Can AI Help Build you Advance your Business even if You are a Non-Tech Person?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now being used by students and teachers. One AI app that educators use (and supposedly love) is Magic School that has more than 60 generative AI features. It made me wonder, are there AI apps for teacher career changers like us that that will help us be more productive and systemize our emerging business or new career? I used ChatGPT to jumpstart the research.
My Position in the use of AI
Before we delve in this topic, I want to clarify my position about Artificial Intelligence. I think it is a great tool but it is just that: a tool that will help us be more productive, save time and minimize expenses. I do not want it to think or write for me. I tried making ChatGPT write something and I ended up using more time to edit it. I learned to use it as my free virtual assistant instead by giving it a specific role (assistant) and task (research). Let me show you how I use it.
Q & A about AI Productivity Apps
My first question specified the following:
role - virtual assistant
task - research AI Apps and make a table (App Name, Website, price)
topic - AI apps that help build productivity and create work systems
Below is what it gave me in a few seconds. Notice that it created the table for me because I specifically asked for it.
Additional Information
Once I saw the table, I realized the function of each app is missing. So I asked ChatGPT to add it in another column. It produced the revised table in seconds. If I have a human assistant, it will take longer and an additional 1 or 2 hours payment.
Do the Thinking Yourself
It is fun to let AI help in brainstorming and arranging data in a table. However, if you look at the table above, it is really not helpful if you do not know where to start and unclear with your goals. My goal in this post is to help you find out if AI can help you create a productive work system. The above tables lack that information so let me use another AI-driven app where I asked it to produce an infographic on “How can a new businessman create productive work system using AI.” Below is one of twelve infographic templates that it produced for me.
Begin with Listing Tasks
I agree with the infographic created by my graphics app: begin with listing all your business tasks. If that is too big for you, list all the tasks you do for projects or services you do. For example, if you create online newsletters like me, the tasks may be:
brainstorming
researching
drafting
creating post graphics or pictures
writing
editing
Once you have the tasks, find out if there are AI apps that can help you with some of the tasks. For me, I used the following AI apps as of this writing:
brainstorming and researching - ChatGPT and previously Google Bard (which is now Gemini)
drafting - none
creating post graphics or pictures - sometimes SketchWow (I usually compose all my final graphics)
writing - none
editing - I should start using my apps more especially Prowriting
There is a learning curve in using all the apps so please consider if you have the time and interest to learn it.
It is all about Comfort Level
In the end, it is all about your comfort level and ease of use of AI apps. If it is easier for you to have an actual assistant, go for it. However, take a look at the list of AI productivity apps in the first table. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are listed there. I am sure you have been using both or have been exposed to them. AI applications help us work faster at less cost. But again, it is up to you. Next, we will talk about the advantages of productizing your services.