Format: Video modules with interactive elements, followed by quizzes and a final exam.
Target Audience: Small business owners and individuals eager to start using AI for everyday tasks, increase productivity, and innovate their business operations.

Objective: To get learners excited about using AI by showcasing fun, easy-to-use tools that can immediately help them in their business and personal lives.

Content:

• What is AI?
  1. AI (Artificial Intelligence) refers to machines or software designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as problem-solving, learning, decision-making, and pattern recognition.

• Fun and Easy-to-Use AI Tools:
  1. Chatbots for Customer Support:
     • Example: ManyChat and Tidio. These tools help automate customer service by providing instant replies to customer questions and handling basic support tasks. They can be set up to respond to FAQs, schedule appointments, or even process simple orders.
  2. AI Writing Assistants:
     • Example: ChatGPT and Jasper AI. These tools are great for creating content like blog posts, emails, social media updates, or even entire marketing campaigns. For example, a small business can use Jasper to generate product descriptions or ChatGPT to write follow-up emails to clients.
  3. AI in Design:
     • Example: Canva with its AI-powered features. Canva uses AI to simplify the design process, helping business owners create professional-looking social media graphics, flyers, posters, and even logos. You can input basic information, and Canva will generate multiple design templates to choose from.
  4. AI for Scheduling and Time Management:
     • Example: Calendly and TimeHero. These AI tools automatically schedule meetings by analyzing your availability and sending invites to attendees, avoiding scheduling conflicts and saving you time.

Key Takeaways:

• AI can be integrated easily into everyday business tasks and processes.
• The learning curve for using basic AI tools is very low, and the immediate benefits include time-saving and task automation.

Objective: To give learners some historical context on how AI evolved and how its current applications can help businesses thrive.

Content:

• Origins of AI:
  • The concept of AI dates back to the 1950s, with early pioneers like Alan Turing and John McCarthy laying the groundwork for artificial intelligence. Turing's famous "Turing Test" in 1950 explored whether machines could think like humans.
  • The term “artificial intelligence” was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy during a conference at Dartmouth College. The goal was to create machines that could simulate human learning and reasoning.
• Evolution of AI:
  • 1960s–1970s: Early AI systems could perform specific tasks but lacked flexibility.
  • 1980s–1990s: Advances in neural networks and machine learning algorithms allowed AI to recognize patterns and make decisions based on data.
  • 2000s to Present: AI has made leaps in real-world applications like natural language processing, image recognition, autonomous vehicles, and more. Tools like Google's DeepMind and IBM Watson showcase advanced AI’s abilities to play games, solve complex problems, and assist with large-scale business analytics.
• Current Trends:
  • AI is now accessible to everyone, thanks to tools powered by large language models (like GPT-3) and machine learning, which have revolutionized industries from healthcare to finance, retail, and beyond.

Key Takeaways:

• AI has come a long way since its inception, and it is now a tool that even small business owners can leverage to improve their operations.
• Understanding the evolution of AI helps put its current capabilities into perspective.

Objective: To provide practical strategies and tips on how small business owners can use AI to improve their workflow, boost productivity, and make better decisions.

Content:

• Leveraging AI for Business Tasks:
  • Automating Repetitive Tasks:
    • Example: Zapier. This AI tool connects your apps and automates workflows by performing repetitive actions, such as moving data from one app to another, sending emails after an event, or updating your customer records automatically.
  • Improving Customer Experience:
    • Example: Intercom. AI-powered customer support tools like Intercom can engage with customers in real-time on websites or mobile apps, offering instant responses and suggesting relevant products or services.
  • AI for Marketing:
    • Example: HubSpot and Mailchimp. These platforms use AI to analyze customer data and create personalized marketing campaigns based on user behavior, preferences, and purchase history. AI can optimize email send times, subject lines, and content for maximum engagement.
  • Data Analysis:
    • Example: Google Analytics and Tableau. AI can quickly process and analyze large datasets, providing small business owners with insights into customer behavior, sales trends, and website performance. AI-driven analytics tools make it easier to interpret complex data and make data-driven decisions.
• Practical Tips:
  • Start with tools that are easy to integrate, such as AI-powered email assistants (like Grammarly or QuillBot) or scheduling tools (like Calendly).
  • Regularly assess which tasks can be automated to free up time for higher-level business strategy.
  • Be specific with your requests to AI for better outcomes—clarity is key.

Key Takeaways:

• AI can save time and money by automating tasks, improving decision-making, and enhancing customer engagement.
• Small businesses should start by integrating simple AI tools into their operations and gradually move to more complex solutions.

Objective: To introduce the concept of prompt engineering—creating effective and efficient prompts to get the best results from AI tools like ChatGPT.

Content:

• What is Prompt Engineering?
  • Prompt engineering is the art of crafting clear, detailed instructions for AI so that it can produce the most accurate and useful responses.
• Basic Principles of Prompt Engineering:
  • Clarity: Ensure your prompt is clear and specific. Vague prompts lead to vague answers.
  • Context: Provide context when necessary. This helps the AI understand the task more thoroughly.
  • Structure: Break down complex tasks into smaller, easier-to-understand components.
  • Feedback: If the AI’s response isn’t quite right, provide feedback or adjust your prompt for refinement.
• Examples:
  • Poor Prompt: "Tell me about marketing."
  • Good Prompt: "Provide me with a list of digital marketing strategies specifically for small businesses in the tech industry."
• Advanced Prompting Techniques:
  • Role-based Prompts: Ask the AI to assume a role, such as “Act as a business consultant and help me improve my marketing strategy.”
  • Step-by-step Prompts: Break down tasks into a series of instructions, such as “Step 1: Identify trends. Step 2: Create a plan. Step 3: Suggest marketing tactics.”

Key Takeaways:

• Prompt engineering is key to unlocking the true potential of AI. Clear, detailed, and structured prompts lead to more accurate and valuable results.
• Small business owners can use prompt engineering to customize AI responses to fit their specific needs.