Just Ask AI

Over the weekend, I helped my cousin figure out where to start with AI for his small business. Instead of trying to solve his workflow problem for him, I explained some fundamental things about AI, and then encouraged him to start a dialogue with AI to figure out the rest.

In essence, I recommended that he:

1️⃣ Create a reusable content block that explains his business (what he sells, to whom, how and how often he invoices his customers, etc.)

2️⃣ Identify a pain point that he wants AI to help with and then map that workflow (the starting and end point, and what is involved in each step)

3️⃣ Have a conversation with AI about how it can help with that workflow (first pasting the reusable content block, and then explaining what the process is, what software is involved, what goal he is trying to achieve)

4️⃣ Experiment with different LLMs to see how their responses differ and then choose one

5️⃣ Test out the workflow with one tool and see how it does

My cousin's ah-ha moment was when he realized that he was not only looking to "hire" AI as an assistant to automate a process, but that he could also first "hire" AI as a consultant to assess the feasibility of his idea.

My ah-ha moment was realizing that I don't have to have (and I don't have!) all the answers.

Instead, I can teach some AI fundamentals, and then empower folks to work with AI to see what's possible. 🤖