Introduction to AI Chat
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Start using AI chat tools at work: send a message, read the answer, fix it with a follow-up and see what a new chat forgets. Then rewrite Priya's one-line holiday notice so the AI stops guessing.
Priya's One-Line Notice
Priya runs the office at Kestrel Office Co. in Pune. The office will be closed for two days next month, and she needs to tell everyone about it.
She opens an AI chat tool and types a one-line request. Press Send below and see what she gets back.
Read the answer carefully. What went wrong?
- The dates are wrong. It talks about Christmas.
- The office name appears as a blank in square brackets.
- The contact person's name is missing too.
The AI did not ask Priya a single question. It guessed, and it still sounded confident.
In simple words: AI only knows what you tell it. Missing information often becomes a guess.
By the end of this course, you will know how to give AI the right information so it can create a notice that is ready to send.
TL;DR
- An AI chat tool is like a smart new coworker on their first day. It can write well, but it knows nothing about your workplace.
- The message you type is called a prompt.
- Better prompts usually lead to better answers.
- In a chat, you can send a message, read the answer, improve it with a follow-up, or start a new chat.
- A follow-up keeps the current conversation and context.
- A new chat starts fresh and does not remember previous messages.
- The more specific your prompt is, the easier it is for the AI to give you the result you want.
- Always review AI-generated content before using it.
A Real-World Example
Imagine a new colleague joins your team today. They are clever, quick, and write beautiful emails, but it is their first day.
You say, "Write the notice about the holiday." They want to help, so they start writing immediately.
They choose dates that sound right, leave a blank where the office name should be, and hand it back with a smile.
Was that their fault? Not really. You never told them which office, which days, or who employees should contact.
An AI chat tool works in a very similar way. It is fast and eager to help, but it does not automatically know your company, your customers, your policies, or your plans.
Every important detail you leave out can become a guess.
What You Will Learn
In this lesson, you will learn:
- What this course gives you to keep.
- The meaning of key terms such as prompt, AI chat tool, and answer.
- How to send a message and review the answer.
- How to improve an answer using a follow-up.
- When to use a follow-up and when to start a new chat.
- How to use these skills in the AI tool available at work.
What This Course Gives You
Three Things You Keep
You will finish this course with three practical resources you can use at work immediately:
- A prompt library. Ready-to-use workplace prompts with placeholders such as
[customer name],[meeting date], or[project name]. - Standing instructions. A short description of your role and working style that can be saved in your AI tool.
- A completion card. Earned after passing the final assessment.
The Course Map
The course contains 13 short lessons divided into three parts. Each lesson takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
| Part | Lessons | What You Will Be Able to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | 1 to 6 | Write clear prompts, improve answers, and communicate effectively with AI |
| Going Further | 7 to 10 | Handle larger tasks, check facts, and use AI safely |
| Daily Use | 11 to 13 | Build reusable prompts, apply AI to real work, and complete the final assessment |
Six Coworkers, One Company
Every lesson uses the same fictional company, Kestrel Office Co. It sells office supplies and has around 300 employees across two offices: Pune in India and Leeds in the UK.
You will help six coworkers solve common workplace problems using AI:
- Priya (Administration): Gets a holiday notice with the wrong dates.
- Arun (Operations): Gets meeting notes with no owners and no deadlines.
- Maria (Sales): Gets a customer reply that offers a discount she is not allowed to give.
- Tom (Marketing): Gets social posts filled with hype and unnecessary hashtags.
- Lakshmi (Finance): Gets calculations that must be checked carefully.
- Dev (HR): Gets policy summaries that include information that is not actually in the policy.
Everything about Kestrel Office Co. is fictional. All names, email addresses, and examples are made up so you can practise safely.
You do not need any technical skills for this course. There is no coding, nothing to install, and no previous AI experience required.
Key Words
Prompt
A prompt is the message you type into an AI chat tool. It can be one sentence, a paragraph, or a detailed set of instructions.
Think of it as a briefing for a new colleague. A vague briefing often leads to guesses, while a clear briefing usually leads to better results.
AI Chat Tool
An AI chat tool is the application where you type your prompt and receive an answer.
ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini are all examples of AI chat tools.
Although they look different, they work in a very similar way: you provide instructions and the AI generates a response.
Answer
The answer is what the AI writes back. Some tools call it a response or a reply.
An answer can look professional and still contain mistakes, which is why reviewing AI-generated content is an important skill.
In simple words: You write a prompt, the AI creates an answer, and you decide whether that answer is useful and correct.
Your First Chat
Step 1: Send a Message
Every practice box in this course works like a simple AI chat tool.
There is already a message waiting below. Press Send and review the answer.
You asked for five ideas, one line each, and received exactly five ideas. That is the basic principle of prompting: clear instructions often produce clearer answers.
Now try your own message in the same box. Ask for three ideas instead of five and see what changes.
Step 2: Read the Answer
Do not just glance at the answer. Read it carefully from start to finish.
Ask yourself:
- Did it answer my question?
- What did it guess?
- What information is missing?
Look carefully for dates, names, numbers, locations, or blanks that you never provided.
If you skip this step, incorrect information can end up in an email, report, or document with your name attached to it.
Step 3: Follow Up in the Same Chat
The first answer is often close, but not quite right. You do not need to start over. Simply tell the AI what needs to change.
For example:
Make it shorter, under 50 words. Mention that lunch is paid for by the company. Sign it as Asha.
You did not repeat the date, time, or location in your second message, but the AI still remembered them because you stayed in the same chat.
In simple words: A follow-up means, "This is close. Please change this part."
Step 4: Start a New Chat
A new chat starts a completely new conversation. The AI cannot see your previous chats.
In the old chat, the AI knew the answer because it already had the context. In the new chat, it had no idea because the conversation started fresh.
So when should you use each one?
| Use a follow-up when | Start a new chat when |
|---|---|
| The answer is close and needs a change | You are starting a completely different task |
| You want the AI to remember previous details | The chat has gone in the wrong direction |
| You are improving the same piece of work | You want a clean start |
Easy way to remember: A follow-up means "same conversation." A new chat means "start over."
Replay Samples and the In-Page AI
Each practice box can provide answers in two different ways.
Replay Samples
Replay samples are example answers prepared in advance.
The lesson selects the sample that best matches the information in your message.
Replay samples work on all supported devices and require no setup.
Every replayed answer is clearly labelled.
The In-Page AI
The in-page AI lets you practise with a real AI directly inside the lesson.
It generates answers based on the prompts you write, just like the AI tools you use at work.
Because it is designed for learning, its answers may not always be as strong as those from larger AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, or Gemini.
That is normal.
The goal is to help you practise writing better prompts and giving clearer instructions.
The checks under each practice box use fixed rules. This means the same answer will always receive the same result.
Fix Priya's Notice
Now go back to Priya.
This time, you have the facts.
Open What you know and rewrite her message so the AI has all the information it needs.
Look at the difference. The AI is the same and the task is the same. The only thing that changed was the information you provided.
The more useful information you include in your prompt, the easier it is for the AI to give you a useful answer.
You will learn a simple prompting checklist called CRAFT in Lesson 3.
The coloured labels under each message box are a preview. They light up when your message includes the information the AI needs.
Copy It to Your Own AI Tool
Every practice box includes a Copy to your own AI tool button.
It copies your message so you can test it in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, or another approved AI tool.
Try it with the Priya prompt that passed and compare the results.
Only paste work information into AI tools approved by your organization. The Kestrel examples are fictional and safe to use. Real customer, employee, or business information may not be.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What Happens | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| Typing a prompt with very little information | The AI guesses missing details | Include all important facts |
| Starting a new chat to fix a small issue | You waste time repeating context | Use a follow-up instead |
| Asking for "better" or "shorter" without specifics | The AI may change the wrong thing | Be specific about what you want |
| Trusting an answer because it sounds confident | Mistakes can be missed | Review every answer carefully |
| Sending content that still contains placeholders | Incomplete information reaches other people | Check for blanks before using the answer |
Exercise
Complete each activity below and press Check.
What to Remember
- AI is like a new colleague who only knows what you tell it.
- Every important fact you leave out can become a guess.
- A prompt is the message you send to the AI.
- The more specific your prompt is, the better the answer is likely to be.
- Always read the answer and check names, dates, numbers, and missing information.
- Use follow-ups to improve existing work and start a new chat for a different task.
- You are responsible for anything you choose to send, share, or publish.
Key Takeaway
Good AI results start with good instructions.
The AI cannot see your calendar, your inbox, your company policies, or your plans. The more clearly you explain what you want and provide the information it needs, the more useful the answer will be.
Next: AI Strengths and Limits