MONROE, Conn. — Elisabeth Medaris, of Monroe, attended an art retreat in Scotland with her husband, Don, last spring, when she overheard a conversation about AI at their table.
“I was sitting at a table with mostly women — artists and creative types,” she recalled. “There was a curiosity, but also apprehension about AI. It had me thinking. I was just experimenting on my own with it. I was excited about the possibilities, so it kind of surprised me.”
Medaris, a writer, educator and learning professional, tried to find a book to alleviate people’s nerves and apprehension about the new technology.
“I couldn’t find anything that was non-technical to get comfortable,” she said during a recent interview in her home office.
Medaris decided to write her own book, “A Clever Girl’s Guide to AI,” which she self-published in early November. The c0-authors are listed as Elisabeth A. Medaris and Walter.
“Walter is a bot,” Medaris said. “I named him. This is what he looks like.”
Medaris used AI to make her and Walter into cartoons. Walter is depicted as a bespectacled man wearing a suit and tie — and he always has a smile on his face.
“I wanted people to think of AI as a thought partner, a helper,” Medaris said. “The goal of the book is to make people more comfortable and share great tips I learned along the way.”
Medaris wrote the book herself, but used AI to design the cover and for Walter to introduce himself.
While talking about the intelligent artists at her table in Scotland, she said, “if they could warm up to it and get more comfortable, imagine what they could do. I’m not trying to make people more productive. I think the moral of the story is creating space and time for things you want to do.”
Rather than focusing on speed, optimization or technical mastery, the book centers on human capacity and mental well-being. AI is positioned as a quiet assistant that supports clear thinking and creativity without replacing personal voice or lived experience.
Medaris said AI could be used to alleviate the stress of coming up with ideas for meals throughout the week, staying on schedule, remembering important dates such as birthdays and other upcoming events, coming up with home budgets and business plans, and helping to craft sensitive emails and texts to friends, family and co-workers.
When her late father had dementia, Medaris said she learned a lot through support groups and AI, which helped to educate her on the resources that are out there. Instead of spending hours figuring things out, she said she could be there for her father as his daughter, rather than just being a caregiver.
“One of the best things about it for me was to relieve some of the burden,” Medaris said.
Some fear AI will takeover our lives, but Medaris says AI should be seen as a useful tool. In her book, she says those who use it should always be the ones in control.
Unlike Google, you can ask AI to tell you what questions to ask to get a better response. Medaris explains what prompts are and recommends being general when asking an AI bot questions to get the answers you need as a rule of thumb, rather than sharing personal information.
She also said AI should not be used for certain things, like writing a love letter, which should be in your own words, no matter how awkward it may be.
Though AI can help with an outline or to get started writing a eulogy, the final product should come from the heart, she said of another example.
Medaris suggests asking AI to edit certain types of writing, while keeping it in your own voice.
In addition to being a partner while brainstorming ideas and to do lists, Medaris said AI could also be used to help prioritize tasks, and even to take some things off your plate that could be done later. She stresses the importance of self care, to avoid being overloaded.
“I didn’t need another system to manage,” Medaris said of using AI. “I needed something that helped me breathe.”
Medaris also tells her readers how AI could be used to list pros and cons, while considering whether to remain in the same job, as well as matching potential side hustles with your skills. AI not only helps create what you want, it can do it in the format you ask for.
“A Clever Girl’s Guide to AI” is available on Amazon for $12.99. Medaris said she has sold over 200 copies so far.
This is the first book she has completed and published and the experience could lead to more books in Medaris’ future.
“I’ve been writing for a long time,” she said. “I’m working on a couple of novels and am inspired to finish that process. I plan to write more, trademarking ‘A Clever Girl’s Guide.’ I’m looking for people to co-author books under the same brand.”
Medaris also plans to host workshops introducing people to AI. For information on upcoming events, follow her on Instagram.
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