Speaker Note: “Set the stage: This isn't a lecture on theory. It's a hands-on guide to the 'Art of the Possible' using tools available today.”

Practical AI Adoption

A comprehensive guide to demystifying Artificial Intelligence, selecting the right tools, and applying them to real business workflows safely and effectively.

Demystify AI Tool Selection Live Workshop

Core Philosophy: You are always the human-in-the-loop. AI is the engine; you are the steering wheel.

Module Overview

Demystify: AI vs LLMs in plain English.
The Toolbelt: When to use ChatGPT vs Copilot vs Perplexity.
Adoption Gradient: Moving from personal tasks to enterprise agents.
Workshop: Build a real adoption plan.

Stage 1

Demystifying AI & LLMs

Clear definitions, a mental model for how this works, and avoiding the hype.

Speaker Note: “Clarify the terminology first. Most people say 'AI' when they specifically mean 'Large Language Models' (LLMs). The distinction matters for setting expectations.”

🧠

1. What is "AI"?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the broad umbrella. Large Language Models (LLMs) are a specific kind trained on text to predict the "next token".

In practice: "AI" usually means "LLM-powered assistant".

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2. How LLMs Work

Training: Read huge corpus of text.
Goal: Predict the next word.
Result: Learns patterns of reasoning.

They are powerful pattern-compressors, not databases of facts.

🤝

3. Human-in-the-loop

LLMs are amazing at drafting, explaining, and summarizing. They are bad at being "truth oracles".

Rule: Treat output as "Version 0". You verify Version 1.

Key Vocabulary

Prompt: The instruction you type to the model.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation): Connecting an LLM to your own documents.
Context Window: How much memory the model has in a single conversation.
Agent: An AI that can use tools (Search, Email) to complete tasks.

Hallucinations

LLMs can confidently make things up. This is a feature of their creativity, but a bug for factual accuracy.


                            Strategy: Use tools with citations (Perplexity) or grounded contexts (NotebookLM).

Stage 2

The Toolbelt

One size does not fit all. We take a "best-tool-for-the-job" approach.

Speaker Note: “Demonstrate the difference live. Ask the same question to ChatGPT (reasoning) and Perplexity (search) to show how the outputs differ.”

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Generalist

ChatGPT

OpenAI

Fast, strong reasoning. Best for drafting, brainstorming, and explaining concepts.

Try: "Explain our product's core value proposition in 3 bullets."

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Research

Perplexity

Perplexity AI

Live search with citations. Great for "What's happening right now?" and market scans.

Try: "Summarize top 5 competitors in our sector with sources."

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Grounded

NotebookLM

Google

Upload PDFs/Slides. Q&A specifically over your documents. Minimal hallucinations.

Try: "Create a briefing document from these town-hall slides."

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Productivity

Copilot

Microsoft

Integrated into Outlook, Teams, Word. Best for internal meetings and email.

Try: "Summarize the key decisions from last week's Ops meeting."

🛠️

Workflow

Copilot Studio

Microsoft

Build small agents that connect to systems. FAQ bots, ticket triage.

Try: "Agent that answers HR questions from the handbook."

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Code

Claude / GitHub

Anthropic / MS

Deep reasoning and coding. Great for large documents and complex logic.

Try: "Analyze this SQL query and suggest optimization."

Stage 3

The Adoption Gradient

A framework for moving from "I talk to a bot" to "We built a platform".

Speaker Note: “Don't get overwhelmed by Enterprise AI. 80% of immediate value comes from mastering Levels 1 and 2.”

Level 1

Personal

Drafting, Summarizing, explaining.

Level 2

Team Knowledge

RAG over your specific docs.

Level 3

Agents

Automated workflows & tools.

Level 4

Enterprise

Custom, hosted platforms.

Level 1: Personal Productivity

Tools: ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude.

Drafting emails & documents
Summarizing meeting notes
Brainstorming pros/cons

Prompt: "Propose a response to this email in my voice."

Level 2: Team Knowledge

Tools: NotebookLM, Internal RAG.

Q&A over SOPs
Onboarding "copilot"
Standardizing analysis

Level 3: Automated Workflows

Tools: Copilot Studio, Power Automate.

Intake & Triage
Automated Reporting
Routing approvals