"Explain this letter to me": using AI to understand the bank, the doctor or the council
Official letters are written to be correct, not to be understood. Here's how to paste one into an AI and get it back in plain English — safely, with your personal details left out.
You know the letter. Two pages from the bank, the tax office, the hospital or the council. Long sentences, capital letters, phrases like “pursuant to” and “notwithstanding.” You read it twice and you’re still not sure what they actually want you to do.
This is a job AI is genuinely good at. Not “sort of useful” — good. Turning official language into plain language is close to what it was built for. Here’s how to do it, and how to do it without handing over things you shouldn’t.
The basic move
- Type the letter in, or paste it if you have it as an email or PDF. (Many chatbots also let you photograph a paper letter with your phone.)
- Above it, type: “Explain this letter to me in plain English. What is it asking me to do, and by when?”
- Read the answer.
That’s it. You’ll get a short, clear summary: what the letter is about, what they want, any deadline, and what happens if you do nothing. Usually in five lines.
First: blank out the personal details
Before you paste anything, take thirty seconds to remove what identifies you. The AI doesn’t need it to explain the letter, and you shouldn’t share it.
Replace:
- Your name → “[name]”
- Account, reference, customer or case numbers → “[number]”
- Your address → “[address]”
- Dates of birth → “[date]”
Leave in the dates of the letter and the deadline — those matter for understanding. If it’s a medical letter, you can leave in the medical words (that’s what you want explained) but take out your name and hospital number.
It looks like this:
“Dear [name], we are writing regarding account [number]. Our records indicate that the direct debit instruction dated 3 August was returned unpaid…”
The AI can explain that perfectly well without knowing you’re Margaret from Elm Road.
Good follow-up questions
The first answer is the summary. The follow-ups are where the real value is:
- “What happens if I ignore this?” — Often the most important question, and letters rarely say it plainly.
- “Is this urgent?” — Official letters make everything sound urgent. AI will usually tell you honestly whether it’s a “this week” or a “when you get round to it.”
- “What does [specific phrase] mean?” — “Pursuant to Section 4.2,” “we reserve the right,” “your provisional assessment.” Ask about each one.
- “Write me a short reply saying I need more time.” — Or “…asking them to explain the charge.” (See writing a difficult email.)
- “What should I ask them when I ring?” — It’ll give you a short list, so the phone call goes better.
Three kinds of letter, and what to watch for
From the bank or a company. AI is reliable here. The language is standard, the patterns are strong. Do double-check any figure it repeats — it can mistype a number just as you might.
From the doctor or hospital. AI is good at translating medical terms into plain English — “what is a ‘benign lesion’?” — and it will do it without the fifteen-second appointment pressure. But it does not know your case. Use it to understand the letter so that you can ask your doctor better questions, not instead of asking. (More on AI and health.)
From the tax office, council or a lawyer. Understanding: fine. Acting: careful. Rules differ by country and change yearly, and AI may confidently describe last year’s rule or another country’s. For anything with a deadline and a penalty, use AI to understand — then confirm with the office itself or the free advice service in your country before you act.
A worked example
You’ve received a letter from your energy supplier. You paste it (name and account number blanked) with: “Explain this in plain English. What do they want and by when?”
The AI says: “They’re telling you your fixed-price deal ends on 30 September. If you do nothing, you’ll move to their standard rate, which is higher. They want you to choose a new deal before then. There’s no penalty for doing nothing, but you’ll pay more per month.”
You ask: “Is the standard rate a lot more?”
It says: “The letter doesn’t say how much more. You’d need to ask them or check their website.”
Notice that last answer. A good chatbot tells you when the letter doesn’t contain the answer, instead of inventing one. If yours guesses a number that isn’t in the letter — that’s a sign to be careful with it.
The one thing to remember
AI is a brilliant translator of officialese. It is not the office that sent the letter. Let it tell you what the letter says; let the sender tell you what’s true today.
