Why I started teaching AI at work

Somewhere along the way I became “the AI guy” at work. I didn’t plan it. I just kept building small things that helped, and people started asking how.

That’s when I noticed the real problem wasn’t the tools. It was the first five minutes.

The intimidating part

Most people I work with are sharp. They know their jobs cold. But open a blank AI chat box and a lot of them freeze. What do I type? What if I break something? What if it’s wrong and I don’t notice?

Those are fair questions. Nobody had answered them in plain words.

What we did

So I ran three workshops, about 15 people each. The goal was simple: go from first steps to everyday use.

• Start with a task they already do every week.
• Do it together, live, with real (safe) examples.
• Show where it gets things wrong, on purpose.
• Leave with one thing they’ll actually use tomorrow.

The workshops got people in the door. The 1-on-1 sessions afterward did most of the work. Sitting next to one person, with their own work open, is where it finally clicks.

What I learned

• Start small. One useful win beats a tour of every feature.
• Show the mistakes. People trust a tool more once they’ve seen it fail and know how to catch it.
• Plain words. If I can’t explain it without jargon, I don’t understand it well enough yet.
• A person still says yes. The tool drafts. You check. Then it goes out.

Why I keep doing it

A tool only I can use isn’t worth much. The win is when someone on the team builds their own shortcut and doesn’t need me in the middle.

I’m still figuring out the best way to teach this. Next time I’d spend less time on setup and more time on people’s real work. I’ll write down what changes.