Introduction to AI & Automation for Small Business Owners

If you have tried ChatGPT but are not really sure what else AI could do for your business, this course will help you make sense of it without the jargon.

Over two days, you’ll use your own business to explore practical AI tools, improve the way you prompt, identify repetitive work and understand where simple automation could make life easier.

We’ll also look at how to use AI ethically and responsibly, including accuracy, confidentiality and keeping human judgement where it matters.

No technical experience needed.
2 days | Introductory offer: £350 per person

Running a small business often means doing a little bit of everything yourself.

Emails. Marketing. Admin. Planning. Customer enquiries. Documents. Follow-ups. Research.

And now it can feel as though you are also expected to somehow become an AI expert.

You don’t need to.

This course has been created for founders and small business owners who want to understand how AI could realistically support their business without becoming overwhelmed by technical language or complicated systems.

You might already use ChatGPT occasionally and feel like you are only scratching the surface.

Or perhaps you have avoided AI because you are not sure what information is safe to put into it, whether you can trust the answers or where it would actually save you any time.

Over two practical days, we’ll work through those questions using your own business.

You’ll learn how to:

• understand what AI can — and cannot — realistically do
• identify tasks where AI could save you time
• communicate with AI more effectively
• create prompts that are useful for your own business
• use AI to support everyday admin, planning and communication
• recognise repetitive work that may be suitable for automation
• understand simple automation without needing to code
• check AI-generated information rather than accepting it automatically
• protect confidential and personal information
• use AI ethically while keeping human judgement involved

We’ll begin by taking away some of the mystery around AI.

You’ll explore what tools such as ChatGPT actually do, where they can be useful and where their limitations sit.

We’ll then make it practical.

Rather than practising with generic examples, you’ll look at your own workload and identify areas where AI could genuinely help.

We’ll work on prompting, improving outputs and using AI for activities such as planning, emails, ideas, customer communication, research, administration and first drafts.

The aim is not to make you a prompt engineer.

It is to help you get better, more useful results without wasting your time.

On Day Two, we’ll look at the work you repeatedly do in your business.

What are you constantly copying, rewriting, chasing, organising, checking or sending?

We’ll explore how AI and simple automation can potentially reduce some of that repetitive work.

You’ll be introduced to basic workflow thinking, so you can begin identifying processes that could be made more efficient without needing to build complicated systems yourself.

We will also spend time looking at responsible AI use.

That includes accuracy, confidentiality, personal information, bias and understanding when a decision still needs a person behind it.

Because using more AI is not automatically the goal.

Using it appropriately is.

This is not two days of watching AI demonstrations.

You’ll use your own business as the case study throughout the course.

You’ll identify the work that is taking up your time, experiment with practical prompts, consider where automation may help and decide where AI would not be appropriate.

By the end of the two days, you’ll create your own:

Rather than leaving thinking:

“I really should start using more AI.”

you should leave knowing:

what you want to use it for, where it could save you time and where you still need a human involved.

You run a small business and keep hearing about AI but are not sure what is genuinely useful.

You have tried ChatGPT but mostly use it for the occasional question or piece of content.

You spend too much time on repetitive admin.

You want to work more efficiently but do not want to learn coding or complicated technology.

You are concerned about confidentiality, accuracy or whether you are using AI appropriately.

Or you simply want somebody to explain AI in a way that actually relates to running a business.

No previous AI or technical experience is required.

You will create practical resources during the two days, including your own:

AI Opportunity List

Reusable prompts

Time Drain Review

Simple workflow ideas

Responsible AI guidelines

90-Day AI Action Plan

So the learning does not end when the course finishes.

Duration: 2 full days
Introductory offer: £350 per person
Level: Beginner
Designed for: Founders, small business owners and sole traders
Technical experience required: None

Bring your laptop if you have one — and bring examples of the jobs in your business that seem to take far longer than they should.

Come with your business. Leave with a practical plan.

Event venue & nearby stays

The Media Centre, Qualia Academy, Huddersfield, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

Get the app →

Discover more events by tag