oh my ai

A plain-English guide by hitechmike

AI, minus the panic.

Straight answers about the AI tools everyone is talking about. What they are, what they cost, what they do with your data, and how scammers are using them. Every fact on this site links to the original source, and every source was checked on the date shown.

Facts checked September 24, 2026

A phone showing a chatbot answer with highlighted text, source citations and a Checked stamp Is this call really my grandson? AI ANSWER Ask for your secret word. No word? Hang up and call him back on a number you already know. FBI ¹ FTC ² Ask anything… CHECKED ✓ 09·24·26 44%used ChatGPT 0.24 Whper prompt

Five things worth knowing right now

  1. You're not late. About half of American adults now use AI chatbots.

    In a February 2026 survey, 44% of U.S. adults said they had used ChatGPT, up from 34% a year earlier. About a quarter use chatbots every day.1

  2. AI can be confidently wrong.

    The federal government's standards agency calls it "confabulation": AI presenting false content with confidence.2 In 2023 a federal judge fined two New York lawyers and their firm $5,000 after they filed court cases that ChatGPT had made up.3

  3. Your chats may be used to train the AI unless you switch that off.

    ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity and Grok all say they can use consumer conversations to improve their AI, and all offer a setting to opt out.4,5,6,7,8 See the exact setting for each one.

  4. Scammers can clone a voice from a short clip.

    The FBI warns criminals use AI voice clips to impersonate relatives in a crisis. Its advice: agree on a secret word with your family.9 In 2025 the FBI logged 22,364 complaints involving AI, with about $893 million in reported losses.10 How to protect yourself.

  5. One question uses a little energy. Billions of them add up.

    Google says a typical Gemini text prompt uses 0.24 watt-hours, about the same as watching TV for under nine seconds.11 Worldwide, the International Energy Agency expects data centers to use about 945 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2030, more than double 2024.12

The guides

Start hereHow AI actually worksWhat a chatbot is doing when it answers you, why it makes things up, and what it costs in energy. CompareWhich AI should I use?ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Grok and Meta AI, with prices and what each is good at. ProtectWhat they do with your chatsWho trains on your conversations, how long they keep them, and the switch to turn it off. ProtectAI scams and deepfakesVoice cloning, fake video calls and fake officials. The warning signs and what to do. UnderstandThe rules and your jobTexas and federal AI law, the EU, and what the data says about AI and work. ReferenceGlossaryLLM, hallucination, token, deepfake and more, in plain English.

How we verify

Every number, date and claim on this site has a small citation number next to it. Click it to see the source. We go to the original: the company's own pricing page, the court's order, the agency's report. We don't rely on news summaries when the primary source is available, and we say so when we couldn't reach one.

Opinions are labeled hitechmike's take so you always know which is which. Prices and policies change often. Each page shows the date its facts were last checked. See every source.

Sources for this page

  1. Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, smart devices and views on impact. Pew Research Center.Published June 17, 2026 · checked September 24, 2026
  2. Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative AI Profile (NIST AI 600-1). National Institute of Standards and Technology.Published July 2024 · checked September 24, 2026
  3. Mata v. Avianca, Inc., No. 22-cv-1461 (PKC), Opinion and Order on Sanctions. U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y. (via CourtListener).Published June 22, 2023 · checked September 24, 2026
  4. How your data is used to improve model performance. OpenAI Help Center.Published help article · checked September 24, 2026
  5. Manage your Gemini Apps activity. Google Gemini Help.Published help article · checked September 24, 2026
  6. Privacy FAQ for Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft Support.Published help article · checked September 24, 2026
  7. Data collection at Perplexity. Perplexity Help Center.Published help article · checked September 24, 2026
  8. Consumer FAQs. xAI.Published current page · checked September 24, 2026
  9. Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud (PSA I-120324-PSA). FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.Published December 3, 2024 · checked September 24, 2026
  10. 2025 Internet Crime Report. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.Published April 2026 · checked September 24, 2026
  11. Measuring the environmental impact of AI inference. Google Cloud Blog.Published August 21, 2025 · checked September 24, 2026
  12. Energy and AI: Executive summary. International Energy Agency.Published April 2025 · checked September 24, 2026