A New Year resolution you can keep: build your AI confidence

We wouldn’t be trying our best if we didn’t write a ‘new years resolutions’ themed AI blog suggesting a few helpful ideas, but - as ever - we are going to make this immediately useful. Our suggestions will also require considerably less effort than the other things you thought about putting on your list.

1. Use AI to plan your posts*

If you’re reading this – and especially if you’re reading this on Linked In – you probably either generate social media content linked to your job, or work with someone who does.

With credit to AIToolsClub.com for the inspiration, try this prompt today: Consider yourself a social media content guru. Create 52 unique content ideas that experts might use in the [insert your niche] sector. Compile these in a table with columns for Content Type, Topic/Idea, Hook/Title, and Why It Works columns. Focus on trend-based, engaging, and sector-specific ideas proven to attract views and generate engagement.

Done that yet? I can wait…

…

Excellent. With apologies if you are already AI savvy, but we’re barely into January and if you've tried that prompt you will have already learned a few things that we know not everyone has figured out yet:

a. Yes, you can do tables

b. The AI is better at this stuff than you thought

c. AI gets bored after the first 30-ish ideas; you’ll need to carry on the conversation to get the job done right. Which is reassuring: you have a better attention span than even the smartest AI and remain essential.

d. You have to check the dates. It’s not unusual for AI to think it’s still 2023. Time works differently if you don't live it.

So: you'll need to ask the AI to give you different content suggestions for Linked In, X or Bluesky and email marketing, for each idea. Ask it to suggest the top hashtags. Ask it to do another 30. Then another 30. Tell it more about you and what you’re interested in: “I want to make some of our content specific to schools when I go to the BETT show in January; incorporate that.” “Make it a week by week calendar starting from...”

And now you have that new-year-fresh-start planning glow!

2. Create a masterpiece

You could get an AI to write you a novel. Probably in chunks (see above re: AI being lazy AF). But my prediction is you would have two immediate issues: it would be a bad novel, and it won’t be your novel. Depending on your prevailing level of shamelessness, that’s a deal-breaker.

Except… is the real issue that you don’t have the capability to write a novel at all, ever, or that you’re not sure where to start and you can’t find the time to work it all out? Let’s see…

Prompt: Envision yourself as a bestselling author and writing coach. Devise a detailed writing schedule for a 90,000-word novel, accommodating my writing schedule of 1 hour on weekdays and 3 hours on weekends. Include milestones for plot twists, character arcs, and editing stages.

If you have an idea, ask an AI about structuring novels. If you have lots of ideas, ask it which would sell best or get the reviews, or be the most fun to develop. Use Perplexity to do some research.

If your thing is pictures or music or there’s something else you want to try, I reckon the same logic applies and you could make a few prompts to get you on your way to creating an original. Just do one thing for me: be honest and transparent about how and what AI was used for in the making of your masterpiece. Don't wait to be asked.

3. Become an explorer

You’ve heard of Chat GPT, you’ve probably tried it, and it’s a decent place to start if you’re totally new to this caper, but other free gen AI tools deserve a spot in your armoury. Consider these:

• Perplexity – my personal favourite for finding information but also generating summaries that are rooted in attributable facts.

• Grammarly – when you want to polish your writing to perfection.

• Pi – when you want to talk to an AI that feels like it’s listening and helping you create content that’s more personal.

• Mistral – Europe’s leading alternative to Open AI’s offer – and it’s GOOD.

4. Keep on keeping on: Forward planning like a pro

Generative AI can be your ally in project management, streamlining processes, and generating insightful reports. Once all the resolutions are written, the mince pies are gone, you’re on the diet and back at work, this will help:

Prompt: Assume the role of an agile project management expert. Design a 6-month project plan for a new product launch, complete with milestones, deliverables, and team roles.

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And don’t worry. It’s lunar new year soon; we can give this all another go next month if you fall off the wagon.

*This is actually the second thing you should do, if we’re being completely honest. If you haven’t done this before, first go into your settings in Chat GPT, or whatever you’re using, look at your profile and uncheck any box that gives Open AI, or whoever is running that AI, permission to use your data ‘for training’. Training sounds great and we know you like to be helpful, but in this context it means: storing and using everything you enter and get back from this AI tool, now and forever, in any way we see fit. You should also make sure your organisation at large knows to do that and has some kind – any kind – of gen AI usage policy that’s smarter than ‘please don’t use AI’, which is not remotely enforceable. Enquire within if you want more advice or our help with any of that. Or if you want to buy something more secure.

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