LESSON 4: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand what Artificial Intelligence is and how it works at a basic level

• Identify practical ways to use AI tools for personal daily tasks

• Apply AI for increased productivity and effectiveness in their careers

• Understand the concept of prompt engineering and how to use it to get the best results from AI tools

1. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (10 mins)

Definition:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think, learn, and solve problems. It includes technologies like machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and robotics.

Examples of AI in Use:

• Virtual assistants (e.g., Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa)

• Chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT)

• Smart recommendations (e.g., YouTube, Netflix, Amazon)

• AI image generators, voice assistants, etc.

2. AI for Personal Daily Efficiency (15 mins)

How AI Can Help in Daily Life:

• Time Management: AI-powered planners and calendar assistants (e.g., Motion, Reclaim, Notion AI) can schedule tasks, send reminders, and optimize your day.

• Email Writing & Response: Tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly can help draft, edit, and summarize emails.

• Shopping & Budgeting: AI can recommend best deals or manage budgets via apps like Cleo or YNAB with smart analytics.

• Home Assistance: AI can automate home tasks with smart devices (e.g., controlling lights, music, temperature).

• Learning & Personal Growth: Use AI tutors (like ChatGPT, Duolingo’s AI assistant) to learn languages, skills, or explain concepts.

Practical Tip:

Encourage participants to try one AI tool (like a smart to-do list or ChatGPT) to automate a task they do daily.

3. AI for Career and Work Efficiency (20 mins)

Applications of AI in Various Professions:

• Administrative Work: Automate data entry, calendar management, meeting summaries.

• Marketing & Content Creation: Use AI to generate blog posts, ad copies, SEO optimization, and graphics.

• Education & Research: Summarize articles, generate teaching notes, create quizzes and interactive content.

• Customer Service: Deploy chatbots or email automation to handle basic client interactions.

• Design and Tech: Generate UI mockups, write code, debug errors, create 3D models using tools like GitHub Copilot, Midjourney, or Figma AI.

Career Benefits:

• Boosts speed and quality of output

• Reduces repetitive work

• Encourages creative thinking

• Helps in upskilling and staying competitive

4. Introduction to Prompt Engineering (20 mins)

Definition:

Prompt engineering is the practice of crafting inputs (prompts) that guide AI tools (like ChatGPT or image generators) to produce high-quality, relevant results.

Why It’s Important:

• AI’s effectiveness depends on how well you ask or instruct it

• Poor prompts = vague or unusable results

• Good prompts = clear, targeted, creative responses

Basic Principles of Effective Prompts:

1. Be Clear and Specific: Tell the AI exactly what you want

   • Poor: “Write something about marketing.”

   • Better: “Write a short Instagram post promoting a new line of skincare products for young women.”

2. Provide Context: Add background information or your goal

   • “I’m preparing a CV for a customer service role. Help me write a 2-sentence profile summary.”

3. Set the Format or Tone:

   • “Write a friendly, casual email reminding a client about an unpaid invoice.”

4. Use Role Play: Ask the AI to act as a teacher, coach, designer, or expert

   • “Act as a career coach and help me write a professional bio.”

5. Iterate and Refine: Try follow-up prompts or clarify results you want improved

5. Practical Demonstration / Class Activity (10–15 mins)

Suggested Task:

Let participants try writing a prompt based on their profession or a task they perform. Example:

• A teacher writes: “Help me create a 5-question quiz on photosynthesis for Grade 6 students.”

• A business owner writes: “Write a sales pitch for my handmade bag business targeting Instagram users.”

Collect a few and demonstrate how tweaking the prompt can improve the result.

6. Summary & Takeaways (5 mins)

• AI is a powerful personal and career productivity tool

• You don’t need to be a tech expert to use it

• Learn to write better prompts to unlock its full potential

• Start small: use AI to improve one task in your routine

✅ Optional Homework / Practice:

• Choose one AI tool (ChatGPT, Grammarly, Notion AI, or any voice assistant)

• Use it for one task this week (writing, planning, or research)

• Document the experience and share results at the next session