Using ChatGPT: Staying Ahead in the Age of AI
- Alex Khachaturian
- Sep 5
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 12
OpenAI’s new leadership guide, Staying Ahead in the Age of AI, drops three numbers you can’t ignore: 5.6× growth in frontier-scale model releases since 2022, 280× cheaper to run GPT-class models in just 18 months, and adoption 4× faster than the desktop internet era. Translation: every week you’re not using an AI copilot, your peers, and your competitors, are learning faster than you.
Why this matters: speed compounds. Teams that practice earlier ship cleaner language, tighter decisions, and shorter cycles. Waiting a quarter is like spotting the pace car a lap and hoping to catch up later.
If you’re not using ChatGPT today, you’re already behind.That’s the punchline. It’s also your opening. The cure isn’t a six-month roadmap, it’s starting now with tiny, visible reps that stack.
Where this comes from: the OpenAI guide distills cross-industry lessons into five principles: Align, Activate, Amplify, Accelerate, Govern. What follows is your practical translation, built for technicians, coordinators, managers, and leaders who want receipts, not buzzwords.
Start Now: a 10-Minute Jumpstart (No Approvals Needed)
Pick a live task you’re doing today (customer update, quote, service note, troubleshooting plan).
Paste a sanitized summary into ChatGPT and ask: “Rewrite for a non-technical customer in ≤150 words with clear next steps.”
Show the before/after to one teammate. Ask, “What would make this output usable in our world?” Tweak the prompt together.
Save the win in a shared doc labeled “AI Playbook”, paste the exact prompt and final artifact.
Repeat tomorrow. Ten reps beat zero “strategic explorations.”
When this feels easy, add a second move: “Create a 15-minute decision brief with two options, tradeoffs, and a recommended choice.”
Why Using ChatGPT Is Non-Negotiable
Emails → minutes, not quarters of an hour.
Reports → same-afternoon drafts, not week-long slogs.
Troubleshooting → ranked hypotheses and safe first tests, on demand.
Customer updates → plain language, consistent tone, fewer escalations.
Decision speed → 15-minute briefs that actually get to a choice.
This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about removing friction between your brain and the thing you’re trying to ship.
Align: Show People Why AI Matters (Make the “Why” Public)
People adopt tools when they see how those tools help their work this week.
For Leaders
Tell one story: what you did with AI, what changed, and the artifact (slide, email, paragraph). Then set a visible, near-term goal:
“For the next two weeks, everyone logs 10 ChatGPT touches/day. We’ll share our best win every Friday.”
Post it where everyone can see it.
For Technicians
Do a live side-by-side: write a customer follow-up by hand, then ask ChatGPT to rewrite it in plain language with next steps. Put both versions on screen. Ask, “Which would you rather read?”
For Teams
Adopt a micro-metric: AI touches per week. Don’t gamify; normalize. It’s reps at the plate.
Field Hack: Start each meeting with one “AI win.” Cap it at 30 seconds. Momentum is a habit, not a speech.
Activate: Training Beats Theory (Short, Role-Specific Reps)
No one needs a multi-week course. They need 10–30 minute reps inside real work.
Technician Reps (15–20 minutes)
Troubleshoot Brief: “Given these symptoms, list top 3 likely causes (ranked) and a non-destructive first test for each.”
Service Notes Upgrade: “Rewrite these field notes into a customer-ready summary with actions, parts, and next steps.”
PM Tuning: “Given this equipment and common failures, propose 5 checklist tweaks to reduce repeat calls.”
Coordinator/PM Reps
Customer Update Builder: “Turn this internal status into a 5-sentence update a non-technical customer will read and understand.”
Micro-Quote Scaffold: “Draft a quote ≤180 words with scope, assumptions, exclusions, lead time, and next step.”
Leader Reps
Decision Brief: “Build a 15-minute agenda: problem, two options w/ tradeoffs, recommended choice, owner & deadline.”
Policy Draft: “Write a one-page AI usage guideline for service teams (do/don’t, data handling, escalation).”
Normalization Ritual: Block 30 minutes on the first Friday of each month for “AI Jam Sessions.” Real work only. Everyone posts one artifact + prompt to the hub afterward.
Amplify: Share Wins, Build a Tiny Knowledge Hub
Wins die in silence. Build a small, living system that captures exactly what worked.
Hub: a short Google Doc/Notion page titled “AI Playbook: {Team}”. Sections by role.
Channel: #chatgpt-wins (Slack/Teams). Require a screenshot or pasted result plus the prompt.
Case Template (one page): Situation → Prompt(s) → Result → Time saved → Artifact link.
“Copy, don’t reinvent” rule: Encourage cloning the exact prompt, then tailoring.
Prompt patterns to keep pinned:
“Rewrite for a non-technical customer in ≤150 words; end with two clear next steps.”
“Rank likely root causes with probability (%); list the first safe diagnostic for each.”
“Summarize to 5 bullets with action, owner, and due date.”
“Turn notes into a 15-minute decision brief with two options, tradeoffs, and a recommendation.”
Three good examples beat thirty-five theoretical ones.
Accelerate: Remove Friction, Reward Speed
Adoption stalls when access is unclear or approvals drag.
Fast Access: Issue approved accounts (ChatGPT or your chosen tool). Don’t make people beg.
Pilot Intake: A 1-minute form: problem, outcome, who benefits, time saved if successful. Approve small pilots in-meeting.
Time-to-Production: Track days from idea → pilot → standard work. Put it on your ops dashboard.
AI Champions: One per team to mentor, collect wins, and escalate blockers.
Recognition Loop: Weekly shout-outs for best artifacts. Culture follows recognition.
Real-world accelerators:
A coordinator schedules “quote clinic” twice a week, live drafting with ChatGPT, human edit for tone/legal.
Dispatch posts templated customer updates sourced by AI, checked by a human for accuracy and empathy.
PMs keep a “last best prompt” pinned in the ticket and update it when someone improves it.
Govern: Move Fast, Stay Responsible (Lightweight Guardrails)
Moving fast ≠ pasting anything. Keep governance simple enough to follow and strong enough to protect you.
Data Handling
Never paste PII, sensitive contracts, or confidential financials into public tools.
Do use AI for structure, drafts, brainstorming; review with human judgment.
Rule of Thumb: If you wouldn’t post it on LinkedIn, don’t paste it into ChatGPT.
One-Page Responsible-Use Playbook (Copy This)
Safe to try: drafting, summarizing non-sensitive text, converting jargon to plain language, creating checklists, producing decision briefs.
Needs escalation: anything with customer identifiers, private HR/health data, legal documents, confidential numbers, or proprietary algorithms.
Escalation path: who to ask and when you’ll get an answer (hours, not weeks).
Attribution: You own the words that go to customers. AI is a tool, not an alibi.
Quality Control
Receipts over vibes: keep before/after artifacts.
Source sanity: for critical claims, validate with primary docs.
Versioning: store final outputs in your normal document system—not buried in chat history.
Best Use Cases by Role (Paste This into Your Hub)
Leaders
Draft a vision memo in 15 minutes; refine in 10.
Turn raw notes into a 5-slide deck with executive summary.
Build a one-page AI policy draft; route to legal for tuning.
Prep a 15-minute decision: problem, two options, tradeoffs, recommendation.
Role-model: post your personal AI win weekly.
Technicians
Generate step-by-step job aids.
Translate jargon into a customer-friendly explanation (≤150 words).
Troubleshoot faster: symptoms → likely causes (ranked) → safe first test.
Improve PM checklists: “Suggest 5 steps to reduce repeat calls on [equipment].”
Convert messy field notes into clean service summaries.
Coordinators / PMs / Sales
Draft micro-quotes with scope, assumptions, exclusions, lead time, next step.
Summarize change orders and write a polite nudge email (≤120 words).
Consolidate meeting notes into actions with owners/dates.
Build SOP skeletons from the hub’s best cases.
Starter Prompts (Steal & Edit)
“Rewrite this for a non-technical customer (≤150 words) with two clear next steps.”
“Rank likely root causes (probability %) and give the first non-destructive diagnostic for each.”
“Summarize to 5 bullets with action, owner, due date.”
“Create a 15-minute decision brief: problem, two options with tradeoffs, recommended choice.”
“Draft a micro-quote: scope, assumptions, exclusions, lead time, next step; ≤180 words.”
“Given this PM checklist and common failures, propose 5 improvements to reduce callbacks.”
“Summarize this 8-page document to 5 bullets and 1 decision we need.”
“Write three de-escalation replies for an upset customer (calm, specific, empathetic).”
“Given [equipment] and [symptom], propose a safe test plan and expected signals if healthy vs failing.”
A 14-Day Upgrade Plan (From Zero to Habit)
Days 1–2 - Baseline & Goals
Survey current usage. Pick three high-impact workflows per role.
Publish a visible goal: “10 AI touches/day for the next 10 workdays.”
Spin up the #chatgpt-wins channel and hub shell.
Days 3–5 - Tiny Reps in the Flow
Run two 20-minute reps per role (see Activate).
Post artifacts (before/after) and best prompts to the hub.
Leaders do one 5-minute live demo daily.
Days 6–7 - Pilot → Standard Work
Promote two wins per role into standard work (checklist or template people actually use).
Remove one blocker (access, licensing, approvals).
Recognize early adopters publicly.
Week 2 - Install the Cadence
Open every team meeting with one “AI win.”
Hold one 30-minute “AI Jam Session.”
Post a Friday roundup with three wins (links included).
Re-state the governance rules in one paragraph.
Measure: time saved, errors prevented, decisions accelerated.
By Day 14, you should have 6–12 reproducible patterns, a live hub, and a path to expand without slowing down.
AI Toolbox: Quick Links, Apps & When to Use What
OpenAI Leadership Guide (the source that kicked this off)
Staying Ahead in the Age of AI (PDF) , OpenAI’s leadership playbook:
ChatGPT (OpenAI) - general-purpose copilot for writing, troubleshooting, planning
Claude (Anthropic) - long-context, structured outputs, “Artifacts” workspace
Gemini (Google) - tight Google ecosystem integration
Microsoft Copilot - assistant across Edge + Microsoft 365
Grok (xAI) - real-time search pulse inside X (and standalone)
xAI site: https://x.ai/
About Grok (X help): https://help.x.com/en/using-x/about-grok
Standalone: https://x.ai/grok • Alt domain: https://grok.com/
DeepSeek - cost-efficient, reasoning-forward open challenger
Perplexity - research/answers with citations by default
Meta AI (Llama-powered) - assistant across Meta apps + standalone app
Mistral “Le Chat” - privacy-forward, EU-built assistant
Quick picks by scenario
Writing & day-to-day ops: ChatGPT, Claude
Google-heavy workflows: Gemini
Microsoft 365 shops: Copilot
Real-time pulse: Grok
Research w/ sources: Perplexity
Cost-sensitive experiments: DeepSeek
EU privacy posture: Le Chat
Social/app ecosystem: Meta AI
Recommended Gear
Portable USB-C Monitor (14–16")
Buy it: link
Best for: Running ChatGPT side-by-side with BAS graphics, drawings, or reports.
What you’ll get: A lightweight second screen you can toss in a backpack.
How to use it: Keep ChatGPT on one panel while you work on the other—no app juggling.
Field Tip: Huge upgrade when building quotes or writing customer updates from notes.
Pro Tip: Pair with a short USB-C cable and a foldable stand for stable setups anywhere.
Mechanical Keyboard (Tactile, Low-Noise)
Buy it: [link]
Best for: Long using ChatGPT sessions without finger fatigue.
What you’ll get: Responsive switches, better accuracy, less strain.
How to use it: Map shortcuts for copy/paste and quick prompt edits.
Field Tip: Faster prompts = faster iterations = better results.
Pro Tip: Choose “silent tactile” switches to stay friendly in open offices.
Recommended Books
AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable
Written by: Roman V. Yampolskiy
Best for: Leaders and technicians who want to understand why advanced models can fail in opaque ways, and how to put practical guardrails in place.
What you’ll get: A clear tour of black-box behavior, brittleness, distribution shift, prompt injection, and why post-hoc explanations can mislead.
How to use it: Turn each risk pattern into a one-line rule in your Responsible AI Playbook; add monitoring, human review, and rollback steps for high-stakes outputs.
Field Tip: Tag mission-critical prompts “double-check” so someone verifies against primary data before anything customer-facing goes out.
Pro Tip: Build a simple “Safe to try / Needs escalation” decision tree and pin it next to your
team’s AI Playbook.
Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies
Written by: Nick Bostrom
Best for: Leaders setting long-term strategy and anyone designing governance around increasingly capable systems.
What you’ll get: Scenarios for capability growth and control problems, plus strategy tools (capability control vs. motivational control, multi-agent risks, policy levers).
How to use it: Run a quarterly tabletop exercise, assume model capability jumps; decide what changes in access, audits, and fail-safes before it happens.
Field Tip: Maintain an “AI Risk Register” with owners, due dates, and a simple severity/likelihood score; review it in your ops cadence.
Pro Tip: Pair Bostrom’s big-picture risks with a one-page internal memo that states what your org will not do with LLMs (red lines) and who can approve exceptions.
Final Thoughts
AI won’t replace your team, teams who wield AI well will replace those who don’t. Make the “why” public. Run tiny reps in the flow of real work. Capture wins with receipts. Remove friction so good ideas ship faster. Protect data while you move. Do this for two weeks and you’ll feel the lift; do it for two months and your numbers will show it.
You don’t need a lab. You need a cadence. Start using ChatGPT today, teach others what worked, and keep the wins public.
Start now!
Comments