I am convinced that the true power of AI and Large Language Models lies in their ability to democratize access to this advanced technology, putting the transformative potential of AI into the hands of day-to-day employees. And it's not about workers applying LLMs to revolutionize their companies and processes. I believe this is about everybody getting the tools that enable them to revolutionize their own, individual workflows. This is about people being able to get rid of boring stuff and focus on tasks that matter and are more fulfilling. Which is why I prefer to look into ways for everyone to "hire" AI sidekick to take over as many tedious tasks as possible, rather than finding juicy, enterprise-wise use-cases. Not only due to what I mentioned above but also keeping in mind certain limitations when it comes to company data and security policies. Provided employees are using AI responsibly and within the bounds of company guidelines, the potential for increased productivity and job satisfaction is immense.
In order to get to a point of every employee having an AI assistant and being able to use it properly and effectively, organizations must support their people with upskilling. But ultimately we, employees, need to own our upskilling process. Because the awareness about AI overall is still at fairly low levels. And given the pace of progress and almost everyday developments in the field, people become easily discouraged from learning and adopting AI. And the sooner we all realize that:?
a) AI is not a threat to our jobs, it's a threat to some of our tasks, and it's a good thing!?
b) AI is a powerful tool that when used properly will amplify our capabilities;?
c) AI is not a seasonal hype that will fade away (although obviously there is a lot of hype around it), it is here to stay;
the sooner we can start moving forward and get to grabs with this technology instead of feeling overwhelmed and left behind.
I love the way Ethan divided the everyday tasks into few categories that help structure the thought process:
Think about your own tasks and activities from that perspective. Are any of these at least in part "automatable"? Do any fall within "Centaur tasks" category?
In order to help a bit with thinking process around that, allow me to give you a few random examples of how a personal AI sidekick can be useful.
- Writing content.?I mean job related content. Say you need to formulate an e-mail or a document with an employee assessment. Obviously this is a task that cannot be delegated in full. However, AI can assist in generating suggestions and improving the overall quality and efficiency of the writing process. And you can just throw all your thoughts and considerations into a bucket without any order or structure and ask an LLM to use these inputs to create that content for you in a form you require and following the rules you define. Easy. Fast. Effective.
- Project management. Just provide an LLM with sufficient details about the project and ask it to work out for you a risk matrix, communication plan, stakeholder management plan and any other type of document or input you need. Of course review the output and iterate together with AI. But let the AI take care of the initial heavy lifting. And just start moving with all this project related stuff immediately and without effort. That is where your AI sidekick excels at.
- Data analysis.?Get your AI sidekick to analyze large datasets, identify patterns, and extract meaningful insights, saving you time and effort in the data analysis process. Also, have it create different types of graphs illustrating your data - including some that you would not even have thought of (just ask AI to come up with less known or even exotic ways to visualize data and see what you might get, experiment!). And then put it into that fancy presentations of yours and be prepared to see how impressed your manager is. The advantage here is AI works on concrete dataset, applying programmatic methods to play with the data and uncover hidden patterns or trends - hence there is no room for AI to hallucinate.
- Recruitment. That one is big in my view. There is so much that can be done here. Have AI review and improve job description based on your draft. Or create JD from scratch based on your loose comments and keywords. Or let your AI sidekick take an existing job description and create a similar role, or lower/higher position within the same job type. And while you are at it have it create your job ad and review submitted CVs for compatibility with the role. It can also streamline post-interview feedback process - throw your comments, notes, adjectives or whatever else you've noted down during an interview and ask your sidekick to draft a feedback message to the candidate using particular tone, incorporating certain phrases, formatting it as you want it and so on. And obviously review everything, as ultimately you are responsible for the content, even if Ai helps you create it.
- Research. Say you need to explore a topic for a job interview, a project you participate in or lead, or for your personal learning. Your AI sidekick can quickly gather relevant information, summarize key points, and provide you with an organized and comprehensive research report. It will also give references, so you can easily fact-check the output and provide sources for any claims or findings mentioned in the report.
- Excel/VBA. Not everyone has what it takes to be an Excel Ninja. And with your AI sidekick it does not matter anymore. Need a sophisticated Excel formula? Easy. Need a less sophisticated formula? No problem, obviously. You have a task or a problem to tackle with a VBA macro, but your Ninja teammate is off? No worries, your AI sidekick can help you with that. Including a thorough review of an existing VBA code for potential improvements.?
- I can just go on...you surely get the point by now.
So, ready to power up your work with an AI sidekick? Then don't miss out! Click the link
and unlock Brain Sparks, my dynamic online crash course. It's all about hands-on learning - less theory, more action. Together, we'll explore the practical uses of AI and Large Language Models, tailored to your daily tasks. Each session evolves based on participant feedback, ensuring you get the most out of your time.?
Don't just be a spectator in the AI revolution, be a part of it.?
Comments/thoughts? Hit me up on Li or Twitter (link in my bio) or just comment under the article. Happy to discuss!
