ChatGPT is like a teenager at their first job — bursting with enthusiasm and positivity, often right as the young are, and sometimes dangerously wrong as the young are.
In the past few months, I’ve had two or three clients call me after asking ChatGPT for help with Mac problems. Suffice to say, they weren’t calling to tell me how great it all went. In one case, the desire to create a playlist sent someone on a two-hour journey down a rabbit hole. When they finally called me, their Mac desktop had disappeared. I fixed it — though to be honest, I couldn’t figure out how they had been helped into such a predicament in the first place.
AI is a great tool and it can help with plenty of Mac issues. But as any parent will tell you — “Some kids need to be watched”.
1. Backup
AI will sometimes suggest clearing caches, running disk repairs, or deleting preference files. Even apparently simple actions can cause data loss. Always have a current Time Machine backup before following any advice.
2. Actively Distrust
AI speaks with absolute certainty whether it’s right or wrong. A confident tone is not the same as a correct answer. Never assume it’s smarter than you are.
3. Set Boundaries
Tell it what not to do. Something like: “Do not suggest anything that deletes files or changes my settings without explaining exactly what will happen.”
4. Push Back
Before you act on its answer, ask: “Are you sure about this? Could this cause any problems?” You’d be amazed how often the answer changes.
5. Keep Notes
When you’re trying to fix a problem, the steps you take can sometimes create bigger ones — and if you don’t have a record of the changes you’ve made, you won’t be able to reverse them.
6. Breathe
If the instructions start getting complicated and you’re four or five steps in with no end in sight, stop.
7. Avoid Terminal
Never enter commands into Terminal unless you understand what they do. Terminal is powerful, and AI loves suggesting it — but one wrong command can do real damage.
8. Handover
Free AI accounts have usage limits, and once you hit them, your conversation can be cut short. Before that happens, ask the AI to create a handover document — “Write me a handover document covering what we worked on, what we tried, and where things stand.” Save the text. Paste it into a new chat when you need to pick up where you left off.
Human Assistance Still Available
Know someone who struggles with their Mac or iPhone? Until AI figures out house calls, I may be one of the few options left. Please pass along my information and let’s keep intelligent robots off our streets. (310) 621-5679 or john@noproblemmac.com.
