November Question of the Month - Join the conversation and receive a badge [+bonus badge!]

Stephanie_G

I was reading through some of the early responses and found @Will Duplex's response and thought "well, this is exactly how I feel". I'm using it to help automate or create things like formulas in my sheets, etc. I've gotten into using it to support organizing my research and thoughts to support writing or other work, but still learning.

I've also made a point to get to know more people who work directly with AI and that's helped me get more comfortable with it.

virgh

How is AI helping you work smarter, not harder — or how could it help you in the future?

I use the Smartsheet AI tool mostly to generate formulas. I think of it more as a 'wizard' helper (like in old-school 90's software programs).

I believe that a lot of software is using the term "AI" to hype things, and that's creating confusion for my end users.

They don't think about the difference between what I call "software helpers" (these don't scrape the internet for content) and "AI Generative" software that will pull from the web and remix elements to create something new like a digital image.

We need better terminology to distinguish between the different types of "AI" that is being used, but I expect that will happen over time and I just need to be patient about this.

Pam Ferguson

AI is certainly helping me by saving me precious hours in upskilling my Smartsheet licensed users. It helps them build formulas quickly themselves and learn some new skills.

Ryan.Ray

As it relates to Smartsheet, the AI tools to build formulas has saved me a TON of time and avoids having that helper sheet open with all your useful formulas. Has made new builds and formula implementation so much easier and efficient.

Angie Bryant

I have played around with the AI tool and have found it to be a great tool. As someone who is not fluent in the formula lingo of Smartsheet yet, I have found the AI tool to be an invaluable asset in making me look I am. I love how you can just type in what you are wanting it to do and it gives you the suggestions, and generally the top suggestion is the one I want. I will definitely be playing with it more.

Gbur

The first ah-ha moment I had was to condense a review for AirBnB that had a character limit. I thought I was being helpful for other guests, and wrote an extensive review, only to find out after the fact that there was something like a 700 character limit. I was mad, frustrated, and angry. I wasn't going to put any more time into the effort, but I didn't want my attempt wasted. So, I pasted it into ChatGPT and asked it to be condensed to 700 characters. A couple minutes later after a few small edits, my time was no longer in vain.

It can truly be scaffolding, even in the most ordinary of ways, and those small inflection points can be eye opening.

Dakota Haeffner

AI has become a subject of great fascination for me, particularly with the emergence of ChatGPT and its widespread recognition. In my daily work, I have actively explored and utilized various AI tools. One invaluable piece of advice I have received is to 'treat AI as an assistant,' enabling me to save considerable time and effort. By simply instructing it to conduct research, provide step-by-step guidance, or even refine poorly written posts on community boards 😉, AI can be an indispensable resource.

The realm of AI offers an array of tools that cater to diverse needs, and contrary to popular belief, they are not as daunting to program as one might assume. I strongly advocate investing time in acquiring AI skills, as they are projected to generate substantial economic value in the coming years. There are several free courses on Youtube, and certifications you could collect on Cousera or the like.

Looking specifically at Smartsheet's AI tool, it presents great potential in streamlining work processes. It can assist in initiating formulas or offer insightful suggestions based on the data within your sheets, thereby enhancing productivity and decision-making.

However, caution must be exercised when relying solely on AI-generated outputs. It is crucial to review and validate the information provided, as AI may occasionally generate erroneous or misleading content. Proofreading and double-checking the work produced by AI assistants is imperative to ensure accuracy and reliability.

In summary, my deep interest in AI has led me to explore and leverage various tools, revolutionizing the way I work. By treating AI as a trusted assistant, I have witnessed significant time savings and increased efficiency. Embracing AI skills and being mindful of its limitations can undoubtedly pave the way for enhanced productivity and value creation in the future.

Jen Lawson

I've been dabbling in using AI, between Smartsheet and other platforms. It's a great resource when you want to see an idea, or frame, for something you might want to then customize. I've been toying with it, even for things I know- just to compare and see if I can improve on my methods, etc. I love the use of the formula writing, that is my favorite use, for my sheets!

As with all things, moderation!

alyssaw

While I haven't had the opportunity yet to try Smartsheet AI, I have found AI useful in other ways. I'm excited to learn more about how I can take advantage of Smartsheet AI functionality.

My past experience using AI has been to create graphics/logos, and to prepare meeting notes. I have found it to require very specific prompting in order to achieve the desired result, although with time I expect this will get easier from both the end-user perspective and the technology getting more sophisticated.

rshelnutt

I have to admit that I'm a little late to the AI game. I know it is available, but I'm just not comfortable yet trying it out. Since it's this month's topic, I will make it a goal to use it at least once this month.

Ken Armstrong

Teaching others to use the AI has really freed up alot of my time. This takes away most of the formula learning curve and makes those that rely on me to assist them more efficient.

AKnight

AI is like my second brain! I work best by talking through my methods like the "rubber duck method". AI is like the rubber duck that talks back. It helps me get through brain blocks faster than I ever could.

In terms of Smartsheet AI, I would love if Smartsheet AI got better at developing formulas that are not straight forward. When I get a #UNPARSABLE, AI helps a lot with figuring out a syntax error, but outside of that, I would rather go to the community and see what strange solution helped another user and then manipulating it to solve my problem.

Isis Taylor

Currently, AI is helping me work smarter not harder helping me get my formula syntax right. The formula generator is a real game changer for me. I don't always know how to write the formula that I need, but as long as I know how to describe it, the formula generator takes care of the rest and saves me a ton of time.

JHickey

AI is helping me work smarter so that I CAN work harder. Right now, I'm mainly using it to help polish some of my emails. Time spent agonizing over word choice and sentence structure is now used to move on to the next task.

I imagine so many great things that AI will be able to help us with soon. In healthcare, I see it transforming the way patients interact with their providers and staff both leading up to an appointment (Imagine AI contacting you to tell you that your doctor is running 30 minutes behind or that traffic is heavy and that you might want to leave sooner for your CT scan) and after an appointment (AI can simplify and enhance patient communication about medication questions, send a summary of your visit, including useful links).

The future is bright as long as we responsibly develop guidelines and tools for the proper use of AI.

LeslieRN

As a clinical nurse educator, AI has been a real game-changer in my nursing practice. During our healthcare in-services, it helps me quickly access accurate and up-to-date information. Instead of having to spend hours doing research, I can get the answers I need in minutes as long as I can prompt it with my goals. This helps keep me informed and frees up more time to spend with my patients and staff.

I also created a custom GPT to make personalized music playlists for residents in long term care with memory loss. It asks a few questions about music they loved, favorite songs and artists—and then creates playlists or suggests albums and compilations that I can procure that bring back good memories. I designed it to also avoid anything that might make them feel anxious. I also have it specifically suggest free resources if they are available to help reduce costs. Basically, it's a music focused AI resource which has made a noticeable difference in helping residents in long term care feel more at ease and connected through this intervention that are added to their care plans.

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