Introduction
Presenter: Larry Pitts
Session Overview: Introduction to AI assistants, their construction, and effective use cases. This is part of an ongoing series with future sessions planned for intermediate and advanced topics.
Key Concepts
AI Assistants Overview
Virtual agents designed to assist with various tasks using AI technologies.
Capable of interacting in human-like manners, guiding, or teaching.
Understanding Use Cases
Identify tasks that are repetitive or routine.
Consider breaking complex assistants into multiple simpler ones.
Recognize emerging patterns during assistant usage.
Constructing AI Assistants
Preparation: Define the problem and desired outcome.
Prompts: Use clear, concise prompts to guide the AI.
Feedback: Gather feedback to refine and improve the assistant.
Effective Prompting Techniques
Use delimiters to structure complex prompts and reduce misinterpretation.
Provide examples of both good and bad outputs.
Use the "Whoa" method: Who, Outcome, Are you ready?, How.
Automation and Task Management
Automate simple, repetitive tasks to free up time for more valuable work.
Examples include setting reminders, scheduling, and generating reports.
Practical Demonstrations
Creating a Resume Formatting Assistant:
Define the task and provide a template.
Use AI to reformat a resume to match the template.
Generate prompting instructions for repeatable processes.
Building from Scratch:
Use delimiters and pseudo-coding to define rules and instructions.
Start with simple steps and gradually build complexity.
Historical Context
AI assistants have evolved from simple chatbots like Eliza (1966) to modern assistants like Siri and Alexa.
Early assistants were text-based, now they are multimodal, involving voice and context-aware interactions.
Advanced Topics
Future sessions will cover:
Intermediate assistant building with branching logic.
AI agents with autonomy to use assistants as needed.
Automation beyond AI assistants, including tools like Power Automate and Zapier.
Customization and Integration
Assistants can be customized for specific tasks and user preferences.
They can engage with files, plugins, and other tools for enhanced functionality.
Engagement and Feedback
Encourage employee use to drive efficiency and reduce busy work.
Gather user feedback to refine assistant capabilities.
Additional Resources
Upcoming webinars and guides on creating AI assistants.
E-learning resources and one-on-one training sessions available.
Conclusion
AI assistants can significantly enhance productivity by automating routine tasks.
Effective construction and use of AI assistants require clear instructions, feedback, and continuous improvement.
Next Steps
Attend upcoming sessions for deeper insights into AI assistant development.
Explore building your own assistants and share feedback for further refinement.
If you have any questions or need further clarification on any points, please let me know!