You may have heard the buzz around ChatGPT, and the official app from makers OpenAI is finally here. Powered by a machine learning model trained to mimic human language, ChatGPT can act as a personal assistant, creative consultant, life coach, or everything wrapped into one. Ready to try it out? Here’s what you need to know.

Start by typing or voice-recording a prompt, asking ChatGPT to generate everything from Python code to a Shakespearean sonnet. You can then ask follow-up questions on the same topic, or start a new chat about something else. If you want to look back on your conversations, tap “History” to see past chats from both the app and website.

Since ChatGPT’s model gathers information and language data from a variety of online sources, its responses can sometimes be inaccurate. Make sure you fact-check anything the app generates before you publish or use it professionally. ChatGPT also encourages users to avoid sharing sensitive info, as chats might be reviewed by AI trainers to improve responses (you can opt out of your data being used for training in Settings).

Be specific about what you’re looking for to help the app generate better responses. Want an itinerary for your Italy trip? Tell ChatGPT that you adore art museums, pistachio gelato, and scenic strolls, but prefer to avoid the crowds. You can also set criteria for response length, like asking ChatGPT to write a 1500-word essay or craft an email no longer than a paragraph.