Six Tips for Desktop Productivity Users to Leverage GenAI

AI tools and tactics you should be employing today

Want to improve your GenAI desktop productivity? Then this issue is for you. I curated several apps, tactics, and ways to learn generative AI that should appeal to knowledge workers. Also, read to the bottom for this week’s bonus content!

TL;DR - AI News, Tips, and Apps

This week’s TL;DR is all about the apps. These are apps that I use and think have a lot of value for business users.

• Secta - Ready to level up your LinkedIn game or your professional headshot for work without leaving your couch? Secta.ai is the AI-powered headshot generator that turns your selfies into professional-grade portraits. Upload a few of your favorite photos and watch as Secta's digital magic transforms them into hundreds of LinkedIn-worthy headshots. You'll have a virtual smorgasbord of options, from studio shots to outdoor poses. I use Secta for my LinkedIn profile; you can even use the background remover to put your face into any scene you want. (You can see what I mean in my headshot for my signature below.)
• Fireflies.ai - Fireflies.ai is an AI-powered tool that helps automate meeting notes by transcribing, summarizing, searching, and analyzing voice conversations. It integrates with various video conferencing apps, dialers, and audio files to capture meetings and generate transcripts and summaries. Fireflies allows users to search and review key points from meetings easily, collaborate with co-workers by adding comments and reactions, and share meeting notes with other apps. It also provides conversation intelligence features like speaker talk time tracking and keyword analysis. I like the automated summaries with action items and the ability to search the transcript via text and then replay the audio and video to make sure I understood the finer points of a conversation.
• Adobe Firefly 3 - Adobe Firefly is a generative AI tool that allows users to create high-quality images, graphics, and text effects using simple text prompts. It is integrated into various Adobe Creative Cloud applications, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Adobe Express. With Firefly, users can generate images from scratch, add or remove objects, expand images, and create vector graphics. The tools I use more often are available online and can be used to expand a picture that’s too tightly cropped , generative fill to alter images , and use text-to-image to create unique images for my online presence.

Feature: Six Ways for Desktop Productivity Users to Start Using GenAI

According to McKinsey and Co , Current generative AI and other technologies can potentially automate work activities that absorb 60 to 70 percent of employees’ time today. However, that doesn’t mean AI will replace you soon, especially if you add skills to make yourself more productive.

This week, a potential business partner asked me where to start with Generative AI. I have given that some thought, so here are my recommendations for how I’d be using Generative AI today as an average non-technical knowledge worker.

I. Brainstorming

Using ChatGPT for brainstorming can be a powerful way to leverage generative AI for creative and strategic thinking. To get the most out of this tool, here are some general guidelines:

1. Define Clear Objectives: Explain what you need from the brainstorming session and clearly define the problem or opportunity you're addressing.
2. Provide Context: Give ChatGPT as much relevant information as possible. This includes details about the target audience, the purpose of the task, any constraints you are facing, and the desired outcome.
3. Iterate and Refine: Brainstorming with ChatGPT is an iterative process. Start with broad questions to generate a wide array of ideas. Review the responses, then refine your prompts based on promising ideas to explore them more deeply.
4. Use Open-Ended Questions: Ask open-ended questions to encourage a broad range of ideas. Phrases like "What are some ways to..." or "How might we..." invite various creative responses.
5. Evaluate and Select: After generating ideas, evaluate them critically. Assess their feasibility, impact, and alignment with your goals. Select the best ideas for further development or implementation.
6. Combine with Human Judgment: While ChatGPT can provide numerous ideas and solutions, combining these with human judgment and expertise is essential. Use the AI's output as a starting point, not the final decision.

For example, if you're brainstorming ideas for a marketing campaign, you might ask, "What are some innovative approaches to reach young adults with messages about sustainability?" After reviewing the initial ideas, you could follow up with more specific prompts based on the most intriguing concepts, such as "Can you expand on how virtual reality could be used in these sustainability campaigns?"

Pro Tip: When you get a response you like, you can ask ChatGPT to refine it by iterating. So, for example, if you wanted to refine this tagline, “Generative AI, it’s magically delicious.” The prompt would be:

Improve this tagline,“Generative AI, it’s magically delicious.” Iterate 10x        

The result would be ten iterations of that tagline. You could refine it further by chatting with ChatGPT.

II. Research and Summarization with ChatGPT

GenAI excels at summarizing and repurposing existing content. It is a valuable tool for knowledge workers who need to quickly grasp the essence of various sources or repurpose information for different contexts.

For instance, customer support teams can use GenAI to summarize and consolidate knowledge base articles, creating concise and easily digestible content for customers.

Similarly, marketing teams can leverage GenAI to repurpose existing product information into engaging social media posts or marketing collateral.

By automating these tasks, knowledge workers can focus on higher-value activities while ensuring that information is effectively communicated across different channels.

Here’s an example. Let's say your company made an announcement or service, and you’d like to share that on LinkedIn. You would want to summarize the article and pull the key points into a well-formatted LinkedIn article.

#Role

You will act as a world-class social media writer for technology businesses. You will summarize the data provided into a professional and engaging LinkedIn post. 

# Objective

You will summarize the information I give you in an interesting way to make them more accessible to the general public.

# Tone

You approach serious topics related to business, in a friendly, approachable tone. You will use plain accessible language at 10th grade reading level. Overall, your tone is optimistic and encouraging, with a touch of humor.

# Formatting

In formatting your LinkedIn post, you use bullet points to organize your ideas and facilitate reading.  You will use the following ascii character for a bullet ?
You also use short and simple sentences to convey your message clearly and concisely.
Use emojis sparingly but appropriately to emphasize your point.  

# Additional Information

You consistently encourage interaction by inviting your audience to comment and share their own experiences.'        

I made the point to do this for LinkedIn, but you could do the same thing with a whitepaper or other research to help you distill the key points into something that takes less time to read. Maybe you want to share the latest announcement from a competitor or describe the findings of a new study in your industry. All you would need to do is upload or cut and paste the date into the prompt in ChatGPT, then ask for a summary in as much detail as you want.

III. Creating Presentations

Creating impactful PowerPoint presentations involves conveying information in an engaging and visually appealing manner. Leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT, Gamma , and DALL-E (the image editor in ChatGPT) can streamline this process. I also wrote a comprehensive guide a few months back, and it’s still relevant.

Here’s how to effectively use these tools for each stage of your presentation development:

• Start with ChatGPT for Brainstorming and Outlining:
• Use Gamma for Slide Creation:
• Incorporate Visuals with DALL-E:

Pro Tip: If you want to get fancy, you can have ChatGPT export the PowerPoint directly from ChatGPT using VBScript. This can be very powerful, but there’s much to cover here.

IV. Use an AI Copilot

The emergence of AI copilots has revolutionized how we work in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. They offer powerful solutions to optimize workflows and boost efficiency across various applications. These intelligent assistants automate mundane tasks, offer real-time recommendations, and generate content, allowing users to save time and focus on higher-level tasks.

One of the most notable AI copilots is Copilot for Microsoft 365 , which integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 suite, including popular applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. With Copilot, users can effortlessly generate drafts, summarize lengthy documents, analyze complex data, and create engaging presentations using natural language prompts.

Similarly, Google has introduced Google Gemini for Workspace , a powerful tool that provides writing assistance, image generation capabilities, and project organization features within Google Workspace apps such as Docs, Slides, and Sheets. This AI copilot empowers users to create high-quality content, visually appealing presentations, and well-structured documents, further enhancing productivity and collaboration.

The influence of AI copilots extends beyond traditional office suites and into web browsers. HarpaAI , for example, is a browser extension that acts as a personal research assistant. It helps users find relevant information, summarize web pages, and generate content based on specific queries. By leveraging the power of AI, these tools greatly simplify and expedite research and content creation processes, saving valuable time and effort.

By leveraging the capabilities of AI copilots, individuals and organizations can unlock new levels of efficiency, creativity, and productivity in their daily workflows. As these tools continue to evolve and improve, they will undoubtedly play an increasingly vital role in shaping the future of work, empowering users to achieve more in less time and stay ahead in today's competitive digital landscape.

V. Prompt Engineering

Prompt engineering involves formulating precise instructions or queries that guide the AI model to produce desired outputs. These prompts serve as input to the AI system, directing its generation process toward specific goals or objectives.

Business-oriented prompt engineering entails understanding the desired outcomes and target audience to design prompts that yield relevant and impactful content. It involves language choice, context sensitivity, and ethical implications to ensure the generated content aligns with business goals and ethical standards. By leveraging prompt engineering techniques, businesses can harness the creative potential of AI models to generate content that resonates with their brand identity, audience preferences, and communication objectives.

Moreover, establishing a library of GenAI prompts can facilitate consistency and efficiency in content generation processes. This repository allows business users to access pre-defined prompts, customize them as necessary, and iterate on their content generation strategies.

Additionally, prompt storage software tailored for GenAI, such as AIPRM or PromptForge, enables users to manage and optimize prompts effectively, continuously improving AI-generated content quality and relevance. You could also store your prompts in a Google Doc, Notes, or Notion and then cut and paste them into ChatGPT.

Ultimately, prompt engineering for GenAI empowers businesses to leverage AI technology to enhance marketing, communication, and content creation efforts, driving engagement and fostering meaningful connections with their audience.

VI. Continuous Learning about AI

Learning about Generative AI can be daunting, given the rapid pace of advancements in this field. While classes can provide a solid foundation, they often struggle to keep up with the latest developments. Therefore, a multi-pronged approach is recommended to combine formal education with self-directed learning and stay up-to-date with industry leaders and newsletters.

Three Generative AI Classes for Beginners

I’d recommend these three classes for beginners to build a Generative AI foundation. If you are a classroom learner, these are all reputable and well-reviewed.

• Generative AI for Everyone - DeepLearning - Dr. Andrew Ng - What generative AI is, how it works, its common use cases, and what this technology can and cannot do.
• Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT - Vanderbilt University - Dr. Jules White - How to apply prompt engineering to work with large language models like ChatGPT effectively
• AI For Business Specialization - University of Pennsylvania - Learn the Fundamentals of AI and Machine Learning. Develop a deployment strategy for incorporating AI, ML, and Big Data into your organization that will take advantage of cutting-edge technologies.

AI Newsletters and LinkedIn Thought Leaders to Learn GenAI

I could make this an exhaustive list, but here are five GenAI experts and mailing lists to follow that provide tons of good GenAI content that’s easily digestible.

• Allie K. Miller - The top AI voice on LinkedIn, there’s a reason she has over 1.5 million followers: her content rocks. Follow her on LinkedIn and subscribe to her newsletter, AI with Allie , Turning AI buzzwords into business tactics. Get hands-on insights from an industry insider. Trusted by 1.5 million. Subscribe for a 50-page FREE ChatGPT Guide with 30 expert ChatGPT prompts and examples.
• Nancy Bain - Nancy’s content is amazingly well thought out. Follow her on LinkedIn and subscribe to her newsletter, Tech Tactics , which includes a nice guide to getting started with ChatGPT.
• Alex Wang - Alex is a frequent poster on LinkedIn , and her newsletter Learn AI Together is very good at breaking down complex concepts and making them accessible.
• TL;DR AI - Get smarter about AI in 5 minutes—the most important AI, ML, and data science news in a free daily email.
• Superhuman - One of the most widely read AI newsletters with over 600,000+ readers, provides details on leveraging AI to boost your productivity and accelerate your career.

I hope that you find this edition of the Artificially Intelligent Enterprise helpful. If you can spread the word and forward it to a friend, it’s my goal to help as many people as possible succeed with Generative AI.

Best Regards,

Mark R. Hinkle Editor-in-Chief

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