Asking The Right Questions -Al To the Rescue

For many of us in the room today, Artificial Intelligence is something we relate to from the TV show Star Trek, which started in 1966 and had over 12 different series, and still running today.

In recent years, the field of Artificial Intelligence has undergone rapid transformation and Al technologies now work at a far faster pace than human output and can generate a wide range of creative responses, such as text, images, voice and video. The speed at which Al continues to expand is unprecedented. Al has a long history stretching back to the 1950s, with significant milestones nearly every decade. Al is in our phones, cars and even your coffee maker.

As a member of the Baby Boom generation, I wanted to have a better understanding of how to best use this new technology in my day-to-day job and to have the ability to converse with my kids when it comes to new technologies. My goal is to help you understand that Al is a tool designed to assist, not replace, human intelligence. By learning how to ask the right questions, individuals can unlock the full potential of Al in everyday tasks. Now, you may be thinking did I use Al in writing this paper. Yes, I did, at least parts of it. My purpose was to use Al so that we can learn how to be more effective in a business landscape.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept-it's a business essential. I hope this paper will provide practical tips, relatable examples, and reassurance to reduce fear and increase confidence in using Al technologies.

During recent overseas travels', my wife and I happened upon an individual with a PhD in Chemistry who works for a large pharmaceutical company and his thoughts on the future of Al related to cancer research and how to use Al to analyze large quantities of data were exciting and positive. In his mind Al will revolutionize the medical field in the very near future. Yet at the same time he said we will always have to be the final editor of whatever Al brings to us.

So, I came to a question as maybe some of you do too ... eager to harness Al's power, few realize that the secret to unlocking its full potential lies not in the technology itself, but in how you talk to it. The best definition I found was "Prompting is a process to effectively guide generative Al models and control their output to produce desired results".

It's the art of prompting-asking the right questions in the right way-is quickly becoming a core skill. Which I have a long way to go. Whether you're using Al to draft a thank you letter, strategy memos, analyze market trends, summarize financial reports or brainstorm next big product idea, the quality of the input directly shapes the quality of your output. A well-structured prompt reduces ambiguity, saves time by minimizing back-and-forth

clarification, encourages more imaginative or tailored outputs and helps steer the Al toward specific formats, tones or perspectives. We must always verify information provided by Al whenever possible.

Before digging into the prompting of Al, let's look at the latest Al models available to the public. Most notable is OpenAl's ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) Generative means it can create new content, "pre-trained" means it learned from a vast dataset before release, and "Transformer" refers to the specific neural network architecture it uses to understand context and generate human-like text. Claude from Anthropic is not as well-known in the Large Language Model (LLM) space. Their latest Claude Opus 4 is reportedly being the "best coding model in the world". My son Justin, who's in a startup company using Voice Al agent, uses Claude in programing code. Their business model is to use Voice Al to reach out to customers during catastrophic events. I came across a recent article that Anthropic has agreed to a settlement of $1.5 billion dollars with authors who brought a class-action lawsuit against the company for training its models on pirated copies of their work, roughly 500,000 books covered in the suit. As part of the settlement, authors will receive about $3,000 per pirated work. The settlement, reportedly the largest copyright settlement to date and the first involving Al, was announced prior to judicial approval. The settlement has not been approved yet by the judge, leaving open the possibility that the lawsuit could still go to trial.

Google's Gemini incorporates some aspects of reasoning and recently launched a native image editing app. This allows you to edit a photo by telling what you would like to change or add for a unique touch. You can even combine photos to put yourself in a picture with your pet or place you anywhere in the world by changing the background of the photo.

Most Al companies push you toward their smaller Al models if you don't pay for access, and sometimes even if you do. Generally smaller models are much faster to run, slightly less capable, and much cheaper for the Al companies to operate. From a business standpoint Microsoft's Copilot offers many of the features of ChatGPT and is accessible to users through Windows, which allows for greater protection of business information.

Which is what we have at Kent Worldwide.

I wanted to detail the importance and the surprisingly strategic world of Al prompting, offering you a guide to commanding smarter, sharper, and possibly more business-savvy responses from your very own digital assistants. Because let's face it-if you wouldn't give vague instructions to others, why would you do it to Al? Regardless, if you're using Chat GPT, Co-Pilot or others, it's how you ask the question that makes the difference.

You just need to have a curious mind, no different than talking to your neighbor. You might ask them to explain the workings of a piece of equipment, which would be an instructional prompt. Or a conversational prompt asking what Al thinks of a particular item. As an example: I asked Co-Pilot on August 31, as I was working on this presentation. What do you think the success of the Iowa State Football team will be like in 2025? Here's the response...

"Is cautiously optimistic, with several analysts projecting a competitive season in the Big

12." Here's a summary of the key insights:

Projected Success:

•       Win Total Prediction: Most analysts set the expected win total at 6.5 to 8 games, with potential to exceed that if key players stay healthy. The last I checked, they are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12.

•       Big 12 Contender: Iowa State is considered a dark horse for the Big 12 Championship, especially after winning 11 games in 2024 despite major injuries.

Key Strengths

•       Quarterback Rocco Becht: Entering his junior year, Becht has thrown for 6,690 yards and 48 TDs. He's seen as a leader and one of the best QBs in program history

•       Returning Starters: 12 starters return, including a seasoned offensive line with 106 combined starts.

•       Final Score Prediction: Iowa State 24, Iowa 17. With the following comments

o      Iowa State won last year's matchup 20-19 in Iowa City, and analysts expect them to repeat the win at home.

o      The Cyclones are returning key players like QB Rocco Becht and have added strong transfers to their offense and defense.

As we know, the actual score was ISU 16, Iowa 13. Not far off.

Another type of prompt would be a creative prompt, asking to write a poem about clowns at the zoo or an image of cats enjoying the use of Worlds Best Cat Litter, with tag line, which I asked, and it came up with...

Paws Down, The Best Place to Go. The image has cats around the litter box with the words Litterally Purr-feet!

Or, analytical prompts asking to compare the US economies of the 1980's and 2020's.

1980s (which is the year I graduated from Highschool)

•         Inflation peaked at 14.6% in the early 1980's

•          The Federal Reserve, under Paul Volcker, raised interest rates to over 20% to combat inflation.

•          This led to a deep recession but eventually stabilized prices and restored confidence in

monetary policy

2020s

•          Inflation surged post-pandemic, peaking around 9% in 2022.

•          Interest rates rose rapidly but peaked around 5-6.5%, far lower than the 1980s.

•          Causes included COVID-19 stimulus, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages,

rather than oil shocks or wage-price spirals.

You can also ask structured output questions. asking to list pros and cons of electric vehicles.

Pros

•         Environmentally Friendly

•          Lower Operating Costs

•         Quiet and Smooth Ride

•          Government Incentives

•          Energy Efficiency

Cons

•          Limited Range

•         Charging Infrastructure

•         Higher Upfront Cost

•          Battery Degradation

•         Charging Time

Again, think of prompting Al like giving instructions to your capable assistant. Al doesn't think or understand the way humans do. Instead, it generates responses based on patterns of language. When you give an Al a prompt, you're providing instructions that guide its output-whether it's text, code, or an image. Think of it like asking a very advanced autocomplete system to expand on your idea. The Al analyzes billions of language patterns and outputs the most likely response based on the input it receives. The clearer and more thoughtful your request, the letter the outcome. There are some key principles of effective prompting.

I pulled the BRIEF model for Generative Al prompting artical from Drake University it's a quick and easy way to remember when doing a prompt.

B - Background. The more relevant information you can provide, the better the response will be. Or think of it as the mission, who's the audience, what's your goal, what are you after?

R- Role. What role is the model to assume? Teacher, coach, analyst etc.

I  Instructions. You need to give clear instructions which can be simple or complex

E- Examples. It helps to provide an example of the kind of output you want.

F- Format. State how you want the output delivered. Bullet points, short paragraphs etc. BRIEF- Background, Role, Instructions, Examples, Format

So, let's try this out. I asked Co-Pilot the following.

Write a brief letter to my father on the best way to write an Al prompt that is comical and yet detailed enough to understand how to use Al in his day-to-day environment.

Copilot said:

Here's a short, friendly, and slightly humorous letter you could send to your father to help him understand how to write a good Al prompt-especially one that's both useful and a little fun.

Dear Dad,

I hope this note finds you well-and is still not trying to get the TV remote to obey voice commands like it's a golden retriever.

I wanted to share a quick tip about using Al, especially when it comes to writing prompts. Think of it like talking to a very smart assistant who's eager to help but needs clear instructions. The trick is to be BRIEF-literally. That's the model:

B - Background

Start with a little context.

Example: "I'm planning a backyard BBQ for 12 people..."

R-Role

Tell the Al who it should pretend to be.

Example: "You're a grumpy old pitmaster from Texas..."

I- Intent

What do you want it to do?

Example: "...help me plan a menu that'll impress my neighbors and make my brother-in-law jealous."

E- Example Be specific.

Example: "Include ribs, sides, and one dessert. No tofu. Ever."

F-Format

Tell it how you want the answer.

Example: "List it out like a grocery checklist with jokes."

Put it all together, and you get a prompt like:

"You're a grumpy old pitmaster from Texas. I'm planning a backyard BBQ for 12 people and want a menu that'll impress my neighbors and make my brother-in-law jealous. Include ribs, sides, and one dessert. No tofu. Ever. Format it like a grocery checklist with jokes."

Copilot

Here's what that Al prompt would produce-served with a side of smoky sass and Southern charm:

·-· Grumpy Old Pitmaster's BBQ Menu for 12 Hungry Folks (and One Jealous Brother-in-Law)

"If you leave hungry, that's on you."

Main Course: Ribs That'll Make You Cry

•      3 racks of pork ribs - dry rub only. Sauce is for amateurs.

•      1 bottle of bourbon -for themarinade and the chef.

•      Charcoal and wood chips - mesquite preferred. Gas grills are for city folk.

•      Sides That'll Steal the Show

•      Coleslaw- crunchy, tangy, and not drowning in mayo like Aunt Linda's.

•      Baked beans -with bacon, brown sugar, and a hint of regret.

•      Cornbread - sweet, crumbly, and capable of starting family feuds.

•      Potato salad - mustard-based. If you bring the mayo kind, you eat outside.

Dessert: One and Done

•      Peach cobbler- served warm with vanilla ice cream. If you ask for gluten-free, you'll be escorted off the premises.

Shopping List (with Attitude)

•      Pork ribs (3 racks)

•      Bourbon (1 bottle, maybe 2-you know yourself)

•      Mesquite wood chips

•      Cabbage, carrots, vinegar (for slaw)

•      Canned baked beans, bacon, brown sugar

•      Cornmeal, flour, eggs, milk (for cornbread)

•      Potatoes, mustard, pickles

•      Peaches, sugar, cinnamon, pie crust

•      Vanilla ice cream

•      Paper towels (for tears of joy)

Final Note from the Pitmaster:

"If your brother-in-law doesn't cry a little when he tastes these ribs, either he's dead inside or you forgot the bourbon."

Al can be a valuable assistant in planning community events. For example, asking "Give me a checklist for organizing a fall fundraiser" which could yield a comprehensive plan. Al tools will help draft emails, create promotional flyers, manage budgets, and schedule social media posts. These capabilities streamline the planning process and reduce manual effort. By leveraging Al in practical scenarios, individuals can see its utility and feel more confident in integrating it into their workflows.

What about a podcast which is what many of us or at least all our kids listen to rather than mainstream media. How would you create a podcast to promote your company, explain a complex issue/problem or even simply to use to entertain your family on your next holiday trip?

What topics would you choose, whose voice would you use from what perspective would you explore the topic? All of these would provide endless possibilities to have interesting conversations with your family or simply educate yourself about various topics.

Workflow and how to manage your day ... Can you use Al to make your everyday tasks not just easier, but more efficient and allow you to spend more of your time on key priorities and what your main work tasks and skills require. So, you can possibly spend more time with your family or doing hobbies or other interesting activities.

In the end the doors are wide open depending on your creativity. It all can be used as a tool to accelerate knowledge and understanding of complex issues. Similar to what computers and other technologies have offered in the past- think about the first time you might have used an Excel spreadsheet rather than an adding machine or even from our parents' history sing a vacuum instead of a broom - all those technologies seemed foreign and even scary at the time but have provided efficiency and a way of life few could have imagined, except the sci-fi authors who's imaginations might have seemed like a prediction of what we have now.

Al is not magic; it is smart software that responds to well-formed questions. By learning to ask the right questions, individuals can transform Al into powerful allies for solving

problems, generating ideas, managing tasks, and just maybe cure cancer. The key take away is that Al is accessible and beneficial when used thoughtfully. The key is to experiment with Al tools and observe how they can enhance daily activities.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to our discussion.

Rich Dwyer 10-21-2025