You do not need to understand technology to use AI. You need to know how to talk to it. This is the first step, no jargon.
By Miriam Matos · FourRise ConsultingArtificial intelligence is not a robot or science fiction. In practice, for the business owner, it is an assistant that answers in text. You write a request, called a prompt, and it returns text: a finished email, the explanation of a term, a draft proposal, a translation. It is like having someone available 24 hours a day to move the office work forward.
AI does not replace your knowledge of the job. It speeds up the office work: writing, organizing, translating and explaining. You are the one in charge.
In 2026, the best known are ChatGPT (by OpenAI), Claude (by Anthropic), Gemini (by Google) and Copilot (by Microsoft). All have a free version, which already handles most of what a contractor needs. You do not need to pay to get started.
| Pick just one | Start with ChatGPT, which is the most versatile. Create a free account on the website or the app. |
| Use it on a real task | Do not just test random phrases. Ask for something you would actually do today: "rewrite this email to the client in a professional way" and paste the email. |
| Talk to it like you talk to a person | You do not need technical commands. Explain what you want, who it is for and how you want the result. |
| Refine | If the answer is not good, say what to change: "shorter", "more formal", "in English". The AI adjusts right away. |
Writing emails and proposals, translating between Portuguese and English, explaining a contract or code term in plain language, summarizing a meeting, creating a job site checklist, writing a post for social media. All of that in minutes, from a single request of yours.
A warning from the very start, one that always holds: AI sometimes gets it wrong with confidence. It can invent a number or a rule and write it as if it were true. That is why you should never use a figure, a clause or a code requirement without checking. It moves the work forward; the decision is still yours.
That is what getting started looks like: a free account and a real task. Within a week you already feel the difference in the time you save at the office.
The Business Score organizes your answers and returns an initial reading: indicated stage, observed signals and the main point of attention.
Start the Business ScoreMore from FourRise, in the language of the job site.