INSIGHTS
Turning AI Theory into Practice: A Guide to Everyday Integration
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byline by Rob Lowe, an Associate Director with alliantDigital
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In this new era of technology, the dialogue around Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often about its theoretical potential—how it can revolutionize industries, enhance productivity, and even alter the fabric of society. However, for many, these discussions feel abstract, leaving people intrigued but unsure of how to integrate AI into their daily lives effectively.
When I first started exploring AI, I felt completely overwhelmed. The complexity and endless applications seemed insurmountable, and I struggled to see how it could fit into my daily routine.
As I began to experiment and play with AI, my perspective shifted. I discovered that AI could simplify tasks, provide new insights, and ultimately make my life better. This journey of adoption has taught me several valuable lessons, and I’m eager to share these insights, hoping they’ll guide others in harnessing AI’s potential.
AI Synergy: Matching Technology to the Right Tasks
I learned the hard way that AI is not suited for every task. This became clear when I attempted to use AI to draft project update emails, a task that, due to its personalized nature, was more efficiently handled manually. I would prompt the AI to “write me status updates” to send to my boss, but each time I did this, I felt discouraged. It seemed that the 30 seconds spent typing the prompt could be better used to type out what I wanted to say directly. This misstep revealed the importance of selecting appropriate tasks for AI integration.
Eventually, I succeeded in using AI to compile meeting notes and write lengthy emails. For example, after important conversations, I would copy my list-format notes into the AI platform, prompt it to “draft a meeting recap email,” and receive a usable draft with minimal edits. This process, which used to take me 15 minutes per meeting, now takes less than 5 minutes. With an average of 25 meetings per week, this efficiency boost saves me 4 hours weekly, allowing me to provide a higher quality experience to my clients.
Tip for your team: Engage employees in conversations about where AI is most helpful and effective.
Simplify Success: Stick to One Platform
Ease of access is crucial when it comes to adopting AI. Navigating the myriad of platforms initially felt overwhelming and accessing them across different devices took a lot of work. At first, I used an AI platform from my web browser. Then, I tried a new one on a mobile app, and eventually, another option came out with a desktop app. The abundance of platforms and access methods was overwhelming and discouraged me from using them. My solution? Simplify the process.
I decided on a company-approved platform and bookmarked it to minimize the effort required to engage with AI during my busy day. Now, with a simplified way to access one platform across all my devices, I frequently ask it to help reword my writing and generate ideas. This has saved me over 5 hours a week that I previously spent on drafting and ideation.
It’s important to note that even a single platform may have numerous features, but you should focus on the ones most useful to you. Don’t chase every feature on every platform. Instead, find the platform, and the features within that platform, most aligned with your needs and become an expert on it. If any important features are missing, they will eventually show up.
Tip for your team: Standardize on a common, easily accessible platform for everyone.
Tinker Time: Experiment Like a Mad Scientist
Finally, it’s essential to allocate time for experimentation. Dedicating a portion of my week to exploring AI applications with my projects allowed me to identify where AI could offer the most benefit, such as in research and brainstorming activities.
For example, while working on a project that required analyzing dozens of websites and creating a presentation, I used AI to identify key areas of focus. This allowed me to concentrate my efforts on the most relevant topics, leading to more thorough research and a comprehensive, well-thought-out presentation.
Featured Leadership

Madison Nedderman is a dynamic product leader and AI specialist who currently serves as Senior Associate Product Manager at alliantgroup. With a proven track record of driving technological innovation, she has successfully collaborated with over 500 companies across diverse industries, managing nearly $1 million in Generative AI projects within her first year in product management.
As the leader of a Gen AI team, Madison has developed innovative solutions, including a “buddy” AI system that cuts daily operational time by 50% across various organizations. Her expertise encompasses generative AI, predictive analytics, and AI agents, with a strong focus on the AEC, Professional Services, Manufacturing, and Higher Education sectors. Madison holds a STEM MBA from Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business, where she led a patent-pending technology commercialization project. Her blend of technical skills and insights enables her to design user-friendly AI solutions.
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Another example involved using AI to summarize and make arguments based on technical data. In this case, the process was inefficient, taking more time to extract inputs and edit the AI output than to write the summary from scratch. This highlights the need to discern when to improve processes versus relying on AI. While AI sounds promising, human judgment is often still required. In this case, I found that refining the process was more effective than relying solely on AI, emphasizing the importance of efficient workflows alongside technological solutions.
This experience underscored that AI isn’t always the best tool for complex tasks requiring specialized knowledge. While AI can be incredibly valuable, there are situations where traditional methods and change management are more efficient.
Tip for your team: Incentivize and allocate time for staff to experiment with AI and report back with innovative uses.
Ready, Set, Innovate!
The transformation in how I perceive and utilize AI has been remarkable. AI went from being a complex concept to being part of my daily routine. This shift in my life underscored a broader implication for our current technological landscape, where AI’s vast capabilities are a hot topic, yet there still needs to be more understanding and practical application to achieve widespread adoption.
Ultimately, the path to making AI a valuable tool is twofold: making it easily accessible and integrating it thoughtfully into everyday tasks. By focusing on practical, tangible benefits rather than abstract possibilities, AI sheds its image as a complicated novelty, instead emerging as a versatile tool that can address a wide range of needs.
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