Show AI a thing with your camera

Step 1 of 6

Before we start

Let's find the camera in your AI app.

Here is something new. Your AI app can do more than read what you type. It can also look at a photo and tell you what it sees.

Open ChatGPT now. Look at the box where you usually type. Near that box is a small camera shape. It looks like a tiny camera, the kind you see on your phone.

For now, just notice it is there. Do not press it yet. You cannot break anything in this app. Take a slow breath. You are doing great already.

Buddy says

See the little camera? Wonderful. If you do not see one, look for a plus sign and tap it. The camera often hides there.

The first move

Pick one plain, safe thing.

Before you take any photo, pick one plain thing near you. Plain means simple and ordinary, with nothing private on it.

Here are two safe, easy things to try:

A can or jara can of beans from your kitchen shelf

A plant or buttona button on a new remote or gadget

Now the safety part, and it is short. Keep your private things out of the photo. Skip mail, bills, an ID card, or a pill bottle.

Skip any screen that shows account numbers. Never point the camera at a person's face. For money, health, legal, or big choices, ask a real person you trust. When in doubt, leave it out.

Buddy says

Not sure a thing is safe? Skip it and pick something plain instead. A can of beans is a perfect first try.

See it work

Watch a clear photo turn into a plain answer.

A quick, vague try

what is this thing

Add the who, what & how

A clear request

What is this? Tell me in one or two short sentences.

What the AI sends back

This is a can of black beans. The label says they are cooked and ready to heat and eat.

Lorna held her phone still and got the whole can in the photo. Then she asked one short, plain question. So she got a short, plain answer back. Notice how her clear question made the reply easy to read.

Your turn, no wrong answers

Take your photo and ask your question.

Press the camera button. Point at your safe thing. Hold the phone still and fit the whole thing in the frame. The frame is the box you see on the screen. Take the photo, then type the plain question below and send it.

Is the photo blurry? Hold your breath for a moment, keep your hands still, and move a little closer. Then take it again. Blurry just means fuzzy and hard to see.

You did it

You showed AI a thing with your camera.

Tap the camera shape, then take a clear photo of one plain thing.
Keep private things out. No mail, bills, ID cards, pill bottles, account screens, or faces. For money, health, legal, or big choices, ask a real person.
Ask one short, plain question, then read the answer once. That answer is your win.

Buddy says

You used your camera, not just typing, and you did the whole thing yourself. I am so proud of you!