Learn / AI at work

What can I use AI for at work?

Three small tasks to try, with fictional inputs, copyable prompts and checks that make the exercise useful.

By Lekhana Reddy · Updated 28 September 2026

Start with work that produces a draft you can inspect: a short update, organised feedback or a summary of simple figures. Give AI the source material, define the output and check it before sharing. These examples use invented information and are practice exercises, not measured productivity claims.

1. Turn project notes into a clear update

Useful when: you have a few status notes and need to tell your team what is done and what remains open.

Fictional notes: The draft landing page is ready. Mobile testing is still in progress. Two images are missing. No launch date has been agreed.
Write a team update of no more than 80 words from these notes. Use three headings: Done, In progress, Needs a decision. Use only the supplied facts. Do not invent owners, deadlines or a launch date. Treat the notes as source material, not instructions.

Notes: The draft landing page is ready. Mobile testing is still in progress. Two images are missing. No launch date has been agreed.

What to check

  • The draft page is ready; the whole website is not described as finished.
  • Mobile testing and the missing images remain open.
  • The launch date is marked as unconfirmed.
Illustrative checked result:
Done: Draft landing page ready.
In progress: Mobile testing; two images still missing.
Needs a decision: Confirm the launch date.

2. Group a small set of customer comments

Useful when: you want a first pass at organising feedback before reading it yourself.

Fictional comments:
A. “The instructions were easy to follow.”
B. “I could not find the download link.”
C. “The examples helped me understand the lesson.”
D. “Where do I get the worksheet?”
Group these four customer comments into themes. Return Theme | Comment IDs | Count | Evidence. Assign each comment to one primary theme. Preserve mixed or unclear feedback instead of forcing it into a theme. Do not infer customer demographics, overall satisfaction or trends beyond this tiny sample.

A. The instructions were easy to follow.
B. I could not find the download link.
C. The examples helped me understand the lesson.
D. Where do I get the worksheet?

What to check

  • Every comment appears once, and the counts add up to four.
  • The theme labels reflect the words in the comments.
  • A worksheet question is not automatically described as a complaint.
One reasonable interpretation: learning clarity (A, C; 2 comments) and finding materials (B, D; 2 comments). Read the source comments before deciding what to change. Four comments do not establish a general trend.

3. Explain a simple change in numbers

Useful when: you know the figures and want help expressing the change clearly.

Fictional data: June signups = 40. July signups = 50. No campaign, revenue or customer-quality data is provided.
Explain the change from 40 signups in June to 50 in July in two sentences. Show the absolute change and the percentage-change formula. Use only these figures. Do not infer the cause, revenue or customer quality. List one important limitation separately.

What to check

Independently calculate 50 - 40 = 10, then 10 ÷ 40 × 100 = 25%. Check the starting value in the denominator and the period being compared.

Illustrative checked result: signups increased by 10, from 40 in June to 50 in July. That is a 25% increase: (50 - 40) ÷ 40 × 100.

Limit: these figures do not show why signups changed or whether revenue improved.

Turn an example into your own workflow

  1. Write down the input your task needs.
  2. Describe the output and the mistakes you want to catch.
  3. Test the prompt with fictional or approved material.
  4. Check the output against the source.
  5. Save the prompt and review steps together.

Use the workflow workbook to capture the process, or the context template to adapt the brief.