Welcome. In this first lesson you will put one AI chat app on your phone or tablet. Then you will have a short conversation with it.
You will also learn three ground rules that come back in every lesson. They protect your privacy and your savings. Allow about 15 minutes, and go at your own pace.
What an AI chat app is
An app is a program on your phone or tablet. An AI chat app is a program that has read a great deal of writing. You ask a question, and it writes a likely-sounding answer.
It is not a person, and it does not know you. It can be wrong while sounding sure. The companies that make these apps say so themselves. Microsoft's terms say, "Copilot can make mistakes."
You may already have seen one. Google says some Android phones come with its Gemini helper already set up as the phone's assistant. In Canada, WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook and Instagram can include a helper called Meta AI. For this course, please use one separate chat app, so each lesson looks the same on your screen.
Getting the real app
Choose one free app and stay with it for the whole course. A good choice is one a family member already uses, so help is close by.
We found these four in the Canadian app stores for iPhone, iPad and Android on 6 October 2026. Each one was free to install and has a free plan.
- ChatGPT. Publisher: OpenAI. The App Store shows it as OpenAI OpCo, LLC.
- Google Gemini. Publisher: Google LLC.
- Microsoft Copilot. Publisher: Microsoft Corporation.
- Claude by Anthropic. Publisher: Anthropic PBC.
The publisher is the company that makes the app. The store shows its name on the app's page. Stores may call it the developer or the seller.
Install your app only from your device's official app store. On an iPhone or iPad, that is the App Store. On an Android phone or tablet, it is Google Play, also called the Play Store.
Open the store yourself and search for the app by name. Do not install an app from a link in a text, an email or an ad.
Before you tap to install, read the publisher's name and compare it with the list above. Canada's Get Cyber Safe program says criminals sometimes make fake AI apps and look-alike websites. If the name does not match, leave it and search again.
Signing up: what it asks for, and what it never needs
Most apps ask you to create an account. An account is your own sign-in. It lets the app keep your chats for you.
Sign-up usually asks for an email address. Some apps let you use a Google, Apple or Microsoft account you already have. Gemini signs you in with a Google account. Claude also texts a six-digit code to your phone to confirm your number. That code goes into the app's sign-up screen and nowhere else.
A free plan does not need any of these four things:
- banking details
- a card number
- your social insurance number
- your health-card number
You may see an offer for a paid plan, or an ad. You can say no to both. The free plan is enough for all seven lessons.
If any screen still asks for one of those four things, stop there. Close the app and ask someone you trust to look at it with you.
Free plans do limit how much you can use them. A short written chat like today's should fit. If a notice says you have reached a limit, nothing is broken and you have not been charged. Some notices say when you can carry on. If yours does not, try again later in the day.
Your first conversation, one step at a time
Open the app. Look for the box where you write, usually near the bottom of the screen. Tap it and your keyboard appears.
Ask in ordinary words, as you would ask a well-read neighbour. There are no special commands to learn. Then tap the send button, which is often a small arrow.
Read the answer. Then ask again. A second question about the same thing is called a follow-up. The app keeps track of what you were just talking about.
Nothing breaks if you ask a "wrong" question. Typing cannot harm your phone or the app. If an answer seems odd, ask again in different words.
If you would rather speak than type, Lesson 2 shows you how.
The three ground rules, and a safety minute
These three rules apply in every lesson. You will see them again, word for word.
- Keep private numbers out.
- Check anything that matters.
- It is not your doctor, lawyer or financial adviser.
Private numbers are the ones below. Leave them out of every chat.
- bank and card numbers
- PINs, passwords and one-time codes. A one-time code is the short number a bank or service sends to confirm it is you
- your health-card number
- your social insurance number
- driver's licence and passport numbers
Official Canadian advice points the same way. See Get Cyber Safe, the Privacy Commissioner's 10 tips and the Government of Canada page, Protect your Social Insurance Number.
Check anything that matters. Does an answer touch your money, your health or a big decision? Confirm it with a real person or an official source before you act. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security also advises checking AI answers against sources you can trust.
An AI app is not a doctor, a lawyer or a financial adviser. It can help you understand words and prepare questions. The decision belongs with a qualified person. Microsoft's terms for its own app say, "Do not use Copilot as a substitute for professional advice."
Safety minute. An urgent request for money, gift cards or a code is your signal to stop. Call someone you trust on a number you already have. Lesson 6 covers this fully. If you are worried about a call or message right now, go to Lesson 6 first.
Try it: Test it on something you know well (about 10 minutes, phone or tablet)
- Open your chosen AI chat app and tap the box where you write.
- Type this question, filling the blank with a hobby you have had for years, a favourite dish or a town you know well (not your address): In five short sentences, tell me about [your subject]. If you would rather not choose, use this ready-made practice question: In five short sentences, tell me about growing tomatoes in pots.
- Tap send and read the answer. Because you know the subject, look for one thing it got right and one thing that is vague or wrong.
- Now type this follow-up and send it: Which parts of that are you least sure about?
- On paper, note one thing you would trust and one thing you would double-check.
- Your win for today: you asked, it answered, and you judged the answer yourself. You typed no name, no address and no private numbers.
Prompts you can copy
Your first question
Ready-made practice question
Your follow-up
Ideas for what to ask next
Before you move on
Sources checked for this lesson: Apple App Store (Canada): ChatGPT • Apple App Store (Canada): Google Gemini • Apple App Store (Canada): Microsoft Copilot • Apple App Store (Canada): Claude by Anthropic • Google Play (Canada): ChatGPT • Google Play (Canada): Google Gemini • Google Play (Canada): Microsoft Copilot • Google Play (Canada): Claude by Anthropic • Google: Gemini mobile app availability • Google: What you need to sign in to Gemini Apps • Google: Google AI plans (free plan at 0 $CA per month) • Google: Gemini Apps limits & upgrades for Google AI subscribers • Google: Get started with the Gemini mobile app (Android) • Microsoft: Copilot - Terms of Use • Microsoft: Copilot App Updates for Personal, Work, and School Accounts • Microsoft: Supported regions and languages in Microsoft Copilot • Anthropic: Plans & Pricing • Anthropic: Supported countries and regions • Anthropic: Verify your phone number • Meta: Meet Your New Assistant: Meta AI, Built With Llama 3 • Get Cyber Safe: Why you should never give your personal information to AI • Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Generative artificial intelligence - ITSAP.00.041 • Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: 10 tips for protecting personal information • Government of Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada / Service Canada): Protect your Social Insurance Number