Five simple steps to get started with AI
Gareth Rydon - Co-founder, Friyay.ai
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it's a powerful tool that can transform the way you work and even help you decide what’s for dinner.
Around four in 10 Australians are now using generative AI- a type of AI which creates original content like text, images, video, audio or software code - at home or work. If you’re not one of them, Gareth Rydon , co-founder of generative AI studio Friyay.ai, which creates AI sales agents and advises businesses on integrating AI, says now is the time to begin.
Whether you’re a small business owner looking to compete on a global scale, or an individual aiming to make your daily tasks easier, Gareth has shared five steps to get started.
1. Identify your needs
AI should be your ally, helping to address pain points and improve your productivity, so you can focus on what matters.
Gareth recommends the first step is to ask yourself “What tasks do I not enjoy doing? What things take away from the joy I get from my work?”
For his clients, Gareth says pain points are often things like spending time in unfocussed meetings and then dealing with follow-up tasks. These tasks are great for AI meeting assistants, such as Otter.ai, which Gareth says can put together the agenda and write action items directly from the transcript. You can also ‘chat’ with the assistant to ask for a meeting summary specific to you, saving you from listening to meeting recordings.
Many also struggle with starting a project. “The blank page problem is a great one for tools like ChatGPT, because you ask it for ideas and thoughts on how you might begin,” Gareth says. “You never have to face a blank page again.”
2. Experiment with tools
With so many AI tools available, knowing which will best suit your needs can be tricky. While no one tool will ever be perfect, Gareth suggests experimenting with various options.
What better way to find an AI tool for your task than to ask AI? Gareth suggests asking Perplexity, an AI answer-engine. “Tell Perplexity the big challenges you need support with and ask it to find the top three tools to solve these problems,” Gareth says.
Select free tools, or those with free trial periods, and test them before committing to subscriptions. “Perplexity, ChatGPT and Claude all allow you to create free accounts, which have some limits, but you still get a tremendous value,” Gareth says.
3. Enhance, don’t replace
Remember, AI is a tool to assist you, but it lacks your unique knowledge and skillset. Always check for accuracy and authenticity.
"Just like a lawyer wouldn’t use a para-legal’s work without review, you shouldn’t use AI output without checking. Mistakes happen when people skip this step," Gareth says.
There’s also a risk that as more individuals and brands use AI, audiences are becoming increasingly adept at spotting the telltale signs of AI-generated content, such as images with a similar look and feel, or generic customer-service responses.
Gareth says he avoids this by fine-tuning his prompts (the instructions given to AI models) to incorporate his own unique style and voice.
"Instead of saying to ChatGPT ‘Write my email,’ I’ll say, ‘I want to talk to my client about these things, I want it to be friendly and welcoming and here are some examples of past emails which have worked well’.”
4. Be aware of how your data will be used
With the advent of generative AI tools, a new concern has emerged: is your data being used to train future AI models?
If you don't want conversations, files or photos to be used for this purpose, Gareth says you need to be proactive.
“It’s important to be aware that all of these tools have an option to switch off that feature, for most it is an opt-out feature.” This involves turning off the option of your data being used for training future models in the settings of the tool you’re using.
It’s also a good rule of thumb not to enter confidential data, personal details or proprietary information.
5. Challenge what’s possible
As Gareth explains, “The only limiting factor is the human. If you're experimenting now, you’re already giving yourself a massive competitive advantage.”
For example, a three- or four-person business in country Victoria can compete globally through generative tools.
“These tools can create videos of the owners, rewrite marketing collateral and produce videos of the owners speaking in any language. They can tweak content to fit cultural norms, allowing businesses to set up operations in places like Japan without needing to be native speakers,” Gareth explains.
To begin to understand this potential, Gareth suggests jumping in and using AI for simple tasks at home.
“This evening, take a picture of the inside of your fridge, and ask chat GPT to give you a dinner recipe. You’ll start to see the possibilities and how it can help you!”