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AI chatbots soared in popularity because of their impressive ability to excel at technical tasks such as coding, writing, and more. However, these abilities just scratch the surface of what chatbots can do. 

I use an AI chatbot nearly every day in my personal life, and it's definitely not to code. 

Also: I've tested a lot of AI tools for work. These are my 5 favorite so far

Rather, I utilize AI to help me with tasks that may seem simple but take up time and creativity, two things I don't always have. 

Below is my roundup of helpful ways to utilize AI chatbots to simplify your life.

Note: I personally use Bing Chat for all of these use cases. You can also use ChatGPT and it will work for all the prompts below; however, it won't give you the most recent information because it is not indexing the web for answers. 

1. Recipes 

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 Coming up with fresh ideas for three meals every day for yourself or your family can be challenging.

To avoid being stumped, I ask my AI chatbot of choice, Bing Chat, for recipe ideas. Many times I ask for recipe ideas based on specific ingredients I have in my fridge. 

Also: ChatGPT vs Bing Chat vs Google Bard: Which is the best AI chatbot

For example, I could ask, "Can you give me a recipe that uses carrots, onions, chicken, and pasta?" Within seconds, it will give me a recipe I can follow. 

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You can also use this method to help find recipes that meet your dietary needs and restrictions. For example, "Give me recipe ideas that have no gluten or dairy in them."

2. Finding places to eat

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On the topic of food, AI chatbots can help you find places to eat and even discover new ones. 

Whether you are meeting up with someone and want to suggest a restaurant, find yourself in a new neighborhood that you've never been in and need suggestions for where to go, or simply want to discover new places in your area, you can use AI to help. 

Also: How does ChatGPT actually work? 

All you need to do is tell it where you want to find a restaurant and what you are looking for. 

For example, I asked Bing Chat, "Can you help me find somewhere to eat in NYC that serves Latino food and is open for happy hours?"

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Bing Chat then output different restaurants I could go to that fit the criteria and even included links to its Yelp reviews. 

3. Making yourself a drink 

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This concept is very similar to using AI to help you make a meal. Whether you are craving an alcoholic beverage or a smoothie, you can use an AI chatbot to help you concoct the perfect recipe. 

For example, if you want to make yourself a sweet cocktail using rum, you can ask Bing Chat, "What sweet cocktails can I make with rum?"

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Bing Chat will then give you cocktail suggestions. If you like any, you can follow up on how to make it. 

You can also use Bing Chat to generate unique drinks from fun prompts. 

For example, at a Bing press event in NYC, the company had a smoothie bar that used Bing Chat to make smoothies according to your favorite TV character. 

Also: This AI-powered app lets you chat with historical and fictional characters

The smoothie bar attendee typed a prompt into Bing Chat like, "Make a smoothie inspired by Dora," to which Bing outputted a detailed, fun recipe for incorporating traits of the character that the smoothie maker would follow. 

You could do this with many other prompts, including seasons, feelings, songs, and more. 

4. Date nights

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If you have ever been in a relationship, especially a long-term one, you may have found yourself at a loss for new date ideas and feel like you've done everything. 

AI chatbots can help you come up with fun, new, creative dates that you may have never thought of on your own. 

Also: ChatGPT: Who's using the AI tool and why? 

For instance, I asked Bing Chat for help coming up with the perfect, laid-back date night by asking, "Can you give me a date idea that is indoors and low budget?" 

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Bing Chat then gave me five cute date ideas that fit the criteria. Even if you don't decide to go with any of those ideas exactly, it could be a helpful way for you and your partner to get the creative juices flowing. 

5. Finding what to watch on TV

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Deciding to watch something on TV is only half of the battle. The trickiest part can oftentimes be deciding what to watch. Next time you are stuck, ask AI for help. 

Also: The best Netflix alternatives

You can ask an AI chatbot to help you find a movie or show for you to watch in the specific genre you are looking for. It will make content suggestions that narrow down your choices and hopefully make your decision easier. 

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If you ask ChatGPT the question, it even includes a synopsis of each movie it is suggesting so that you can avoid watching the trailers. The only problem is that the suggestions would be limited to movies prior to 2021. 

Also: The best video streaming services

The perk of using Bing Chat is that you can specify the streaming network you would like it to suggest movies from, too. 

For example, I asked, "Can you help me pick a rom-com to watch on Netflix?", to which I was met with an entire list. 

6. Play games

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Although it may sound silly, playing basic games with AI is pretty fun. If you are ever sitting in a boring class or work meeting, feel free to ask your favorite AI chatbot to play a game with you. 

AI chatbots are capable of playing all of the standard games you know and love, such as tic tac toe, hangman, trivia, 20 questions, and more. 

Also: Can you distinguish people from AI bots? 'Human or not' online game reveals results

My personal favorite is tic-tac-toe, even though I found beating the AI a lot tricker than you would anticipate. 

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To get started all you have to do is say, "Can we play [insert game you want to play]" and the game will begin. 

7. Plan a party 

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Planning a party involves so many moving pieces. Now you can use AI chatbots to help you with nearly every piece of the puzzle. To show you what I mean, I will start with an example. 

Also: The best AI art generators

I asked Bing Chat, "Can you help me plan my dog a 5th birthday party?"

The initial response included venue, decorations, activities, and food ideas that I could use for my dog's birthday party. From there, I could move forward with any of those aspects and ask Bing Chat for more help. 

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If I was actually throwing this party,  I could have followed up that question with questions regarding a more robust list of activities, treats, venues, food options, and more.

You could even use an AI image generator to help you create fliers, invites, and table placements.

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