AI for business: practical mastery

Use AI tools to research, write, analyse and automate everyday work, with the checks, privacy rules and judgement that make them safe to rely on.

  • Beginner
  • 17 lessons
  • 7 hr 6 min
  • Taught by Skillhancer Labs team

What you'll learn

  • Explain in plain language what large language models can and can't do
  • Write prompts with clear context, examples and constraints, and improve them by iterating
  • Check AI output for errors and invented facts before anyone relies on it
  • Use AI to speed up research, writing, analysis, spreadsheet work and support replies
  • Design an automated workflow with clear triggers, steps and human review points
  • Compare AI tools and their pricing models, including the costs people forget
  • Protect client and personal data, and spot unfair or biased results
  • Write a simple AI use policy, and pitch automation projects honestly

About this course

This course teaches you to use today's AI tools, mainly the large language models behind AI chat assistants, for real business work: research, writing, analysis, spreadsheets, customer support drafts and automated workflows.

It is practical and doesn't depend on any one product. The skills apply whichever assistant or automation platform you use, and they will still apply as those products change. Just as much time goes on judgement: checking outputs, protecting client data, avoiding unfair results, and knowing when not to use AI at all.

You don't need a technical background, only access to an AI chat assistant. Never paste confidential or personal information into any tool while you practise. The final project has you design and document an AI-assisted workflow for a local business, which our staff review.

Course content

5 sections · 17 lessons · 7 hr 6 min in total

Start here: what AI can and can't do2 lessons · 33 min
  1. What today's AI models areArticlePreview14 min
  2. What AI is good at, and where it failsArticleEnroll to open19 min
Prompting and checking the work3 lessons · 1 hr 4 min
  1. Prompting well: context, task and constraintsArticleEnroll to open18 min
  2. Examples, formats and iteratingArticleEnroll to open23 min
  3. Hallucinations and how to verify outputsArticleEnroll to open23 min
Everyday business uses5 lessons · 2 hr 2 min
  1. Research with AIArticleEnroll to open23 min
  2. Writing and editing with AIArticleEnroll to open18 min
  3. Analysing documents and feedbackArticleEnroll to open28 min
  4. Spreadsheets and data with AIArticleEnroll to open29 min
  5. Drafting customer support repliesArticleEnroll to open24 min
Automating workflows3 lessons · 1 hr 37 min
  1. How automated workflows work: triggers, steps and human reviewArticleEnroll to open24 min
  2. Choosing tools and understanding costsArticleEnroll to open24 min
  3. Building a simple AI-assisted workflowArticleEnroll to open49 min
Using and selling AI responsibly4 lessons · 1 hr 50 min
  1. Privacy, confidentiality and client dataArticleEnroll to open24 min
  2. Bias and fairnessArticleEnroll to open23 min
  3. Writing an AI use policy for a small teamArticleEnroll to open34 min
  4. Pitching AI automation projects responsiblyArticleEnroll to open29 min

Projects

Put the course into practice. A member of staff reviews every submission.

Your instructor

ST

Skillhancer Labs team

Written and maintained by the Skillhancer Labs team.

AI for business: practical mastery · Skillhancer Labs