On Tuesday at 7:15 a.m., Susan opened her laptop to plan a road trip from Columbus to Asheville. She had the dates, a rough budget, and a strong preference for avoiding exhausting eight-hour driving days - but turning those ingredients into a sensible itinerary felt like a second job. That same afternoon, her brother Martin was trying to complain to a furniture company about a damaged recliner. He had written three increasingly frustrated drafts, none of which clearly said what he wanted the company to do. This week’s two uses - planning a road trip and writing a complaint letter that gets results - show where AI can be genuinely useful: organizing a messy situation and turning frustration into a clear next step.

Try at least one before Sunday. That is the whole assignment.

Use Case 1 of 2

## Use Case 1: Planning a road trip using AI

At 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Linda Morales sat at her kitchen table with a yellow legal pad, a hotel confirmation, and three browser tabs open to different maps. She and her husband were driving from Pittsburgh to Charleston, South Carolina, in late October to visit their daughter and new grandson. Linda wanted to make the trip in two days, stop somewhere pleasant overnight, avoid mountain roads after dark, and keep each day to no more than five hours of driving. Her husband had a bad knee, so frequent restroom and walking stops mattered. She was not looking for the cheapest possible route; she wanted a trip that felt manageable. The problem was that ordinary map apps optimize for speed, not comfort, energy, or the particular needs of two real people.

That distinction matters. A road trip is not merely a line between two points. It includes driving limits, meal preferences, hotel needs, weather, fuel stops, sightseeing priorities, and a backup plan if the first day runs late. AI is useful here because it can hold all those conditions in one conversation and help you think through trade-offs. It can also remind you about practical preparation: checking tires and fluids, packing an emergency kit, carrying paper directions, and sharing your itinerary with someone at home.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

> I am planning a road trip and want a comfortable, realistic itinerary rather than the fastest possible route. > > Starting point: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania > Destination: Charleston, South Carolina > Travel dates: October 22 - 24, 2026 > Number of travelers: 2 adults > Vehicle: midsize SUV > Maximum driving time per day: 5 hours, excluding stops > Preferred overnight stop: a pleasant, walkable town with several reliable hotels and restaurants > Preferences: avoid driving after dark, avoid difficult mountain roads if the time difference is small, stop every 90 - 120 minutes, include one interesting low-effort attraction each day, and keep the total trip reasonably affordable > Health or comfort needs: one traveler has a bad knee and needs easy parking, short walks, and frequent restroom stops > > Please create: > 1. Two possible routes, with the main advantages and disadvantages of each > 2. A day-by-day schedule with approximate departure times, driving blocks, rest stops, meal stops, and arrival times > 3. Two or three overnight-town suggestions, explaining why each fits > 4. A rough budget for fuel, hotels, meals, and activities > 5. A packing and vehicle-preparation checklist > 6. A backup plan if bad weather, traffic, or fatigue makes the schedule unrealistic > > Do not invent exact hotel prices, road closures, or attraction hours. Clearly label anything that must be checked online before booking. Ask me up to five important questions before finalizing the plan.

The prompt works because it gives the AI **constraints**, not just a destination. “Plan a trip from Pittsburgh to Charleston” leaves too much unstated. The maximum daily driving time, preference for daylight, knee problem, stop frequency, budget, and interest in a low-effort attraction tell the system what “good” means for these travelers. Asking for two routes creates a comparison instead of a single confident-sounding answer. Asking it to label information that must be checked prevents a draft itinerary from pretending to be a live travel database. The request for questions is valuable, too: good planning often begins by discovering what has been left out.

Use Case 2 of 2

## Use Case 2: Writing a complaint letter that actually gets results

On Friday at 10:05 a.m., Martin Chen called the customer-service number printed on his furniture receipt. He had purchased a recliner six weeks earlier, and the footrest had stopped locking in place. The representative offered to schedule a technician in three weeks. Martin had already spent forty minutes on the phone, had a chair he could not safely use, and was angry enough to write, “Your company has the worst service I have ever experienced.” Before sending it, he paused. The sentence was true as an expression of his frustration, but it did not tell the company what he wanted, what had happened, or what would count as a satisfactory solution.

A strong complaint letter is not a courtroom speech and not an emotional diary entry. It is a short record of facts followed by a specific, reasonable request. The Federal Trade Commission recommends explaining the problem clearly and stating the resolution you want, such as a refund, repair, exchange, or store credit. AI can help turn scattered notes, dates, receipts, and irritation into a letter that a manager can understand and act on.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

> Help me write a firm, professional complaint letter to a furniture company. The goal is to get a prompt solution, not simply to express anger. > > Here are the facts: > - I bought a reclining chair from [company name] on [purchase date]. > - Order or receipt number: [number] > - The chair cost: [$ amount] > - The problem first appeared on: [date] > - The specific problem is: [describe exactly what happens] > - I contacted customer service on: [date] > - I spoke with: [name or department, if known] > - They offered: [describe their response] > - The response was inadequate because: [brief factual explanation] > - I have attached or can provide: [receipt, photographs, repair report, emails, or other evidence] > > Write a letter of 250 - 350 words addressed to a customer-service manager. Request this specific remedy: [refund/replacement/repair/reimbursement]. Ask for a written response within 10 business days. Use a calm, firm tone. Include the essential dates, product details, and previous contact, but do not exaggerate, threaten legal action, insult anyone, or make claims that cannot be proved. Add a clear subject line and a short list of attachments. After the letter, provide a checklist of facts I should verify before sending it.

This prompt succeeds because it separates **facts, requested remedy, deadline, and tone**. It tells the AI who the audience is and what outcome is wanted. It also prevents common mistakes: vague accusations, unnecessary history, threats you do not intend to pursue, and dramatic language that gives the recipient an excuse to dismiss the message. The word limit encourages a busy manager to read the whole letter. Most importantly, the prompt requires the AI to leave placeholders rather than quietly inventing an order number, promise, or legal right.