Level 2: AI for everyday life: study, jobs, money and health questions

AI becomes really useful when you use it for your own problems. This lesson gives ready-to-use prompts for everyday situations in Kenya, with the safety notes that matter.

Studying and learning

Honest use: use AI to learn, not to hand in work that isn't yours. Most schools and colleges treat AI-written assignments as cheating. Ask it to explain, quiz and give feedback instead. (See the AI tools subject's lesson on studying the honest way.)

Finding a job

• "Here's a job advert and my CV. List the skills the employer wants that my CV doesn't show yet, and suggest honest ways to show them."
• "Write a cover letter for this job using my real experience: [paste]. Under 250 words."
• "Ask me 8 interview questions for a [role] one by one, and score my answers."
• "Rewrite my LinkedIn 'About' section to sound professional but warm."

Never let AI invent qualifications or experience. Employers check, and it can cost you the job.

Money and small business

• "Make a monthly budget for KSh 25,000 income: rent 8,000, food, transport, school fees for 1 child, savings. Show it as a table."
• "Explain the difference between a SACCO loan, a bank loan and a mobile loan, with the risks of each."
• "I sell second-hand clothes (mitumba) in Gikomba. Give me 10 ideas to get more customers on WhatsApp and TikTok."
• "Calculate my profit: I buy a bale for KSh 18,000, it has about 200 pieces, I sell at KSh 200 each, and transport is KSh 1,500."

Check the maths with a calculator for important decisions, and confirm rules (taxes, loans) with official sources.

Farming

• "My maize leaves have yellow streaks and holes. What are the possible causes and what should I check?" (Send a photo for better help.)
• "Make a planting and spraying calendar for tomatoes in a greenhouse in Kiambu."
• "Write a short WhatsApp message to sell 20 trays of eggs to local hotels."

Always confirm diagnoses and chemical use with an agricultural extension officer or agrovet. Wrong chemicals waste money and can be dangerous.

Health questions (carefully)

AI can help you understand health information and prepare questions for a doctor:

• "Explain in simple words what 'high blood pressure' means and what questions I should ask my doctor."
• "What do these terms on my lab results mean? [paste]"

But never use AI instead of a doctor, especially for emergencies, children, pregnancy, medicines and doses. If it's urgent, go to a hospital or call emergency services.

Letters, forms and government services

• "Write a polite letter to my county office asking about the status of my bursary application."
• "Explain step by step how to apply for a KRA PIN on iTax." (Then follow the official website, which may have changed.)
• "Help me fill in this form: what should I write in 'purpose of the loan'?"

Your weekly AI habit

Pick three areas from this lesson and use AI in each this week. Notice where it saves time and where you had to correct it. That judgement is exactly what makes you good at AI.

AI as a daily helper, used wisely

AI can save time on everyday tasks, from planning meals and budgets to preparing for interviews and understanding government processes. The key is using it as an assistant, not an authority: let it help you think, draft and organise, while you check important facts and make the decisions.

Personal finance with AI

Prompt: My monthly income is KSh 35,000. Rent is 9,000, transport about 4,500,
and I send 3,000 home. Help me build a simple budget with food, airtime/data,
savings and an emergency fund. Show it as a table and suggest where I could save.

Use AI to:

• Build a budget table and spot spending patterns (paste a summary, not your full M-Pesa statement with numbers).
• Understand terms: interest rates, reducing balance vs flat rate loans, SACCO dividends.
• Compare options by asking for questions to ask a bank or SACCO.

Don't let AI recommend specific investments or loans for you; it doesn't know your full situation and may be wrong or outdated. Check licensed institutions and current rates yourself.

Job hunting step by step

Watch out for fake job adverts that ask for payment; AI can help you spot red flags if you paste the advert, but use your judgement too.

Learning new skills

• Ask for a 4-week learning plan for a skill (Excel, coding, bookkeeping) with daily 30-minute tasks.
• Ask the AI to explain mistakes in your work and give similar practice exercises.
• Use it to translate difficult English explanations into simpler English or Kiswahili.

Parents and teachers

• Generate practice questions at the right level and check the answers yourself.
• Create simple explanations or stories that explain a concept to children.
• Plan activities and lesson outlines, adapted to available materials.
• Teach children responsible use: AI helps learning but doesn't replace their own work.

Health information: careful use

AI can help you understand general health information and prepare questions for a doctor:

Prompt: I've been told I have high blood pressure. Explain in simple terms what it means,
common lifestyle changes people discuss with their doctor, and 5 questions I should ask
at my next clinic visit.

• Never use AI instead of medical care, especially in emergencies (chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, signs of stroke): go to a health facility or call emergency services.
• Don't change medication based on AI answers.
• Health information is sensitive; avoid sharing identifying details.

Farming and small enterprise

• Planning crop calendars, simple record-keeping templates, and costing an enterprise (poultry, kitchen garden).
• Drafting messages to buyers or cooperatives.
• Identifying questions for agricultural extension officers.

Confirm pest and disease diagnoses and chemical use with qualified officers or agrovets, and follow product labels.

Safety reminders

• AI-generated voices and messages can impersonate family members: verify unusual money requests by calling back on a known number.
• Don't share PINs, passwords or OTPs with any AI tool or anyone claiming to be AI support.
• Double-check AI answers on laws, fees and deadlines with official sources.

Practice

1. Ask an AI to help build your monthly budget table (with rounded figures, no personal identifiers).
2. Paste a real job advert and ask for the top five skills required, then compare with your CV.
3. Ask for 10 interview questions and practise answering three aloud.
4. Create a 4-week learning plan for a skill you want.
5. Prepare five questions for a doctor, SACCO officer or agricultural officer using AI.