel brings his home karaoke system and a large speaker to the venue. That is quite a job—especially carrying all that equipment around.

So I thought, why not make life a little easier for Daniel?

My plan is simple:

One wireless speaker.
Two wireless microphones.
A laptop.
My smartphone.
An HDMI cable.

How difficult could it be?

Well... that was when I turned to my AI companion.

I told ChatGPT what I had in mind and asked it to help me make sure I didn't forget anything.

The first thing it did was turn my rather incomplete list into a proper checklist.

It reminded me about charging the speaker and both microphones, bringing the microphone receiver if one was required, taking the laptop charger, and checking whether my laptop needed an HDMI adapter.

That was already useful.

But then came the more important question:

How am I going to connect my setup to the big screen at the retirement home?

That is something I don't want to discover five minutes before the party starts!

The basic idea is becoming clearer:

Laptop → HDMI cable → Big Screen

The laptop will provide the karaoke videos and lyrics.

The Inkax speaker will provide the sound.

The two wireless microphones will let everyone sing.

In other words, I am trying to turn a rather complicated home karaoke system into a small portable one.

And this is where AI becomes interesting to me.

I am 80 years old. I am not a computer technician, and I certainly don't pretend to understand every cable, connector and wireless connection.

But I don't have to figure everything out alone.

I can tell my AI companion what equipment I have, ask questions, take pictures of the connections if necessary, and work through the setup one step at a time.

Of course, AI cannot magically make an HDMI cable appear when I have forgotten to bring one!

So there is still a little responsibility on my side.

I need to test everything before Thursday.

My plan is to do a rehearsal at home:

1. Charge the Inkax speaker.

2. Charge both microphones.

3. Connect my smartphone to the speaker.

4. Test both microphones.

5. Play a karaoke song.

6. Connect my laptop to my television with HDMI.

7. Check that the picture appears on the TV.

8. Make sure the sound comes from the Inkax speaker.

9. Try changing songs and adjusting the volume.

If everything works, I will arrive at the retirement home with a much lighter load—and hopefully with a little more confidence.

There is also something amusing about this whole situation.

I have spent many years of my life learning how to do things without computers.

Now, at 80, I am learning how to do things with AI.

And perhaps that is one of the most interesting things about growing older in the age of artificial intelligence.

AI doesn't have to replace us.

Sometimes it simply gives us another pair of eyes, another source of ideas, and a patient companion to help us work through something unfamiliar.

Next Thursday will be the real test.

Will the microphones work?

Will the big screen cooperate?

Will the Bluetooth connection behave itself?

And, most importantly...

Will Grandpa remember all the cables?

Stay tuned.

The karaoke party hasn't started yet—but the preparation has already become a little story of its own.

And if everything goes well, perhaps I'll come back afterward and tell you how it turned out.

From a retiree's everyday life to AI-assisted karaoke—this is what living with AI looks like to me.

One Week Later: Seeing the Difference

 

I am writing this from Hillcrest Mall.

It has been one week since my left-eye cataract surgery. I have noticed a small improvement almost every day, and now the vision in my left eye is actually better than my right eye.

For an 80+ everyday AI user, this is another reminder that technology is only one part of life.

I spend a lot of time exploring AI, trying new tools, writing blog posts, and learning something new almost every day. But sometimes the most important "upgrade" has nothing to do with a computer.

It is simply being able to see more clearly.

After the surgery, I slowed down. I stayed home, rested, and gave my eye time to recover. My eye doctor checked me on Wednesday and said the recovery was going in the right direction. I was also told that I was fit to drive again.

Today, Julie and I are back at Hillcrest Mall.

I am not here to test my eyesight or accomplish anything important. We are simply enjoying being out together.

This is also part of my AI learning journey.

AI can help me write about life, organize my thoughts, listen to my own posts, and document my experiences. But AI cannot replace the experience itself.

I still have to go out, look around, walk, eat, talk with Julie, and enjoy the day.

Perhaps that is one lesson I have learned from using AI for the past couple of years:

Use AI to help document your life—but don't forget to live it.

Today, my left eye is a little clearer.

And so is my appreciation for an ordinary day.

— David, 80+ and still exploring → learning → documenting

I Tried Turning My Blog Post into a Video with Pictory — Here’s What Happened

 

 Yesterday, I had an interesting idea.

I had written a blog post on AI123.ca called “I Let AI Talk About My Own Blog — And I Was Blown Away.”

After writing about AI reading and talking about my own blog, I thought:

Why not let AI turn the same article into a video?

So I decided to try it.

This time, I used Pictory.

I wasn't trying to make a professional YouTube production. I simply wanted to see what would happen if I gave Pictory my blog post and asked it to turn the article into a video.

And the experiment turned out to be quite interesting.

I Started with My Blog URL

I opened Pictory and entered the URL of my article.

At first, I wasn't even sure whether it would work.

It did.

Pictory read the article and generated a video script from it.

I could see the script on the screen, along with several AI editing options such as Optimize, Rephrase, Shorten, Length, and Change Tone.

For the moment, I left the script alone.

I wanted to see what Pictory would do with my original article.

Then I clicked “Next: Video Preferences.”

Let AI Do the Work

Pictory gave me several choices.

For the visuals, I selected Auto Select.

For narration, I selected AI Voice.

Then I clicked Generate Video.

And I waited.

A few minutes later, the video was ready.

I was curious.

What would my little blog article look like as a video?

Then Came the Interesting Part

I previewed the video.

The AI voice was there.

The video had images and video clips.

Everything looked like a real video.

But as I watched, I noticed something.

The story didn't feel quite like my original article.

The individual shots were interesting enough, but they sometimes felt loosely connected. One scene would be followed by another, but the connection between them wasn't always obvious.

In other words, Pictory had made a video about the general subject, but I wasn't sure it had really captured the story I had written.

And that distinction caught my attention.

My original article was personal. It was about my experience of letting AI talk about my own blog and being surprised by what happened.

The video was more like a collection of visual scenes accompanying the subject.

That made me think.

But I Don't Want to Judge Too Quickly

I'm not writing this post to tell you that Pictory is good or bad.

That would be too easy.

I only tried one article.

I used the automatic visual selection.

I used the AI voice.

I didn't spend time adjusting individual scenes or rewriting the script.

Someone else might use the same tool differently and get a much better result.

Maybe the automatic version is only the starting point.

Maybe with some editing, the story could become much stronger.

Or perhaps another type of article would work much better with this kind of automatic video creation.

I don't know.

And that's exactly why I found the experiment interesting.

What I Really Wanted to Find Out

My question wasn't:

“Can Pictory make a video?”

Obviously, it can.

My question was:

“Can AI take something I wrote and turn it into a video that still feels like my story?”

That's a much more interesting question to me.

Because as someone who enjoys writing, I don't simply want words converted into moving pictures.

I want the idea, feeling, and story to survive the journey from writing to video.

Maybe that requires more human involvement.

Maybe AI will get better at it.

Maybe both.

So What Do You Think?

I'm sharing my experiment because I think many of us are going to face this question more often.

AI can now write.

AI can read.

AI can speak.

AI can create pictures.

And AI can turn an article into a video.

But how much of the original human story survives when AI does most of the work?

I have my own thoughts after watching my video.

But this time, I won't give you my conclusion.

I'd rather let you try it yourself.

Take one of your own articles, put it into an AI video tool, watch the result, and see what you think.

Maybe you'll be impressed.

Maybe you'll be disappointed.

Or maybe, like me, you'll find the experiment itself more interesting than the final video.

And that, I think, is one of the most enjoyable things about experimenting with AI.

We don't always know what we're going to discover until we try.

What Google Search Is Telling Me About My Blog

 

 This is one of Grandpa's earlier stories, revisited while Grandpa takes a short break.

 

This morning, I went back and reviewed a conversation I had with my AI companion a few days ago.

It was about something I have been watching quite closely lately: the traffic to my blog, AI123 (ai123.ca).

At first glance, the numbers didn't look particularly exciting.

For the week of August 3–9, 2026, Google Analytics showed:

• Organic Search: 27 sessions

• Average session duration: 12 minutes 35 seconds

• Blogger: 19 sessions

• Average session duration: 6 minutes 14 seconds

Twenty-seven sessions?

That's not a huge number.

But then I looked at the other number.

12 minutes and 35 seconds.

That caught my attention.

Maybe the number of visitors isn't the whole story

I have been watching my blog traffic for quite a while now. Sometimes the numbers can be surprisingly large, and sometimes they fall back down again.

It is easy for a blogger to become excited when seeing thousands of pageviews.

I certainly have done that myself.

But my conversation with ChatGPT made me think about something different.

Perhaps I shouldn't only ask:

"How many people came to my blog?"

I should also ask:

"What did they do after they arrived?"

That is a different way of looking at blogging.

Someone who arrives through Google Search may have been looking for something specific. They type a question or a topic into Google, see a result, and decide to visit my blog.

If that person stays for several minutes, perhaps they are actually reading.

That is much more interesting to me than simply knowing that someone clicked on my site.

Organic Search versus Blogger

The comparison was particularly interesting.

Visitors coming through Blogger averaged 6 minutes and 14 seconds.

Visitors coming through Organic Search averaged 12 minutes and 35 seconds.

In other words, the average Organic Search session was roughly twice as long.

Of course, I have to be careful.

There were only 27 Organic Search sessions in this particular period. That is a small sample, so I don't want to make a big conclusion from one week's data.

But I think it is a signal worth watching.

Maybe Google is slowly finding people who are genuinely interested in some of the things I write about.

And that makes me curious.

What are people searching for?

This is where blogging becomes interesting for me.

I am not a professional SEO expert sitting in an office studying keywords all day.

I'm a grandfather who likes to write.

I write about AI. I write about blogging. I write about my experiments with technology. I write about things that happen in my everyday life.

Sometimes I don't know which story will attract readers.

I simply write about something that catches my attention.

Recently, I have also noticed people searching for subjects such as blogging, Blogger, AI learning, and AI versus AGI.

That tells me something.

People are not necessarily coming to my site only because somebody sent them a link.

Some are actually searching for these subjects.

That is encouraging.

My AI companion gave me something to think about

When I shared the Google Analytics information with ChatGPT, it told me that the Organic Search result might be more meaningful than simply looking at a large pageview number.

I liked that observation.

Not because ChatGPT told me something I wanted to hear, but because it gave me another way to interpret the data.

I used to think of analytics mainly as a scoreboard.

More visitors = good.

Fewer visitors = bad.

Now I'm beginning to see it more like a conversation.

The numbers are telling me something about the people who visit.

Where did they come from?

What did they read?

How long did they stay?

Did they come back?

Did they find me through Google, Blogger, YouTube, Facebook, or somewhere else?

These questions are becoming more interesting to me than simply watching the visitor counter.

I don't want to change everything

There is another piece of advice from my AI companion that I found useful.

It suggested that I shouldn't immediately start changing everything just because I saw one encouraging result.

I agree.

That's probably one of the hardest lessons for a blogger.

You see one number go up and you want to change the whole website.

You see another number go down and you wonder whether something is wrong.

But perhaps the better approach is simply to watch and learn.

For now, I want to see what happens to Organic Search over the next few weeks.

Will those 27 sessions become 40?

Then 60?

Maybe 100?

And will visitors continue to spend several minutes reading?

I don't know.

That's the fun part.

I'm learning alongside my readers

At 80, I didn't expect that I would become so interested in website analytics.

But here I am.

I'm learning about Google Analytics, Blogger, AI, search traffic, engagement, and all kinds of things that were certainly not part of my daily life years ago.

And I have discovered that I don't need to understand everything at once.

I can ask questions.

I can experiment.

I can make mistakes.

I can look at the data.

Then I can ask my AI companion, "What do you think this means?"

And we talk about it.

That's actually one of the things I enjoy most about blogging now.

I'm not simply writing stories.

I'm learning from the people who read them.

And perhaps that is the most interesting part of this whole blogging journey.

The 27 Organic Search sessions from August 3–9 may not look impressive to a big website.

But to me, they represent something much more personal.

They may be 27 small signs that someone, somewhere, searched for something, found a little corner of my website, and decided to stay for a while.

For an old grandfather who simply enjoys writing and sharing what he learns, that's worth paying attention to.

And I'll be watching what happens next.

AI Quiz

 

How much you know about AI ?

 

AI123.ca — Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is AI123.ca?

AI123.ca is a personal learning journey about artificial intelligence. It explores AI from the perspective of an everyday user, with a special focus on making AI easier and less intimidating for seniors.

2. Who is AI123.ca for?

AI123.ca is for anyone curious about AI, especially seniors and people who do not consider themselves technology experts.

3. Do I need to be a technology expert to use AI?

No. You do not need to understand programming or computer science to begin using AI. Start with simple questions and everyday tasks.

4. What does “AI Learning for Seniors” mean?

It means learning AI at your own pace and using it for practical purposes rather than trying to become a technology professional.

5. What is AI123 Digest?

AI123 Digest is a place to collect and share interesting AI developments, ideas and news. The goal is not to overwhelm readers with technology news, but to help them understand what may actually matter.

6. Why should seniors learn about AI?

AI is becoming part of everyday life. Learning a little about it can help seniors communicate, search for information, write, organize ideas and explore new interests.

7. Is AI difficult to learn?

It can look difficult at first, but many useful AI tasks are surprisingly simple. You can begin by having a conversation with an AI assistant.

8. What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI assistant that can communicate with you through conversation. It can help with questions, writing, explanations, brainstorming and many other tasks.

9. Can AI make mistakes?

Yes. AI can produce incorrect or outdated information. Important information should always be checked against reliable sources.

10. Should I trust everything AI tells me?

No. AI should be treated as a helpful companion, not as an unquestionable authority. Think, question and verify.

11. What can I ask AI?

Almost anything that is appropriate to discuss. You can ask AI to explain something, help you write, summarize information, brainstorm ideas, translate text or teach you a subject.

12. Can AI help me write?

Yes. AI can help you organize your thoughts, improve wording, correct grammar, translate writing and develop ideas. Your own experience and judgment should remain at the heart of the story.

13. Can AI help seniors with everyday life?

Yes. For example, AI can explain unfamiliar terms, help prepare questions for a service provider, organize a trip, explain technology or help write a message to family and friends.

14. Can I use AI without knowing how computers work?

Yes. You can learn AI gradually through ordinary conversation. You do not have to understand the technology behind the system before you can benefit from it.

15. What is a prompt?

A prompt is simply what you say or type when asking an AI system to do something. A prompt can be as simple as a question.

16. Do I need special prompts?

No. Clear, ordinary language is often enough. You can improve your request by explaining what you want and providing useful context.

17. What if AI does not understand my question?

Try asking again in a different way. You can add more details, explain what you mean, or tell the AI what was wrong with its previous answer.

18. Can AI remember my conversations?

Some AI services have memory features, while others may not. The exact behavior depends on the service and its settings. Do not assume that everything you tell an AI will always be remembered.

19. Should I give AI my personal information?

Be careful. Avoid sharing passwords, financial information, identification numbers or other highly sensitive information unless you fully understand how the particular service handles your data.

20. Can AI replace human judgment?

No. AI can assist people, but important decisions should remain under human judgment and, when appropriate, professional advice.

21. Can AI help me learn something new?

Absolutely. You can ask AI to explain a subject at your level, give examples, quiz you, or explain the same idea in a different way.

22. Can an 80-year-old learn AI?

Yes. Age does not prevent someone from learning how to use AI. You do not have to learn everything. Learn the parts that are useful and interesting to you.

23. Do I have to understand every new AI development?

No. There is far too much happening in AI to follow everything. Learn what is useful to you and let the rest pass by.

24. Is AI only useful for younger people?

No. AI can be useful at any age. Seniors bring something important to AI conversations: decades of experience, memories, judgment and stories.

25. Can AI help preserve family memories?

Yes. AI can help organize memories, improve drafts, translate stories and turn notes into readable narratives. But the memories themselves belong to the person who lived them.

26. Why does AI123.ca focus on practical AI instead of AI hype?

Because the purpose is learning, not chasing every new trend. Technology changes quickly, but the question “How can this help an ordinary person?” remains useful.

27. Does AI123.ca provide professional medical, legal or financial advice?

No. AI123.ca is an educational and personal learning site. Professional advice should be obtained from qualified professionals when needed.

28. Does AI123.ca make money from the blog?

AI123.ca may receive income through advertising, affiliate programs and other opportunities. The money earned through the blog is intended to be donated to charitable organizations. The purpose is not personal enrichment. If the blog can generate some income while sharing useful information, that income can instead become a small way of giving back to the community.

29. Who writes AI123.ca?

AI123.ca is based on the personal AI-learning journey of an everyday senior user. The site documents experiments, observations, discoveries and lessons learned along the way.

30. What is the philosophy of AI123.ca?

Exploring → Learning → Documenting.

AI is changing quickly. Rather than pretending to know everything, AI123.ca takes the journey one step at a time—exploring new tools, learning what is useful, and documenting the experience so others can learn along the way.

A Final Thought

You do not have to become an AI expert.

You only need to be curious enough to ask:

“Can AI help me do this?”

Then try it.

That is where the journey begins.

🚀 Start Here

 👉  — Use AI in Minutes (No Tech Skills Needed)

Curious about AI but not sure where to begin?

You’re in the right place.

You don’t need coding.
You don’t need technical knowledge.
You just need a few simple steps to get started.

👉 Start using AI today—not someday.

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⚡ Your First Step (Takes 5 Minutes)

Don’t study AI. Try it.

Here are 3 easy things you can do right now:

1️⃣ Summarize Anything

Copy a news article and ask:
👉 “Summarize this in 5 bullet points.”

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2️⃣ Write a Message

Not sure how to say something?

👉 “Help me write a polite message to a friend…”

---

3️⃣ Ask Instead of Search

Skip Google.

👉 Ask: “Explain this in simple terms.”

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💡 That’s it. You’ve already started using AI.

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🤖 What is AI (Simple Explanation)

AI is like a digital assistant that learns from examples.

The more it learns, the better it gets—just like us.

It can:

• answer questions
• write content
• explain complex ideas simply

You don’t need to understand how it works inside.

👉 Just use it and benefit from it.

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🌍 Why AI Matters (For You)

AI is already part of your daily life:

• It recommends what you watch
• It translates languages
• It filters spam emails
• It helps you find answers quickly

Now, you can use it directly to save time and think more clearly.

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🧠 Do You Need to Learn Machine Learning?

Let’s be honest: No.

That’s the technical side behind AI.

If your goal is to:

• write better
• learn faster
• stay mentally active

👉 You only need to use AI tools—not build them.

---

🧭 The Smart Way to Learn AI

Forget complicated courses (for now).

Do this instead:

• Start small
• Use AI daily
• Stay curious
• Learn by doing

Think of it like learning English—you improve by using it, not by memorizing rules.

---

⭐ What to Do Next

Now that you’ve started, keep going:

👉 Try one AI task today
👉 Read one simple post
👉 Come back tomorrow and try again

---

💡 Final Thought

AI is not just for engineers anymore.

It’s for people like you—who want to:

• keep learning
• stay independent
• and enjoy life with less effort

Start small. Stay consistent.
You’ll be surprised how quickly it becomes part of your daily routine.

• From Coffee Talk to AI Action: Why Seniors Should Start Learning AI Today

👉 Ask ChatGPT: “Summarize today’s news in simple English”

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AITrends2025 #FutureOfTech #智慧科技 #人工智能 #AI趨勢 #TechInnovation #SmartFuture #科技未來

Why I Chose the Name AI123 Digest

 Why I Chose the Name AI123 Digest

A little name with a long history

Sometimes a name comes from careful planning.

And sometimes, it comes from a memory that has been quietly sitting in your mind for decades.

For me, AI123 Digest is the second kind.

When I first thought about using the word “Digest” for AI123, I immediately remembered something from the very beginning of my working life.

A young man at Abbott

My first job was with Abbott Laboratories in Hong Kong.

I was young then, just beginning my working life and learning how the business world worked.

One thing I remember particularly well was that Reader’s Digest was nearby.

Every day, I could see the activity around the Reader’s Digest operation.

There were people working with the magazines, preparing them and arranging the little publications in order before they were sent out for delivery.

I was fascinated by the process.

To me, those little magazines were not just printed paper.

They were a way of collecting interesting stories and information and bringing them to ordinary readers.

And I was one of those readers.

I enjoyed reading Reader’s Digest myself.

I never imagined that many decades later, the word “Digest” would come back into my life.

But here it is.

From Reader’s Digest to AI123 Digest

Fast-forward many years.

I am now an 80+ retired person living in Canada.

Instead of watching people prepare printed magazines for delivery, I am watching something completely different:

artificial intelligence changing how information is created, collected and shared.

I began using AI simply because I was curious.

I was not an AI expert.

I was just an ordinary person asking questions.

But gradually, AI became much more useful to me.

I began using it to explore ideas, learn new things, check information, work on my blogs and record some of the experiences of my life.

That eventually led me to AI123.ca.

The name AI123 was easy to remember.

And it reflected the way I wanted to approach artificial intelligence:

simple, practical and step by step.

But I felt that something was missing.

Then I thought about that old word from my youth.

Digest.

Why “Digest”?

To me, a digest means taking a large amount of information and making it easier for ordinary people to understand and enjoy.

That is exactly what I want to do with AI123 Digest.

The AI world is moving incredibly fast.

Every day there are announcements from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and many other companies.

New models appear.

New tools appear.

New promises appear.

And sometimes, new worries appear too.

For an ordinary person, it can be difficult to keep up.

I certainly cannot follow everything.

And frankly, I don't want to.

I want to understand what matters to me.

So perhaps AI123 Digest can be my way of doing that.

I explore something.

I learn something.

I think about it.

And then I document what I discovered in plain language.

Exploring → Learning → Documenting.

That is the spirit of AI123.

It is not really a technology magazine

There is one important difference.

AI123 Digest is not intended to compete with professional technology publications.

I am not a technology journalist.

I am not an AI researcher.

I am an ordinary 80+ person who happens to be living through one of the most extraordinary technological changes in history.

That gives me a different perspective.

I can ask the questions that another ordinary person might ask.

I can say:

“I don't understand this. Can you explain it to me?”

And if I finally understand it, perhaps I can explain it to another reader.

That is what I mean by Digest.

Not everything.

Just the things worth stopping to think about.

A little circle in my life

When I look back, I find it rather amusing.

As a young man at Abbott, I watched people working around Reader’s Digest.

I was a reader.

I never imagined that one day I would create something with the word Digest in its name.

Now, many decades later, I am sitting at my computer in Canada, talking with my AI companion and working on AI123.

The technology has changed almost beyond recognition.

The world has changed.

I have changed.

But somehow, one little word has travelled with me through the years.

Digest.

From printed magazines...

to digital information...

to artificial intelligence.

Why AI123 Digest feels right

Perhaps that is why I like the name so much.

It isn't something invented by a marketing consultant.

It came from my own life.

And that makes it personal.

AI123.ca is the home.

AI123 Digest can be the collection of stories, observations and discoveries that grow from my continuing journey with AI.

Sometimes the subject may be exciting.

Sometimes confusing.

Sometimes even worrying.

And sometimes it may simply be something I discovered while sitting at my computer and thinking:

“That's interesting. I wonder what my AI companion thinks about it?”

That is how my AI journey continues.

I don't know where it will take me.

But at 80+, I have learned something important:

You don't have to know everything to keep learning.

You just need to remain curious.

And perhaps that is the real meaning behind AI123 Digest.

A lifetime of curiosity, condensed into one little digest.

---

AI123.ca — Exploring → Learning → Documenting

AI123 Digest — one ordinary 80+ person's continuing journey into the world of artificial intelligence.

Watching the AI Revolution Through a Grandfather's Eyes

  This is one of Grandpa's earlier stories, revisited while Grandpa takes a short break.

 

Most articles about artificial intelligence are written by engineers, researchers, or technology journalists.

This one is different.

It is written from the perspective of a retired grandfather who has lived through more than seven decades of technological change—and who is now watching the AI revolution unfold one morning at a time.

Every morning, I take a walk through Hillcrest Mall or Markville Mall in Ontario. After my walk, I often sit down with a cup of coffee and browse the latest AI news on my phone.

Around me, life continues as usual.

Grandparents chat over coffee.

Parents push strollers.

Teenagers laugh with friends.

Employees hurry to work.

Yet on my phone, another world is racing ahead.

Every week seems to bring another breakthrough. More powerful AI models. Smarter assistants. Better image generation. Faster coding tools. New scientific discoveries accelerated by AI.

Some headlines celebrate these advances.

Others warn about job losses, misinformation, or the possibility of AI becoming more capable than we ever imagined.

The contrast fascinates me.

The physical world still moves at a human pace.

The digital world seems to be accelerating every month.

Living Through Another Technological Revolution

This is not the first technological revolution I have witnessed.

I remember typewriters before personal computers.

I remember waiting days for letters instead of receiving emails in seconds.

I watched cameras become digital, telephones become smartphones, and the internet become part of everyday life.

Each innovation changed how we lived.

Artificial intelligence feels different.

Instead of simply helping us perform tasks, AI is beginning to assist with thinking, creating, analyzing, translating, programming, and discovering.

That is a profound shift.

AI Is a Tool, Not a Replacement for Humanity

One question appears again and again:

Will AI replace humans?

It is an understandable concern.

AI is already changing workplaces, reshaping industries, and automating tasks that once required highly skilled professionals.

But I believe there is a more useful question.

How can AI help humans become more capable without losing the qualities that make us human?

Technology has always amplified our abilities.

The calculator did not eliminate mathematics.

The internet did not eliminate knowledge.

Likewise, AI does not eliminate the need for curiosity, judgment, empathy, integrity, and wisdom.

Those qualities become even more valuable.

What AI Has Taught Me

When I started AI123.ca, I wanted to learn.

I did not expect AI to become a daily companion.

Today, AI helps me:

• organize ideas

• improve my writing

• translate articles into Chinese

• understand Google Analytics

• explore new AI tools

• explain complex technology in plain English

Yet every article still begins with a human experience.

A conversation.

A morning walk.

A surprising news headline.

A question that sparks curiosity.

AI helps me communicate those experiences more clearly, but it does not replace the experiences themselves.

The Advantage of Being Curious

People sometimes assume AI belongs to the younger generation.

I disagree.

Curiosity has no age limit.

In fact, retirees may have one unique advantage.

We have lived through enough technological changes to recognize a pattern.

Every major innovation creates uncertainty.

Eventually, it also creates opportunity.

The challenge is to remain open-minded without becoming overwhelmed.

A Front-Row Seat to History

Historians often describe turning points only after they have passed.

Those living through them rarely realize how significant the moment is.

I believe we are experiencing one of those moments now.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping education, healthcare, business, science, creativity, and communication.

No one knows exactly where this journey will lead.

But we all have the opportunity to observe it, learn from it, and participate in it.

That is why I continue writing AI123.ca.

Not because I claim to have all the answers.

But because I believe ordinary people deserve a place in the AI conversation.

Perhaps one day my grandchildren will read these articles and smile.

They may say, "Grandpa was there when the AI age began."

And they would be right.

I have had a front-row seat to one of the most remarkable technological revolutions in human history—and I am grateful to share the journey with you.