Tool use
Tool use lets a language model call outside software — a calculator, a search engine, a calendar, a database — and use the result in its answer. It is how chatbots check the weather or do exact arithmetic instead of guessing.
In one line, for a 12-year-old
Tool use is the AI grabbing a calculator or a search engine when it needs one.
An example
Asked "Is the library open tomorrow?", an assistant calls the library's hours tool rather than relying on memory.
Why it matters to people
Every connected tool is another place your data can go. Grant only the access a task needs, and review connections you no longer use.