Getting started

How do I start talking to an AI?

Talking to an AI starts the same way as talking to a person: you say hello. The AI reads your words and writes back. Nothing happens until you send something, and nothing bad happens if you get it wrong.

The steps

  1. Open an AI chat like ChatGPT or Claude, or the free AbleMakers practice chat.
  2. Find the message box at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Type a greeting, as simple as: Hello!
  4. Press the send button, usually an arrow.
  5. Read or listen to the reply. That is a whole conversation.

Stay safe

  • No account is needed to practice on AbleMakers.
  • You never have to share your real name to say hello.

Practice it safely, free

Try this in the Say hello to AI quest

The same skill, in a safe scripted chat with read-aloud and rewards. No account, no cost, nothing to lose.

Open the quest

Teaching this skill?

Use the ready-to-run AI literacy lesson

Get a 30-minute lesson with plain-language scripts, access choices, this practice quest, and a printable Easy Read check.

Open the teacher lesson

Questions people ask

Can people with Down syndrome use ChatGPT?
Yes. Chatting with AI is reading and tapping, and both can be practiced. AbleMakers teaches it step by step in a safe practice chat with read-aloud, no account, and no cost.
What should the first message to an AI be?
Hello works perfectly. The AI will greet you back, and the conversation grows from there.