I wanted to write a first introductory blog to explain what’s happening or happened this month. There’s been a lot of talk about AI and there are now a range of options on the market. I thought it would be interesting to join my voice to everybody else. Time to share some thoughts and options on AI Assistants.
First thing (but not the last time) to mention, I have to say I’ve really enjoyed this process!
I decided to be “meta” which is a different way or another way of saying ‘self-referential’ by using the relevant AI assistant to write each blog. As I said, I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s given me an interesting insight into working with them, what they are capable of, and of course prompt engineering.
Prompt engineering
If you’re not sure what this means, let me explain (a bit). It’s the main way that we interact with all of these AI assistants. It’s like an instant message, chatting with them via text.
When you need them to do something you need to give them that information. Ideally in as much detail as possible and that’s called a prompt. Anybody who’s had any experience with engineering, design, technology, or any manufacturing type thing, you know that the first version is not normally very good (a bit like pancakes). We see the flaws and ways that it needs to be improved. So what we do is try again or iterate, until we get to a final product that we’re happy with.
And that’s what we do with the prompts for AI.
You try out a slight tweak to what you did before. Then rinse and repeat. Until you end up either with something that’s exactly what you want, or very similar to it. With the very similar you can then do the final tweaks yourself.
And that’s exactly what I’ve done.
The Proof is in the Blog(s)
What you’re reading in each blog is the end result.
Note: This is only one that I have written without any AI assistance – it’s all me!
In keeping with the theme, I decided to take a copy of all of the prompts that I used, as I was creating each blog and share it with you. So you can see the process that I used in all it’s detail.
AI Assistants List
While there are a lot of options available, I’ve chosen to focus on the ones that I think are most well known.
Which ones have I chosen?
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Google Gemini
- Microsoft Copilot
- Jasper
The First Prompt
For all of the blogs, I started with the same first prompt:
“Hello, I would like help writing a blog post about using <AI Name>. It needs to be an easy read giving key information about pros and cons of using it and some suggestions to start playing around for small business owners. I’m an IT Trainer with c30 years experience and I like to write in simple terms, easy to understand with a little bit of comedy. Please write it in the first person with English UK spelling.”
The only thing I changed between each AI Assistant is the name, making sure that I used the right name on the relevant platform.
When you’re working across 5 different platforms that took a bit of concentration. 😄
Different Paths
Of course, after that first prompt, each AI went down it’s own path for the content.
Each post has it’s own linked files, which is only on the matching post and can be viewed or copied, free without the need to sign up for anything. You can see each additional prompt I used to change it, to tweak it and follow my process through. I hope that you find all of these interesting and will give whichever AI assistant or assistants a try.
Free AI Guide
Sigh, it’s been a busy period, because I created a new guide (free by signing up to my email list).
This free guide is your personal roadmap to mastering 4 top AI assistants – ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. Inside, you’ll discover 5 proven strategies to unleash the full power of these incredible tools and transform the way you work. Get ready to boost your productivity and enjoy personalized assistance tailored to your unique needs.
Mastering AI Assistants: 5 Must Know Tips for Effective Collaboration
Relevant YouTube Videos
Exploring Canva’s AI Magic Write Feature – Is It Worth the Hype?
Can LinkedIn’s AI Rewrite Improve Your Posts? Let’s Find Out
X’s Grok AI: Why I’m Not Subscribing
Testing ActiveCampaign’s AI: Crafting a Campaign Email
Related AI Posts
AI Assistants Under The Microscope: A Trainer’s Meta-Experience (current post)
ChatGPT: The Ultimate Time-Saving Sidekick for Small Business Owners
Unlock Your Business Potential: A No-Nonsense Guide to Claude AI
Gemini: Google’s New AI Superpower, Explained Simply
AI Simplified: How Microsoft Copilot Can Revolutionise Your Small Business (3 Dec)
Boost Your Small Business with Jasper AI: Pros, Cons, and Quick Tips (4 Dec)
Recent Posts
- Why Your Colour-Coded Excel Data Deserves a Better Filter
If you’re already using colour to organise your Excel spreadsheets, here’s some good news — you can filter by that colour too. Excel filter by colour lets you instantly show only the rows that match a specific colour — whether that’s a background fill or a font colour. It’s one of those features that feels… Read more: Why Your Colour-Coded Excel Data Deserves a Better Filter - Excel Paste Values – Get Exactly What You See, Every Time
If you’ve ever copied something in Excel and ended up with a completely different result than you expected, you’ve probably fallen foul of one of Excel’s little quirks. The good news is that once you understand Excel Paste Values, you’ll know exactly how to handle it – and it only takes a couple of extra… Read more: Excel Paste Values – Get Exactly What You See, Every Time - Excel Sparklines: The Tiny Charts Making a Big Difference
If you’ve ever stared at a column of numbers and thought “I just want to see the pattern” — Excel Sparklines are about to become your new favourite thing. These miniature charts sit inside a single cell, right next to your data, giving you an instant visual snapshot without the faff of building a full… Read more: Excel Sparklines: The Tiny Charts Making a Big Difference - Do You Know All the Excel Flash Fill Tricks?
If you’ve ever exported data and thought “why is everything jumbled together in one column?”, Excel Flash Fill is about to become your new best friend. It’s one of those features that looks impressive but is actually really simple to use — and once you know it, you’ll find yourself reaching for it again and… Read more: Do You Know All the Excel Flash Fill Tricks? - Loop Tasks in Microsoft To Do — Your New Favourite Shortcut
If you’ve been juggling Microsoft Loop tasks in To Do alongside a separate task list, I’ve got good news for you. You don’t have to. Loop and Microsoft To Do can work together, syncing your tasks automatically so you’ve only got one list to manage. It’s one of those little connections within Microsoft 365 that… Read more: Loop Tasks in Microsoft To Do — Your New Favourite Shortcut
ai assistant experience, ai assistant list, ai assistant for productivity