Unlock your productivity boost with GenAI

The other day I wrote about the Harvard research suggesting that AI can improve your productivity in 40% if used properly. Focus on the “if used properly” part, if not it can degrade your performance and on top of that make you look silly. Like any powerful tool, misuse can actually hold you back so here's my playbook for maximising that boost while avoiding the pitfalls:

1. 🤖 Don’t ask AI to do what you don’t know: This is the golden rule of AI use. Those tools are quite handy but not yet 100% accurate. You should leverage AI to automate or at least facilitate what you already mastered so you can quickly generate and validate if its right. Not going to go into detail of how GenAI models work but their job in simple terms is just to predict the next word based on your input and past generated words, when it goes wild we call it ‘hallucinations’. If you have a good knowledge of the question you asked you can use those tools to brainstorm ideas, expand on a topic, consider multiple points of view, assist with decision making, etc. If you ask things you have no clue about its pretty much the same as asking a stranger on the street for directions, you could be lucky and the person point you to the right direction or it could point you to any direction and you only discover its wrong later.
2. 🤖 Think of the use case before using it: AI is not intended to replace your thinking ability. Before throwing AI at everything think about what you expect from it and how you can put it to a good use. Tasks like data analysis, code generation, repetitive processes, etc, are great uses. This frees you up for the high-value work that requires your unique human touch.
3. 🤖 Baby steps: Chances are you are not the next Mark Zuckerberg or Sam Altman so take it easy and don’t rush into full-scale AI adoption. Start with small, focused projects. Test, learn, adapt, and then gradually expand your use of AI tools.
4. 🤖 Practice makes perfect: AI isn't a magic wand; it's a skill to be mastered, and as any other skill you get good by practicing. Someone once told me “if you are not investing at least 30 minutes of your day each day in GenAI tools you are not ready to use it at its full potential”. There is some truth on that, by practicing you understand AI's capabilities, limitations, and how to use it responsibly.
5. 🤖 Set the Rules: If you are using AI tools at work create clear guidelines for AI usage. Define acceptable use cases, data sources, and output verification processes. Think of it as your AI playbook the same way security teams have playbooks for other technologies and procedures, and hopefully one of your set rules is not inputing any business sensitive information into it, unless you want to be the next Samsung in the news.
6. 🤖 Human Supervision: Remember, AI is a tool to enhance your work, not replace it. Always have a human in the loop to check for accuracy, potential biases, and ethical considerations. As said before it can help automate the repetitive part of your work but not matter how simple always verify as it can be unreliable.
7. 🤖 Ethics First: AI should be used for good. Be mindful of potential biases and discrimination. Let's use AI to build a better future.
8. 🤖 Stay Ahead of the Curve: The AI world evolves rapidly. Continuously learn, stay informed, and adapt to new advancements. The evolution of the meme “Will Smith eating spaghetti” is a clear illustration of how fast this technology is evolving.
9. 🤖 Provide clear and complete instructions: GenAI tools generate text based on your input, if your input is vague and lacks detail those tools will try to fill the gaps with their training data. We usually call this filling hallucination when it guess wrong. If you are not sure if you are inputting enough information add a bit more. Some people use full books and thousand word essays as input. Don’t be lazy, better inputs will make better results.

Don't let AI intimidate you. It's time to embrace this tool and explore the possibilities. Start experimenting, learning, and adapting. Remember, the future belongs to those who not only understand AI but know how to wield it responsibly. In the end, AI is like a double-edged sword. Used wisely, it's a productivity powerhouse. Used poorly, it's a recipe for mistakes and missed opportunities.