Target Audience:
- Business owners & entrepreneurs
- Managers & team leads
- Accountants, HR, marketing & operations professionals
- SMEs, startups, microfinance & service businesses
- Professionals with little or no technical background
Course Objective
To equip learners with practical AI skills to automate tasks, improve decision-making, increase efficiency, and boost productivity in everyday business operations.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
- Understand AI in simple business terms
- Identify business tasks suitable for AI
- Use AI tools to improve productivity
- Write effective prompts for business use
- Apply AI ethically and responsibly
- Design simple AI-powered workflows for work
Module 1: AI Fundamentals for Business (No Tech Jargon)
Focus: Understanding AI without fear
- What is Artificial Intelligence?
- What AI can and cannot do
- Types of AI relevant to business:
- Generative AI
- Predictive AI
- Automation tools
- Common myths and misconceptions about AI
- Real business use cases (SMEs & enterprises)
Practical Activity:
Identify 5 tasks in your job or business that consume the most time.
Module 2: AI Tools for Everyday Business Tasks
Focus: Immediate productivity wins
- Overview of popular AI tools:
- ChatGPT / Copilot
- Google Gemini
- Notion AI
- Canva AI
- Using AI for:
- Writing emails, reports, proposals
- Summarizing documents
- Research and idea generation
- Presentations and content creation
Practical Activity:
Use AI to rewrite or improve a real work document.
Module 3: Prompting Skills for Business Professionals
Focus: Getting better results from AI
- What is prompting?
- Anatomy of a good business prompt
- Prompt frameworks for:
- Emails
- Reports
- Marketing content
- Analysis & decision support
- Iterative prompting and refinement
- Avoiding common prompting mistakes
Practical Activity:
Create a prompt library for your role or business.
Module 4: AI for Key Business Functions
Focus: Function-specific applications
- AI for Marketing & Sales
- AI for Accounting & Finance
- AI for HR & Talent Management
- AI for Operations & Customer Service
- AI for Strategy & Decision-Making
Case Studies:
Using AI in microfinance, fintech, retail, and professional services.
Module 5: Automation & Workflow Design
Focus: Working smarter, not harder
- What is automation?
- Identifying repetitive tasks
- No-code automation tools:
- Zapier
- Make
- Microsoft Power Automate
- Designing simple AI-powered workflows
- Integrating AI with existing tools (email, spreadsheets, CRM)
Practical Activity:
Design one automated workflow for a business task.
Module 6: AI for Data, Analysis & Decision Support
Focus: Turning information into insight
- Using AI to analyze documents and data
- AI-assisted forecasting and trend analysis
- Interpreting AI outputs for decision-making
- Limits of AI in business judgment
- Human-in-the-loop decision models
Practical Activity:
Use AI to analyze a small dataset or business scenario.
Module 7: Ethics, Risk & Responsible AI Use
Focus: Using AI safely and professionally
- Data privacy and confidentiality
- Bias and hallucinations
- Ethical use of AI in business
- AI policies for organizations
- Regulatory awareness (high-level)
Practical Activity:
Draft a simple AI usage policy for a business.
Module 8: Capstone Project – AI Productivity Plan
Focus: Practical application
Learners will:
- Identify a productivity challenge
- Select appropriate AI tools
- Design AI-assisted workflows
- Measure time or cost savings
- Present an AI productivity improvement plan
Final Deliverable:
A short AI productivity strategy for a real or hypothetical business.
Assessment & Certification
- Short quizzes
- Practical assignments
- Capstone project
- Certificate upon completion
Tools Learners Will Be Exposed To
- ChatGPT / Copilot / Gemini
- Canva AI
- Google Workspace AI tools
- No-code automation platforms
- Spreadsheet AI features
