AI workshop: How to playfully discover the potential of generative AI in your company

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An AI workshop helps companies to discover the individual potential of artificial intelligence in a playful and explorative way. The workshop provides the basis for the sustainable integration of generative AI in your company.

An AI workshop is a powerful experiment

From my personal experience as an AI consultant, I know the fascination of many business leaders with the possibilities of artificial intelligence. I also understand the uncertainty about how AI can bring the greatest benefit to their company.

A common concern is the cost factor: the worry that investments in AI technology may cost more than they ultimately bring. This is particularly true for small and medium-sized companies. This is where the idea of the AI workshop comes in - an effective format that I recommend time and again in my consulting work.

The AI workshop is not only a forum for information and learning, but above all a creative and playful space in which employees can experiment together with management. This explorative approach generates valuable ideas and concrete use cases in an open and protected atmosphere as to how generative AI can be used sensibly in the company's process steps.

In these workshops, I experience time and again how initial skepticism and uncertainty grow into deep interest and enthusiasm for the possibilities of AI. Employees from all areas - from production to management - discover together how AI solutions can be individually integrated into their work processes to increase efficiency and create new value.

The key here is to involve the "early adopters" - the AI-savvy employees who act as pioneers and multipliers within the company.

These early adopters help to spread knowledge and enthusiasm for AI throughout the company.

My role as a consultant in the AI workshop is to show participants how they can explore AI in a playful way and tailor the technology to their specific business needs. This not only promotes an understanding of AI, but also creates a practical framework that can then be used to develop feasible AI applications.

What are the goals of an AI workshop?

In AI workshops, I find that participants arrive with different expectations and levels of knowledge. It is therefore important to clearly define and communicate the objectives of an AI workshop in advance.

In the following, I have listed the takeaways from which your company will benefit from an AI workshop:

Build up AI know-how

In the workshop, participants will gain a basic understanding of generative artificial intelligence and its potential. In addition to technical aspects, this also includes an understanding of how AI can be used strategically and operationally in the corporate context.

Finding AI use cases

Difficulty finding appropriate use cases is the biggest bar to adoption for both AI users and nonusers.

Mike Loukides, O'Reilly Media

The workshop serves as a platform to identify specific use cases in which generative AI can most effectively optimize the processes and workflows in your company. This brainstorming should take place in a practical manner based on the individual work processes of your employees and is therefore directly tailored to the needs of the company.

Integrate employees

The active involvement of employees strengthens their commitment to the introduction and use of generative AI. Employees are encouraged to engage with the technology and develop their own ideas for integrating AI into their area of work.

Basis for AI pilot project

A key objective of the AI workshop is to create the basis for the development of an AI pilot project in your company. As an AI consultant, I analyze and evaluate the workshop results in terms of potential business value and feasibility. Based on this thorough analysis, the company management can then make an informed decision as to which of the ideas from the workshop will be implemented as the first pilot project.

An AI workshop that achieves these goals creates a solid foundation for technical implementation and also ensures that the introduction of AI is supported and driven by employees - a key element for the long-term success of AI initiatives in any company.

Who is responsible for conducting an AI workshop?

Responsibilities for artificial intelligence are not yet clearly defined in many small and medium-sized companies. This is partly because AI is a relatively new field and partly because companies often lack experience of which areas are specifically affected by generative AI.

The initiative for conducting an AI workshop can theoretically come from any department and any employee. In practice, however, I have observed that it is most effective when the company leadership or management takes the initiative.

The support of the management level gives the workshop the necessary weight and is particularly important for the effective use of the results. If the management level is clearly behind the implementation of the workshop and ideally also specifies the objectives to be achieved, this creates a solid basis for the success of the workshop.

The participants in an AI workshop should be key stakeholders from every area with an interest in the introduction of AI. This ensures that all relevant perspectives and needs are taken into account. If the workshop is specifically geared towards the needs of a particular area, the key stakeholders from this area should participate.

I also like to integrate colleagues from management into the workshops, even if they are only involved selectively. The presence of management underlines the importance of the workshop and enables direct feedback to be given and a comparison to be made with the company's strategic considerations.

Planning a successful AI workshop

An effective AI workshop requires careful planning and structuring to achieve the best results.

How does this work? In the following steps, I will guide you through the process of the workshop to ensure that your key stakeholders work together seamlessly and that you achieve your goals for the AI workshop:

Preparation

The first step is a good preliminary discussion to clarify the expectations and objectives of the workshop. The workshop organizer and the company management formulate a clear objective.

An example of such a goal could be:

"Identification and evaluation of three use cases with high business value for generative AI in the area of sales/sales."

Implementation

The workshop follows a structured process based on the principles of the Design Thinkings oriented. The process includes:

1. Basics of generative AI: At the beginning of the workshop, I will give a comprehensive overview of the current possibilities and limitations of generative AI. This helps participants to develop a basic understanding of the technology and to assess its potential impact on various business areas.
2. Case studies: Specific practical examples are used to demonstrate how generative AI is already being used successfully in various industries. These case studies illustrate the practical impact of AI on business processes and inspire participants to develop their own ideas.
3. Strengths and weaknesses of generative AI: In this phase, I lead an open discussion in which the participants discuss the strengths, weaknesses and challenges of generative AI. This discussion promotes a deep understanding of the technology, its limitations and its potential applications.
4. Identify AI use cases: Here, participants are encouraged to get creative and identify use cases for AI in their own working environment. This collaborative process makes it possible to generate a wide range of ideas. The relevance for the company is evaluated together.
5. Elaboration of the AI use cases: In this phase, I support the participants in further developing their ideas in groups. The participants formulate concrete use cases for AI in their field. This ensures that the proposed solutions are realistic and feasible.
6. Presentation and evaluation: At the end of the workshop, the participants present their developed AI use cases. These are then jointly evaluated in order to identify the most promising ideas that could move on to the next phase of implementation.

Preparation and analysis of ideas

After the workshop, as an AI consultant, I take on the task of preparing, analyzing and evaluating the ideas collected.

This analysis focuses on the potential business impact, feasibility, data and interface availability as well as measuring success using KPIs.

The results of this analysis offer valuable options for action for company management and decision-makers, as they form the basis for the development of a comprehensive AI strategy for the company.

This structured approach ensures that the AI workshop is not only informative, but also produces real results. The result is recommendations for action tailored to the company.

Challenges and how to overcome them

So everything is easy? In my role as an AI consultant, I regularly encounter challenges in the workshop, three of which I consider to be particularly important. The great thing is that the AI workshop provides a platform where an experienced AI trainer can address these concerns and take them seriously. This makes the start into the future of AI more reliable.

I would like to share with you some tried and tested methods for dealing with the 3 typical challenges:

• Feasibility and complexity of AI: To address concerns about feasibility, I focus on communicating strengths but also weaknesses of generative AI. This makes the technology more tangible and accessible, and the complexity more manageable. I use examples to demonstrate how AI is already being used successfully in similar industries. I emphasize how important it is to start with small, manageable pilot projects is. A pilot project paves the way for larger initiatives and strengthens confidence in the technology.
• Fear of job loss: I take great care to make it clear that AI is primarily intended to support and not replace human labor. Through discussions and examples, I show how generative AI optimizes workflows, allowing employees to focus on more valuable and creative tasks. Commitment from the company management is very important here. The aim is to reduce fears and emphasize the positive aspects of the technology.
• Resistance to change: To counteract resistance, I promote a culture of openness and dialog in the workshop. I encourage participants to express their concerns and ideas openly. The aim is to create a shared vision in which the benefits of AI for the entire company become clear. By actively involving employees in the process, I encourage a positive attitude towards change.

These approaches usually make it possible to effectively address the biggest challenges in the AI workshop. This makes it easier to successfully integrate AI into the company.

Conclusion: AI workshop is the key to successful AI

The playful and explorative nature of AI workshops is a decisive advantage. The workshop allows participants to explore the possibilities of AI without pressure and in a creative environment.

The involvement of all relevant stakeholders, from early adopters to company management, ensures that diverse perspectives are taken into account and realistic, company-specific use cases can be developed.

In my workshops, I experience time and again how this open approach reduces fears, promotes acceptance and generates innovative ideas.

This is a decisive step towards establishing AI not just as a technological possibility, but as an integral part of corporate strategy.

The future of AI in companies is promising. We are only at the beginning of a development in which generative AI will fundamentally change the way we work and create value. Companies that actively shape this change and dedicate themselves to exploring AI will reap the full benefits of this technology.

I would like to encourage you to consider AI workshops and embark on this exciting journey into the future of technology. If you are interested in further advice or in organizing an AI workshop in your company, I am at your disposal.