Insights from the Latest Webcast
Welcome back to The Whittaker Report. This month, I had the pleasure of hosting a webcast titled “Leverage Artificial Intelligence in Economic Development”. We dove into the exciting—and sometimes intimidating—world of AI and explored how it’s shaping the future of economic development. I’m excited to share some of the key takeaways with you today.
One of the first things we touched on was how to craft an effective *Prompt* when working with AI tools. This might seem simple, but there’s actually an art to it. A solid prompt has four essential parts:
- Define the role you want the AI to play. Think of it like asking an expert who you believe would know the answer to your question.
- Clearly outline the task you want the AI to perform.
- Provide any additional context or information that would help the AI generate a better response.
- Lastly, specify the format in which you’d like the answer.
It’s important to remember that AI is, at its core, a predictive tool. It’s essentially guessing what the next word should be based on the prompt and the data it’s been trained on. AI isn’t flawless—it can, and will, make mistakes. That’s why it’s so critical to follow the “trust but verify” approach. Always make sure the AI’s answer makes sense and aligns with your expectations.
During the webcast, we found that most participants were familiar with ChatGPT, and it was the only general AI tool they had used. Many of them identified themselves as novice or intermediate users. This gave us a great foundation for the discussion because, let’s be honest, AI is still new for a lot of people. There’s a learning curve, but the potential is enormous.
One thing we spent time discussing is ethics—something we can’t overlook when talking about AI. Like any powerful tool, AI can be used for both good and harm. It’s up to us to make wise choices about how we apply it. Technology itself isn’t inherently good or bad—it’s what we choose to do with it that matters. This is a conversation we need to keep front and center as AI becomes more integrated into our lives and work.
We also explored the different versions of ChatGPT—whether you’re using GPT-4, 3.5, or the original version. Each one brings its own strengths to the table, depending on your needs. To make it more tangible, we examined a couple of case studies. One involved using Claude.ai to plan a marketing trip, while another looked at how Perplexity.ai can generate a marketing report. These examples showed how AI can assist with real-world tasks, saving time and making processes more efficient.
And that brings us to one of the biggest challenges of implementing AI in an organization: fear. People are understandably worried. Will AI take my job? Will it make me irrelevant? But here’s the thing—AI is just another tool. It’s an “and,” not an “or.” AI can’t replace the creativity, insight, and emotional intelligence that we bring to the table. What it *can* do is make us more productive. In fact, it can increase productivity by as much as 30% simply by saving time on tasks that don’t require as much human input.
One of the key takeaways from the webcast was this: AI isn’t going anywhere. The saying goes, “AI won’t replace you, but someone using AI might.” It’s time to get on board. Learning to work with AI—embracing it as a tool—will help us stay relevant and ahead of the curve.
So, as you think about the future of economic development and how AI might fit into your work, remember: it’s about collaboration, not replacement. Let’s harness the power of AI to make us smarter, more efficient, and more connected.
Thanks for tuning in to The Whittaker Report. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and stay curious about what’s next.