Start With the Work

AI is most useful when it connects to a real need. Rather than starting with the tool itself, it can help to look at the work you already do and notice where there may be friction.

Think about the tasks that take more time, effort, or repetition than you’d like.

Where might AI help make this work easier, faster, or more effective?

  1. Task

    What am I trying to accomplish?

    Draft, analyze, communicate, organize

  2. Friction

    Where is the effort or repetition?

    Too slow, repetitive, unclear, manual

  3. AI Support

    Where could AI help?

    Summarize, compare, organize, draft

  4. Human Judgment

    What still needs me?

    Verify, decide, refine, own

Choose Your Lens

  • Possible use case

    Turn a lengthy policy update into a first draft of employee-facing communication.

    AI can help:

    • Summarize changes

    • Draft FAQs

    • Adapt tone for different audiences

    Human judgment:

    • Validate policy interpretation

    • Protect confidential information

    • Review employee implications

  • Possible use case

    Organize narrative commentary around already-validated financial information.

    AI can help:

    • Structure findings

    • Draft summaries

    • Identify questions worth exploring

    Human judgment:

    • Validate calculations

    • Confirm source data

    • Own financial interpretation and decisions

  • Possible use case

    Convert process notes into a structured first draft of an SOP.

    AI can help:

    • Organize steps

    • Identify unclear instructions

    • Create draft checklists

    Human judgment:

    • Validate the workflow

    • Identify operational risk

    • Confirm real-world feasibility

  • Possible use case

    Prepare for a coaching conversation.

    AI can help:

    • Organize observations

    • Generate possible questions

    • Explore ways to communicate clearly

    Human judgment:

    • Understand the person and context

    • Make decisions

    • Deliver the conversation

    • Protect employee information

Look for the pattern in your own work

These examples show how the same approach can apply across different functions, but the opportunities are much broader.

Whether you work in HR, Finance, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Technology, or another area, consider:

  1. Where does work in your role take more time, repetition, or effort than it should?

  2. Where might AI help with part of that work?

  3. What still needs your judgment, context, or expertise?