Why AI sounds confused (it's not what you think) 🐾
A few small words make all the difference — here's why, plus before & after examples you can try today.
Have you ever typed something into ChatGPT, waited a few seconds, and then read what came back thinking — that’s not what I meant at all?
Maybe the answer was too long. Too formal. Too random. Or it totally missed the point of what you were asking.
Here’s the thing: that’s not AI being broken. That’s AI being confused. And nine times out of ten, the confusion started with how the question was asked.
Think of it this way. If you walked up to a stranger and said “tell me about dogs”. You’d get a completely different answer than if you said “I just adopted a 10-year-old rescue beagle who’s nervous around strangers. What are some gentle ways to help her feel safe in my home?” Same topic. Very different question. Very different answer.
AI works the same way. The more clearly you tell it what you need, and why you need it, the better it responds. We call this a prompt, and the difference between a vague one and a clear one is everything.
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Let’s look at a few real examples
Here are some before-and-after prompts on topics you might actually use. Try these yourself today. Just copy the “After” version into ChatGPT or Claude and see what happens.
❌ Before — Too Vague
“Write me something about healthy eating.”
AI doesn’t know who you are, what format you want, or what “healthy” means to you. You’ll get a generic essay.
✅ After — Much Clearer
“Write me a friendly, 200-word blog intro about simple ways people over 60 can eat more vegetables without giving up the foods they love. Conversational tone, no diet talk.”
Now AI knows the audience, the length, the tone, and what to avoid. The result will actually be useful.
❌ Before — Too Vague
“Help me write an email.”
Which email? To whom? Saying what? AI will make things up to fill in the blanks — and they won’t be your blanks.
✅ After — Much Clearer
“Write a short, warm email to my neighbor thanking her for watching my dog last weekend. I want it to feel genuine, not formal. About 4-5 sentences.”
Specific, purposeful, and personal. AI can actually help now because it knows exactly what you need.
❌ Before — Too Vague
“Give me some ideas.”
Ideas about what? For whom? AI will throw a random list at you and none of it will feel right.
✅ After — Much Clearer
“I want to start a small creative hobby that I can do at home, alone, that doesn’t require a lot of money or special equipment. I’m 67 and enjoy calm, quiet activities. Give me 5 specific ideas with a one-sentence description of each.”
You’ve told AI who you are, what you want, and what format to use. This is a prompt that will actually deliver something useful.
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The simple rule to remember
Before you hit send on any AI request, ask yourself three quick questions:
Who am I? (Or who is this for?)
What exactly do I need? (Not just the topic — the format, the length, the tone)
What should AI know to give me a good answer?
That’s it. Add those three things to almost any request and you’ll be amazed at how much better the results get.
🎬 Watch Sunday’s video to see this in action:
This week I showed exactly how I use a clear, specific prompt to plan my entire week of content in just 20 minutes. It’s a real-time demonstration of everything we talked about here.
👉 Watch: How I Plan My Entire Week of Content in 20 Minutes Using AI
Tomorrow on Tuesday, I’m posting your cheat sheet, a simple 3-part formula for writing prompts that actually work, with fill-in-the-blank examples you can save and use right away. Watch for it in your inbox.
Until then, give one of those “After” prompts a try today. You don’t need to do anything big. Just pick one topic you’ve been curious about and ask AI about it the clear way. See what happens.
You might surprise yourself. 🐾
— Debbie
AI Puppy Playbook