Administration Is Confusing: AI Helps Me Make Sense of It
Recently, a colleague had to travel to another town just to get an appointment and sort out an issue related to her retirement.
Where we live, there were no appointments available for another five months.
Five months waiting for something as important as finding out what you are entitled to when you stop working.
And it is not unusual.
We all know someone who has come across a website that will not load, a form they cannot understand, or a procedure that seems to be written in another language.
I have been dealing with these things for a while, and I already have a digital certificate and Cl@ve, so in theory, I have it “easy”.
But let’s be honest: having the tools does not mean understanding what you are being asked to do.
And that is where I have discovered something that perhaps you had not thought of using for this artificial intelligence.
Administration Is Confusing
I do not need to tell you the usual story, language full of terms we never use in everyday life, forms with boxes you are not sure you are supposed to tick, and websites that send you from one place to another without actually explaining anything.
And then, when you finally manage to get an appointment, you have a few minutes for someone to explain it all to you and you leave with more questions than you had when you arrived.
It is not that we are incapable or that we do not know how to use technology.
The problem is that much of this information is written from the point of view of the person who created it, rather than the person who has to understand it and complete the procedure.
And that is where a tool like AI can really help.
AI Helps Me Make Sense of It
When I receive a document that I do not fully understand, or I have to prepare for an administrative procedure, I do not ask AI to do it for me.
I ask it for something much simpler:
to help me understand it.
For example:
I give it a confusing paragraph and ask:
“Explain this in simple language, without administrative jargon, and tell me exactly what they are asking me to do.”
I explain which procedure I need to complete and say:
“Before answering, ask me whatever questions you need so you can understand what I need to do.”
If I am not sure whether a requirement applies to me, I explain my situation and ask what information I should check.
If I need to write a formal request or complaint, I ask AI to help me organise and write what I want to say but I review it myself afterwards.
If I have several documents, I can ask it to put them in order and explain how they relate to each other.
And there is something I find really important you can ask again as many times as you need to.
You do not have to feel stupid because you did not understand something the first time.
There is no queue behind you, nobody is waiting at a counter, and you do not have to pretend that you understood when you did not.
You can simply say:
“I didn’t understand that. Explain it another way.”
And ask again.
For someone who feels lost when dealing with this kind of paperwork, that can be a huge relief.
What Else Can I Use It For?
Because dealing with the Administration is not just about understanding a letter.
AI can also help you prepare for a procedure.
What documents do I need?
You can say:
“I want to complete this procedure and I already have these documents.
Make me a list of what I should have ready and tell me what I need to check on the official website.”
That turns a confusing amount of information into a much more manageable list.
What do I need to do, and in what order?
You can ask:
“Explain this procedure step by step. Tell me what I need to do first, then what comes next, and finally what I need to do at the end.”
This does not mean AI has the final say about the procedure.
It means it helps you understand the process before you start.
What questions should I ask?
I find this especially useful.
If you have an appointment with the Administration, you can say:
“I need to speak to the Administration about this issue.
Make me a list of the questions I should take with me so I do not forget anything important.”
You will arrive at the appointment much better prepared.
I have several documents and do not know how they fit together
You can ask:
“Put these documents in chronological order and explain what has happened according to each one.
If you find something that does not seem to match, point it out.”
And then, if something important does not match, we check it against the official source.
What if I do not know what information is missing?
This takes us back to one of the tricks from my previous article.
You can say:
“I want to sort out this procedure. Before telling me what I need to do, tell me what information you need from me so you can guide me properly.”
And let AI ask you the questions.
Sometimes we do not need to know what the right question is.
We need AI to help us discover it.
AI Answers
And here I wanted to do something a little different.
Instead of simply asking AI questions, I asked it how it could help me with an administrative problem without making up information.
The conversation could start like this:
“I need to complete an administrative procedure and I am not exactly sure what I need. Do not give me an answer yet. First, ask me whatever questions you need to understand my situation.”
That changes things quite a bit.
Instead of allowing AI to fill in the gaps by itself, we are asking it to question us before giving us an answer.
Then we can continue:
“Now tell me what documents I should prepare, what steps I need to follow, and what information I should check directly on the official website.”
And if something is unclear:
“Point out which parts of your answer you cannot confirm.”
That last step is extremely important.
Because AI can help us understand a procedure, organise information and prepare our questions.
But it is not the Administration.
What It Can and Cannot Do
There is something important I want to make clear.
AI cannot complete the procedure for you.
It should not log into your electronic government account using your personal credentials, it cannot replace your digital certificate or Cl@ve, and it does not magically submit an application on your behalf.
You do that.
And there is something even more important
do not casually upload documents containing your personal information.
If you want to show an AI a letter, decision or screenshot, remove personal details first, such as your ID number, address, case number, telephone number, bank details or any other information that is not necessary for your question.
AI can help you understand a document without needing to know who you are.
And above all, when we are talking about deadlines, money, rights, pensions, benefits or anything that could have consequences, always check important information against the relevant official source.
You can use another AI to compare information, search the internet, or go directly to the Administration's website.
Comparing helps. Checking is essential.
AI Does Not Do the Procedure. It Helps You Understand It.
I think this is the important difference.
It is not about giving an AI a document and saying:
“Tell me what to do.”
It is about using it as a tool to reach the information with a much clearer idea of what you are dealing with.
It can help you:
understand a document;
organise information;
prepare a list of documents;
organise the steps you need to follow;
prepare questions;
identify what information is missing;
help you draft a formal letter;
point out what you should check.
But the decision is still yours.
You check. You decide. You complete the procedure.
AI simply helps you get there with less confusion.
Do Not Be Afraid of It
If you have never used AI for something like this, do not start with the most complicated administrative procedure of your life.
Start with something small.
The next time you receive a letter you do not fully understand, take a photo after removing your personal information and ask:
“What are they asking me to do here? Explain it in simple language and tell me what I should check before doing anything.”
And if you still do not understand:
“I didn’t understand that. Explain it another way.”
And if you still have questions:
“What information do you need from me to guide me better?”
You do not need to be good with technology.
It is simply asking questions the way you would ask someone you trust who understands these things.
The difference is that AI has the patience to explain it again.
And again.
And again.
And Back to My Colleague
My colleague eventually got her appointment.
In another town, of course, and after months of waiting.
But perhaps the next time she has to deal with an administrative procedure, she will not have to wait for the appointment before she can start understanding what is going on.
She can arrive knowing:
what they are asking her for, what documents she needs, what doubts she has and what questions she wants to ask.
And for me, that is one of the most interesting uses of artificial intelligence.
Not doing our lives for us.
Making our lives a little easier.
Because this is not only useful for dealing with the Administration.
The next time a contract, a bill, a bank email, an instruction manual or any other document leaves you confused...
now you know what you can do.
First, ask.
Then, check.
And finally, you decide.
If you think this might help someone, feel free to share it.
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