Making AI Work for You - Part 2 in the AI at Work Series

AI isn't just another piece of software—it’s an evolving collaborator. The way you interact with it determines how useful it will be. Instead of treating AI like a search engine or calculator, the key is to build a working relationship with it, learning its strengths and weaknesses over time.

This isn’t just a philosophical shift; it’s a practical one. Those who take the time to experiment with AI, refine their prompts, and use it consistently in their work will get far better results than those who treat it as a novelty.

The 10-Hour Rule: Learning AI Like You Would a New Skill
If you’ve dabbled with AI but haven’t found it particularly useful yet, you might just not have used it enough. A common pattern emerges among those who integrate AI effectively into their work: it takes around 10 hours of hands-on use before you really understand what it’s capable of.

That might sound like a lot, but consider:

• The first few interactions often feel underwhelming because you're not sure what to ask.
• AI models respond better when you provide structured prompts and feedback.
• The more you use AI, the more you learn its quirks—what it's great at and where it falls short.
• It’s similar to learning a new software tool or a second language.
• At first, the interface feels clunky, but after consistent use, you develop an intuition for how to get the best results.

Bring AI to Every Task—But in the Right Way
A common mistake is only using AI sporadically—asking it to summarise an article one day, then ignoring it for weeks. The real value comes when you integrate it into your workflow. That doesn’t mean using it for everything, but rather identifying areas where it can genuinely enhance your productivity.

Some practical ways to embed AI into your work:

• Writing and editing: If you’re drafting reports, white papers, or presentations, AI can suggest alternative phrasing, improve structure, and help you break through writer’s block.
  
• Research support: Instead of sifting through dozens of papers manually, you can use AI to summarise key insights, extract themes, and highlight useful references.
  
• Strategic brainstorming: Stuck on a problem? AI can act as a sounding board, offering different perspectives or prompting you to consider alternative approaches.
  
• Data analysis: If your role involves making sense of reports, AI can help identify patterns and correlations faster than manual analysis.
  

The key is to keep AI in the loop and use it iteratively, refining its output rather than expecting a perfect answer the first time.

Giving AI a Personality: Why It Matters
One of the more surprising aspects of working with AI is that the way you interact with it changes the quality of its responses. Many AI models respond better when given a specific persona or role.

For instance, if you ask AI to “act as an industry analyst” or “respond as if you are an experienced editor,” it will adjust its tone and focus accordingly.

This simple trick can significantly improve the relevance of its output.

Even more interesting, research has shown that AI performs better in certain tasks depending on the personality it adopts. In one study, AI answered maths problems more accurately when prompted as a “NASA astronaut navigating turbulence.” That sounds bizarre, but it reflects how AI is designed—it works by predicting the most contextually relevant response, and framing the task in an engaging way often improves its performance.

The Best AI Model? It Depends on Your Needs

If you’re looking to explore AI further, choosing the right model is important.

Each has its own strengths:

• Some models are more conversational and warm—better for brainstorming and creative tasks.
  
• Others are highly structured and efficient—ideal for tasks like coding or data processing.
  
• Some focus on factual accuracy and research support, making them more reliable for summarising information.
  

Understanding these nuances will help you get the best results. The more time you spend with AI, the more you’ll understand how to tailor it to your needs.

Making AI Part of Your Workflow

AI isn’t a one-time tool; it’s a long-term collaborator. The sooner you start experimenting and refining how you use it, the more effective it will be in your work.

The next step? Start small—pick one work-related task where AI could assist, use it consistently for a week, and refine your prompts based on the results. Over time, you’ll develop an instinct for when and how to use it effectively.

In Part 3, we’ll explore how to communicate with AI effectively—going beyond basic prompts to get better, more useful results.