Why Most People Don’t Actually Know How to Use ChatGPT (Yet)

 Why Most People Don’t Actually Know How to Use ChatGPT (Yet)

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Last year, I conducted six separate ChatGPT & AI training sessions.

Across those sessions alone, I trained more than 100 professionals, educators, and leaders.

And here’s the interesting part.

Almost everyone thought they already knew how to use ChatGPT.

They didn’t.

What they had was exposure — not capability.

They could type prompts.
They could get answers.
But they were not using AI effectively, responsibly, or consistently.

And this is something I’ve seen repeatedly — not just in AI training.

Through Visual Teachers, I’ve had the privilege of training more than 2,500 teachers across Malaysia. Different programs. Different subjects. Different contexts.

Yet the pattern is the same.

Tools don’t create impact.
Thinking does.

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The real problem with AI adoption

Most people approach ChatGPT like this:

• “What should I type?”

• “Give me a prompt.”

• “What’s the best command?”

But effective use of AI doesn’t start with prompts.

It starts with:

• Clear thinking

• Clear intention

• Clear structure

Without these, AI only amplifies confusion.

With these, AI becomes a thinking partner.

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What Level 1 use of ChatGPT actually means

In my Level 1 training, we don’t start with advanced features or automation.

We start with fundamentals that most people skip:

• How to think before prompting

• How to structure requests so AI understands context

• How to use ChatGPT as:

  • a thinking assistant

  • a writing companion

  • a learning support

  • a productivity amplifier

• How to verify, refine, and not blindly trust outputs

This is why I call it effective use, not “AI tricks”.

Because once the foundation is wrong, everything built on top collapses.

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Why is the demand growing this year

Something shifted this year.

Organisations, teachers, and professionals are no longer asking:

“What is ChatGPT?”

They are asking:

“How do we use this properly — without creating dependency, mistakes, or ethical issues?”

That’s a good sign.

It shows maturity.

It shows responsibility.

And it shows that AI literacy is no longer optional — it’s becoming a core skill.

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A simple reflection

If AI disappeared tomorrow, would your thinking still be strong?

If the answer is yes, AI will multiply your effectiveness.
If the answer is no, AI will expose the gaps.

That’s why Level 1 matters.

Not to impress.
Not to automate blindly.

But to build clarity, discipline, and confidence in how we think and work.

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Working smarter doesn’t mean working less.
It means think better first.

#EffectiveUseOfAI

#ChatGPT

#AILiteracy

#WorkSmarter

#AIForProductivity

#ThinkingSkills

#DigitalSkills