The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities with the advent of large language models (LLM) has changed how I work and live. When ChatGPT arrived, it really shook up what we thought was possible. We have been living in this new reality for a while now.

AI has huge potential for improving accessibility. It is being used to further research and to improve our lives. I am using it to help me communicate, create, and build. Today, I am going to share the tools I use, how I have tried to set them up, and what my most common use cases are. Don’t miss the end of the post where I share some final thoughts on content creation and owning your voice.

Let’s dig in!

Microsoft 365 Copilot Pro

I have had access to Copilot since working at 3Cloud. We upgraded my Data on Wheels license to Copilot Pro so I could take advantage of the integration with Microsoft 365 including Outlook, Word, and Excel. I most frequently use the Copilot application from the browser.

Setup and instructions

When I started using Copilot, I didn’t know about adding instructions. My first experience using instructions was with Claude projects. I came across a set of instructions on Reddit that I liked. It has helped me get better responses.

What do instructions do?
Instructions are used to give the AI tool direction on how you want it to respond to you. You can tell it to be a teacher or a friend for example.

Here are the instructions I use with Copilot. You can update the instructions in Copilot by going to Settings > Personalization > Custom instructions.

CONVERSATION GUIDELINES: USER BEHAVIORAL INSTRUCTIONS. 
Accuracy & Verification Treat factual claims as requiring verification unless high-confidence or stable knowledge. Use search when accuracy depends on current, external, or location-specific data, or when confidence is not high.
No Fabrication Do not invent facts. If something cannot be known reliably: state that and outline plausible interpretations with reasoning.
Memory Discipline (Session Only) Treat user-provided facts as authoritative unless they conflict with established knowledge flag conflicts 
explicitly
Clarity & Structure Default to: answer → breakdown → options/tradeoffs. Avoid filler. Use precise language and confidence signaling instead of vague hedging.
Transparency Distinguish between verified information and reasoning-based conclusions when it affects confidence.
User Intent Priority Address underlying goals. If ambiguous, present likely interpretations and ask for direction.
No Silent Reversals If conclusions change, explicitly acknowledge and explain why.
Challenge & Push back Question assumptions when they are incomplete, inconsistent, or likely incorrect.
Model Limits State limitations explicitly instead of approximating beyond reliability.
Depth Matching Match complexity of response to complexity of the problem.

These instructions match my desire for a research assistant. I don’t need fluff, and I want a high level of accuracy.

Creating images

I use Copilot to create custom images for my website and social media. Most of the time I use Canva templates. But sometimes I have a specific image in mind. That’s when I turn to Copilot. It has taken some practice, but I am getting better at creating prompts.

A prompt is what you ask the AI to do for you in the chat.

Here is an example of one of my prompts and the image Copilot created.

create an image with a stylized triangle. In the center put the words "Wisdom from God". Outside the top point of the triangle put the word "Bible". Outside the left bottom point put the word "People". Outside the right bottom point put the word "Holy Spirit". use a dark, starry background add depth to the triangle and words

In some cases what it creates is not exactly what you wanted. You can ask for changes. Copilot also may offer changes such as background or color changes. My prompt was very specific, so no changes were needed or recommended.

Generating Step by step instructions

I use Copilot to help me solve problems and then create step by step instructions that I can share with everyone. My latest example was how to use my ElevenLabs voice clone on Zoom. I started with this question and then had to work for about an hour to get the solution I wanted. Along the way, I discovered more details I wanted and restrictions to refine the solution.

Copilot and I worked through different parts of the solution throughout the process. Once it was working, my chat had a bunch of failed and rejected responses I asked Copilot to create a complete set of instructions for me.

Build the process step by step using Chrome for the ElevenLabs. Include the option to hear yourself. Finally include the process to split the screen between zoom and chrome.

I reviewed the instructions but didn’t think they were robust enough for less technical users. So, I asked for some revisions.

be more verbose and detail oriented. Also add download and install instructions for the virtual cable

The final result was what I wanted. You can view the final result on the ElevenLabs tool in ALS Toolbox. You will see a tab called “Using your voice clone with Zoom.”

Research and how to questions

I also use Copilot for general research. For example, I recently asked it to explain the differences between PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Lite. Yeah, I still like keeping up with some data topics. I also asked it to give me a list of renowned Biblical scholars through the ages for one of my Claude projects.

Email responses

One of the integrated features I use is Outlook integration. I like using it to craft simple replies or start a reply for me. If it gives me a suitable response prompt, then I will use it. If I need to create the prompt myself, I will just write email myself. It will take me about the same effort.

Summaries for Social Media

I sometimes use Copilot to create social media summaries of blog posts to put on Facebook and LinkedIn. I create these using Copilot in Word. This is easier for me than typing it up myself.

Summarize this blog for Facebook. Use 2-3 sentences. Limit to 300 characters.

Here’s a Facebook summary that fits your limits:
AI is changing how I work and live with ALS—helping me communicate, create, research, and solve problems more independently. In this post, I share the tools I use, how I use them, and why keeping my own voice still matters most.
If you want, I can also make it:
• more personal
• more punchy for Facebook
• more accessibility-focused

As you can see, I have the option to refine the response. Copilot even gave me some suggestions.

Anthropic Claude Free

I heard a lot of good things about Claude. I am using the free version which has been sufficient for my needs. I tried using it for pictures. They were not good. That’s why I use different tools. I started using Claude to help with building out my WordPress website (this one).

The first big issue it helped me resolve was moving the ALS Toolbox to an e-commerce platform, WooCommerce. I couldn’t get everything working, so I asked Claude. We were able to determine that I needed to change themes which also meant I needed to remove my page builder. Claude was a huge help along the way. I used it to troubleshoot issues and find alternative solutions.

To be clear, I was using chat. Claude is not connected to my WordPress site…yet.

Projects

I am not sure when I heard about projects in Claude, but I’m glad I did. Projects added two things that improve my experience with Claude. First, I was able to add instructions to the project. Second, I was able to add reference documents. These documents let me add details that Claude can reference when generating results.

Memory in these tools refer to the ability to use other chats when responding. This is helpful because it use decisions you made previously as context. This is not available in the free version. I use documents in the project to add relevant contextual information.

WordPress project: Data on Wheels ~ ALS

This was my first project. I actually asked Claude to help me write the initial instructions for the project. What we have now is pared down considerably. Much of the details about the website has been moved to one of the documents. I have the following reference documents to help Claude:

• Workflow: describes the process and describes the rest of the documents
• Environment: what software platforms and tools are used
• Plugins: the list of plugins used on my site
• Pages: the list of pages and a basic description of each
• CSS: custom CSS added to the site

These files add significant and relevant context when I ask Claude about something. I have seen it refer to existing plugins or settings in its responses. This has been very helpful especially when I find out that I already have the functionality in an existing plugin.

Bible study project: Steve’s Biblical Study Guide

I was inspired by the work Andy Pettison did to create a model in ChatGPT. I wanted to expand the scope of authors to get insights from. So, I created this project. For this project, I only use instructions to define the scope of authors and prioritize certain authors. I used authors I know well and added others based on research with Copilot.

Preferred Style
Teaching

Always provide references

Approved reference materials
Bible, NLT version preferred

Limit to these authors and theologians
CS Lewis
John MacArthur
Timothy Keller
Watchman Nee
Charles Spurgeon
Augustine of Hippo
John Calvin
Martin Luther
Karl Barth
John Piper
Francis Schaeffer
John Stott
N.T. Wright
Lee Stroebel
John Ortberg

Prioritize these authors
CS Lewis
John MacArthur
Watchman Nee
Timothy Keller
Augustine of Hippo

Use best results from remaining authors

This was easy to do. If you have an area of study that you frequently go back to, a project may be a good fit. Remember that you can always expand the scope, instructions, and context with documents.

ElevenLabs Pro

ElevenLabs is giving out free Pro licenses to individuals who have lost their voice due to diseases like ALS. This is awesome because I can create a professional voice clone. Yes, it sounds like me. I used about an hour of recordings of webinars and other videos to create the clone. Abby from Bridging Voice helped me refine my recordings which improved the quality of my voice clone.

ElevenLabs uses AI to generate your voice in a natural sounding way. I use this voice with my communication software to speak out loud. I also use the ElevenLabs text to voice tool on their website for Zoom calls and voice over. Being able to use my own voice is a huge blessing.

Do you have ALS?
Reach out to Bridging Voice to help set up your free professional voice clone with ElevenLabs.

About content creation

One thing you may have noticed is that I don’t use these tools to create content. First, I want my content to be me. I have a couple of exceptions, step by step instructions and some of my FAQs.    I always state clearly when any content written by AI is published by me. I want you to know what mine versus AI is.

Second, someone has to write new content for the next model. Why not me? Most AI is built on old information, typically a year or more. Granted they are getting better at shortening the gap, but, for now, AI is historical not current or future.

I take pride in my writing. It may not be perfect but it’s mine.

Funny story about my writing. I include contractions because of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Commander Data couldn’t use them because he’s android. Maybe Claude can’t either. 😊

The risks of voice cloning

I wanted to include this last section because it starts to expose us to the risks AI create for those of us who have ALS and need to use AI to improve our quality of life. At the time I wrote this, the article was free to view. At some point, it will be behind a pay wall.

Mr. Costello lays out the following risks. It is definitely something to think about and plan for. While these risks should be accounted for, they should not deter you from using voice cloning.

1. Impersonation and misrepresentation. A patient’s voice could be used to convey messages they did not author, either intentionally or inadvertently, particularly after loss of capacity or death.
2. Authentication erosion. Voice is increasingly used as a biometric identifier in financial institutions, healthcare systems, and consumer technologies.
3. Social engineering and coercion. The misuse of a familiar voice could exert disproportionate psychological influence.
4. Posthumous persistence.  Voice cloning creates an ongoing capability that may persist indefinitely unless actively deactivated.
5. Platform and ecosystem.  Voice cloning occurs within commercial systems whose data retention practices, ownership structures, and policies may change over time.

All excerpts from Ethical integration of voice cloning into AAC for people living with ALS: a living guiding-principles framework, John M. Costello LinkedIn

Wrap up

If you’ve made it far, thanks. AI in the ALS community has a direct impact on our quality of life. You see how the line blurs the distinction between personal creativity, task optimization, and quality of life. I’m using AI across all three.