Artificial intelligence software has given editing tools a huge boost in power, far beyond the spell-checkers and grammar aids of yore.

A.I. can proofread, rewrite, summarize and compose text, making it simple to craft clean, complex documents in a flash — even on a smartphone. If you haven’t dabbled yet, free offerings from Apple and Google are an easy place to begin experimenting.

Tinkering with the software lets you see its capabilities and gives you insight on when — and when not — to let A.I. do the writing. Here’s a guide to getting started.

Using Apple Intelligence

Apple’s integrated suite of A.I. tools, called Apple Intelligence, includes a selection of Writing Tools. (It requires iOS 18.1 and a more recent iPhone or iPad.)

The Writing Tools work in most apps where you type or dictate words. Once you have written something (like in Pages), highlight the section you want to edit. Select Writing Tools in the pop-up menu, or tap the circular Apple Intelligence icon in the toolbar.