Cover of "Chatting with AI: What to Know Before You Start" by Rachel Garb

NO TECHNICAL SKILLS NEEDED

Go from total beginner to a comfortable first conversation with AI in about an hour.

Link to see and order this book on Amazon

While you wouldn’t exactly call yourself a computer wizard, you recognize AI has become too important to ignore.

The thing is, you’re not looking to start a side hustle, automate your workflows, or vibe code (whatever that means). And you could do without PhD-level explanations or tech bro hype. You just want to learn enough to be able to use AI on your own for things in your everyday life.What you need is a way to get started that’s easy, quick, affordable and actually relevant.

This is the book to read first.

In under 50 pages, you’ll learn the essentials everyone should know before using AI chat tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or Gemini.

  • How these tools work, in plain language

  • Practical ways they can help in everyday life

  • What to watch out for before relying on them

Before you know it, you’ll be planning vacations in record time, decoding medical and financial fine print without tears, and writing messages that sound polite even when you’re grumpy. You might even pick up some new hobbies — or finally jump into that project you’ve been thinking about since 1997.

It’s all broken down for you — without talking down to you.

I spent more than 30 years in Silicon Valley making complex products easier to understand and use at companies like Google, TiVo, and AOL. Along the way, I earned a master’s in education from Harvard, studying how digital tools can support the way people think and grow.All this to say, I care deeply about the human side of technology. I explain things succinctly, but also with heart and humor to make the topic feel relatable rather than intimidating.So shake off any hesitations, and let’s take the first step together.Warmly,
Rachel Garb

VERIFIED AMAZON REVIEWS

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Written simply enough that anyone can understand it.”“Crisply written, fun to read, and amazingly brief.”“I'll be giving this book as a gift to family members who are new to AI.”

Link to see and order this book on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Garb is a retired consumer technology professional with more than 30 years of experience in Silicon Valley, including roles at AOL, TiVo, and nearly two decades at Google. She focused on making technology easier to understand and use, shaping products that billions of people around the world rely on every day. She holds a Master of Education from Harvard and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon. Rachel lives in California with her partner and occasional foster kittens.

© 2026 Rachel Garb  •  Press  •  Privacy & Terms

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  • Title: Chatting with AI: What to Know Before You Start

  • Author: Rachel Garb

  • ISBN-13: 979-8-9952335-0-3

  • Distributor: Ingram

  • Format: Paperback

PRESS RELEASE

She Helped Millions Get the Hang of the Web, DVRs, and Smartphones. Now in Retirement, She’s Tackling AI.

Rachel Garb’s new book, “Chatting with AI: What to Know Before You Start,” promises to take anyone from total beginner to a comfortable first conversation with AI in about an hour — no technical experience needed.

Mountain View, CA — June 17, 2026 — For people who’ve heard endless buzz about artificial intelligence but have never quite worked up the nerve to try it, a new 42-page guide promises a low-pressure way in. Chatting with AI: What to Know Before You Start, by Rachel Garb, walks readers through everything they need to know before their first conversation with an AI chat tool like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or Gemini — in about the time it takes to read a long magazine article.By the end, readers are ready to put AI to work in everyday life: planning a trip, making sense of medical or financial paperwork, drafting a tricky message, and more.Garb spent more than 30 years in Silicon Valley making complex products easier to understand and use at companies like Google, TiVo, and AOL. Along the way, she earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard, studying how digital tools can support the way people think and grow.When she retired from the tech industry in 2023, Garb started using AI chat tools for personal tasks and noticed a gap. Most available learning resources were aimed at tech experts, business leaders, or side hustlers — but no one seemed to be helping regular folks get started with AI in real life. She wrote Chatting with AI to fill that gap.“Like the internet and smartphones before it, AI is becoming part of everyday life. But many people have yet to take their first steps — put off by scary headlines, unsure of themselves around computers and software, or simply not knowing where to begin. I wrote this book for them. Once readers understand the basics and give it a try, they can make more informed, confident decisions about how they want to use these tools,” said Garb.Chatting with AI debuted in March 2026 as an Amazon #1 New Release in Computer Literacy and several other categories. Readers have praised it as clear, fun, and amazingly brief, with several recommending it as an ideal gift for a parent or older relative just getting started with AI.

BOOK DETAILS•  Title: Chatting with AI: What to Know Before You Start
•  Author: Rachel Garb
•  Publisher: Rachel Garb
•  ISBN-13: 979-8-9952335-0-3
•  Format/Price: Paperback ($9.99), Kindle ($2.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited)
•  Length: 42 pages
•  Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and local bookstores on request
•  Website: ChattingWithAI.guide

ABOUT THE AUTHORRachel Garb is a retired consumer technology professional with more than 30 years of experience in Silicon Valley, including roles at AOL, TiVo, and nearly two decades at Google. She focused on making technology easier to understand and use, shaping products that billions of people around the world rely on every day. She holds a Master of Education from Harvard and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon. Rachel lives in California with her partner and occasional foster kittens.Rachel is available for interviews and review copies are available on request.

MEDIA CONTACTRachel Garb, [email protected]