He’s also built an approach to AI that is unlike any other – combining AI and personal development, meaning that you train AI in such a way that it knows you better than you know yourself. Specifically, it knows your personality, your language patterns, strengths, weaknesses and ways in which you sabotage your own success.

I have been through his system which identified my personality type, things that set me back and how I think about myself and goals. It is freakishly good at sussing out what makes you “you”.

The idea isn’t just a novelty. Instead, by identifying strengths and weaknesses AI can work out why you might not be getting done the things that you say that you want. It can identify procrastination, indecision, frustration and can calmy and clearly coach you past your own shortcomings.

The attached isn’t for everyone -but if, like me, you’re interesting in working out how AI can be a truly valuable coach and colleague I would recommend it.

Rich is speaking on 16^th April. The link is here:

Rich's call

As a commercial lawyer, contracts take up much of my working day so I made one that can review and mark up commercial agreements. Having run it several times it seems to be very good. Add in any contract (goods, services, saas, software licence, distribution, agency), tell it who you are (buyer/seller/distributor etc) and which jurisdiction you’re in and it’ll do a decent job of reviewing the contract and will produce alternative wording as well.

(Usual disclaimer - it’s, of course no substitute for legal advice).

The agent itself was made on Claude (Cowork) but can be used anywhere (essential for clients of mine that can only use Microsoft co-pilot or Legora or a similar system at their place of work) and particularly useful since contracts by their very nature are typically confidential and may contain personal data.

The agent consists of a series of files of software that work together, providing context, process, an example and its own quality control process (to ensure that the Agent stays on track). Having learned the system, anyone could create an agent like this, which carries out the work unsupervised and could work overnight to (for instance) clear a backlog of agreements should it need to. I know some in-house lawyers who would be grateful of something like this.

Below you can see what it does (as described by itself), what the inputs are, what it creates and how it works. Others in my cohort created landing page creators, dashboards, apps and tools related to their various areas of work.

Over the next few days we’re covering best practice for quality control, creating continuous improvement loops, creation of multiple paralell agents, agent swarms, orchestration and self-governance, which will be fun.

Subscribe now

If you’d like to see this in action and to see how I made it (so you can do the same) drop me a line and I’d be glad to share both with you. The first iteration of this was good but wouldn't produce alternative wording, but the second iteration was considerably better and so far has done a good job of contracts that I have given it.

Note - for any clients reading this, I haven’t used this tool for any client work and if I do in the future, will always disclose what I’m doing, will reflect that in the invoice, and will be fully responsible (as required by the SRA) for ensuring the end result is fit for purpose.

Unlike a purchased agent, or something like Openclaw - the agent only receives the information you give it, sits on your system (so if you have a secure in house solution it can sit on that) and of course - if you’ve set up the rules you can also make sure it follows your own company policies, signing policies etc.

If there’s enough interest I’ll run a workshop showing how you can do this for yourself and why you might want to. Let me know and I’ll get that set up.

In the meantime you can get started learning about and using AI, entirely free at this link

A decision every lawyer makes early on in their career is whether to be a litigator (someone who fights claims) or a transactional lawyer (someone who negotiates agreements). I have never wanted to be a litigator.

I have a working theory that the best litigators have same-sex siblings. That’s because the entire process of litigation seems to me to consist of convincing a parental figure (the Judge) that your actions are reasonable whilst your opponents are entirely unjustified. Those who enjoy litigation appear to relish competition and are unfazed by conflict.

I don’t enjoy it. So, since qualifying as a lawyer, I don’t do it. Like most of us I’d rather not be sued. But if I was I’d at least know how to defend myself in law, how to assess my risks of success, before passing it on to someone who enjoys the fight.

Being sued can be an intimidating and stressful experience for anyone and an expensive distraction better avoided. Wouldn’t it be good to get a view from someone who’s done that before. Ideally a lawyer?

You should definitely seek legal advice. AI is no substitute for that. But in the meantime, at least for the comfort of a second opinion you might consider asking AI. To help you ask the right questions however (and take you through a process of uncovering an answer this Litigation Strategy Advisor can give an idea of what you might consider doing.

Here's the tool

I’ll say it again for anyone who missed it - this isn’t legal advice. The AI has neither legal knowledge nor the aggressive sibling rivalry of a good litigator, but this tool should at least ask sensible questions and you may find it useful - let me know what you think.

Having spent quite a bit of time learning to get good results from prompts in Large Language Models I was introduced recently to “Vibe Coding” - using a platform that creates a result from simpler prompts and coverts directly into code.

This weekend the platform Loveable had an offer on, making all projects free so I thought I’d give it a try.

This tool (for reviewing contracts and producing a red/amber/green review and suggestions) took all of 20 minutes to create. It is simple, has no context, no legal direction from me, no examples and I do not know where the data is stored (so must not be used for anything confidential or containing personal data)

But if you’re signing up to generic SAAS terms and conditions and want a quick view as to what to question, then this might be a very rough starting point. As to what to change and how - you likely need a lawyer for that.

Here's the contract review tool

Note - it didn’t require any legal knowledge to build it an is a curiosity, definitely not reliable nor legal advice.

I haven’t really worked out what the advantage is over creating a GPT in OpenAI itself (or a Gem in Gemini or using co-pilot Studio), but perhaps that is because this is a simple tool and there are variations that I could make, new functionality perhaps that would make vibe coding different to creating something in the LLM itself.

I’d be interested in knowing what other people have found. Is there an advantage to Vibe Coding compared to simply creating tools in the LLM itself? (perhaps that the user isn’t required to have an account with the same LLM?)

The problem with learning how to master generative AI is, like so many other worthwhile ventures, it takes time, and experimentation before you get useful results.

Typically longer than you might think.

There are of course some “quick wins” that you can get along the way (using ready-made prompts or using an existing AI tool designed for a particular purpose) - but that’s the “fast food” of AI learning. You’re getting a result but you’re not really learning anything by doing it.

What you could really use is structured learning in manageable steps AND also quick results. That’s what the AI Leaders MBA is all about.

Over the course of 8 weeks you’ll go through a structured programme that takes you through a series of steps to building tools that get consistent results in your role.

In the meantime you’ll get over 3200 workflows ready made in six different areas - strategy, marketing, HR, operations, sales, product and innovation. These are ready to go, draw on some of best minds in each of those areas and can be used on any large language model (so it doesn’t matter if your business is restricted to Microsoft Co-pilot, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude or another product, these will work regardless of the tool).

The tools give instant results and a demonstration of what’s possible, whilst the training, aimed at complete beginners, takes you through a series of “belts” (from White to Black) that help you master the skills needed to use AI in any role.

“Give a man a fish (the saying goes) and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime”

With this MBA programme you get both - the best fishing advice, cooking advice and enough ready made meals to for everyone in your business. (Have I pushed the analogy too far?).

And the best part - you don’t have to take my word for it. You can try it for free.

There is a “Mini MBA” of 9 workflows (and a related certification) that you can get and keep when you sign up below. No charge - test it & if you find the process useful. You’ll also get a 30 day trial (no commitment, no payment needed) of both:

• Our 8 week Blackbelt training - showing you how to build workflows; and

• Our full AI MBA of workflows in every area of your business.

And you can share all of the above with everyone in your business (so you can trial it as a group if you would like).

At the end of the 30 day trial you get to keep the Mini MBA and one person in the business keeps the 8 week training.

If you’d like the full MBA for everyone in the business then it’s only US$999 - approximately £750 sterling for access for everyone in the business.

I’ve been through this training myself and I think it’s the most comprehensive and useful-in-real life work.

You can start for free here:

AI Leaders MBA

Or drop me a line and I’d be glad to talk through what sorts of things I’m using it for.

Today I made a GPT that can write articles. I know what you’re thinking (“…yawn, big deal, ChatGPT can do that with a simple “write me an article about…” instruction).

But here’s the thing - whilst you could do that, the output isn’t likely to be very good.

Even if you’ve added a “You’re an experienced article writer” (or similar wording) at the start of the prompt, the AI is trying to do an entire process in one go.

One way of making AI work smarter is by breaking down the process and making sure that each step of the process is given as much care and thought as the previous part.

So when creating this GPT I first got it to create the template output and then break down the individual actions that would go into writing the article, so:

1. Researching the information

2. Creating a title

3. Creating an opening paragraph

4. Coming up with actionable advice

5. Having a conclusion

6. Edit the article to make it better

7. Creating Keywords.

Having broken down each part I was able to give more context:

1. The information should be researched from reliable sources (giving examples of established publications) and should include facts that can be verified, so the source should be provided.

2. I want a catchy title than doesn’t look like clickbait and is based on the substance of the article

3. I want the opening paragraph to take a view (not some vague “on the one hand, on the other hand” prevarication that looks like a lawyer wrote it…). I’d like to check it before the rest of article is written.

4. Actionable advice is what I read any article for, so I want this to be succinct, with a conclusion that makes sense.

5. And because any first draft can almost always be made better by editing (including editing by the same AI that wrote it) I want the AI to do that too.

Keywords are usually obvious, but it would be good to have these.

By breaking down the parts and adding context to each bit I was able to create a tool that takes each step one by one and also takes care with each step. This was a longer prompt to write but the end product should hopefully be a tool that produces consistent results.

The same process (of breaking down an individual process, or “workflow” into its constituent parts) can be applied to any business process. I put this together live on a workshop where others created tools relevant to their own businesses - whether that was onboarding customers, providing customer support or marketing outreach.

If you’d like to break down the process of creating workflows for your business I’d be delighted to help. Do drop me a line.

Meanwhile you might want to start here:

Also you can try the tool out for yourself here.

Yesterday I went for a run around my local area whilst listening to the audiobook “Find your Why” by Simon Sinek.

(….And if you can find a more succinct description of a man going through a mid-life crisis please do let me know)

In the book one phrase that was used repeatedly was that of a “People-First” business, which stood in clear contrast to a phrase I’m seeing in linkedin posts and company adverts about being “AI-first”.

“AI-First” typically refers the “What” a company does - ie if there’s a particular task that needs doing, before getting someone in to do the task, first use AI to attempt it. (Not a bad methodology but you do still need someone who can tell if the output is any good…)

By contrast Simon Sinek’s methodology is to work out the “Why” (what motivates) every individual (so that they have their own “why” statement about what their overall life purpose is) based upon stories that have shaped them. This purpose then gives clarity for future life decisions. The same thing can be done collectively for an organisation - resulting in a more engaged workforce, focussed on a common goal and working together rather than in their own separate teams or roles.

But the process involves asking and answering a series of questions - which is best suited to a workshop or at the very least a period of self-reflection with a notebook, not running up a hill and out of breath. So when I got home I created a tool that does exactly that - runs through the lessons from the book to help me & my team to create a “why” statement.

By all means try it for yourself too.

Why finder tool

Also - if you’s like to learn how to create tools like this for yourself please do let me know. I run workshops that help you to use AI to get useful things done.

Whatever stage in life you’re at you’re going to want to build a passive income - in other words a way of making money without actually actively striving for it. This has only become more apparent the closer to retirement I get.

As Warren Buffett once said - “if you don’t find a way to make money whilst you sleep you will work until you die”. (Happy thought!…)

It’s something that I have been aware of having first read Robert Kiyosaki’s book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”. (I did go on to read almost all of the rest, but whilst the first was genuinely thought-provoking and “Cashflow Quadrant” and “Retire Rich, Retire Young” both continued the theme - by the time you reach the fifth or sixth book you realise that you’re reading almost the exact same book - but with the chapters in a different order!)

It wouldn’t take much scrolling through YouTube to realise that there are multiple different ways to create a passive income stream, whether through property, shares, options trading, online marketing or acquiring an existing business. All have pros and cons. None are entirely passive (they all need some work to set up and run at the very least) and they are certainly not all for everyone.

Rather than stumble from one idea to another however, trying to work out which ones work (ask me some time about my failed e-commerce ventures..), wouldn’t it be good if you could create a plan that worked according to your own skills and preferences and which you could tailor to suit the amount of time that you have available?

That’s what this GPT does - asks questions then suggests a passive income plan based on what you’re good at.

There’s no upsell, no course to follow, no running to the back of the room to pay an exorbitant amount for motivational speeches. This is yours to use if you want to, and to recreate if you don’t like the first suggestion. (Note - this is AI, not a financial advisor, nor even a sentient human - you shouldn’t trust anything it comes up with is financial, legal or any sort of advice, but it might give you some decent ideas to start from).

See what you think and, if you like this sort of thing please do subscribe. I use AI to create things that I see are useful and post every so often. This blog, sadly is not a passive income stream for me but rather a passion project - so all posts are free and hopefully (surprisingly) useful.

The Passive Income Planning tool is here (it opens in Chat GPT):

Passive Income Planner

Good luck & speak soon!

Richard

One long running TV series in the UK is called the “Antiques Roadshow” which involves experts in different types of antiques (art, ceramics, paintings, cutlery) travelling the country (typically to a large country house) and inviting people to come to see them to find out more about the things they own.

There’s something delightfully British about the whole thing. People queue - in long lines - holding on to their various items.

Then when they see the expert everyone pretends not to be interested in the valuation itself - but rather about who made it, when and what it was used for. Only at the end of a long explanation and a suitable pause will the expert ask “would you like to know how much its worth?” - whilst the owner prepares to look shocked for the cameras.

If you actually need to find a valuation for something though it can be a tedious process trying to find out prices online. Having to wade through model numbers, descriptions and having to guess the age and condition of items.

Wouldn’t it be useful if an AI assistant could just ask the questions that it needed, look up the answer and come back with a price? (Ideally with the relevant sources as well so you could check for yourself and set up a sale if needed)

That’s what this tool is designed to do. After asking a few questions about the item (you can upload a photo if you choose) it will go and search on the web and find one or more prices and provide the evidence. It might even give you the story behind if its interesting - but if you just want the price, that’s fine too. No judgement from this AI tool. Have a try and let me know what you think!

Try it here

And if you like it you can always subscribe. I’ll be looking out for use cases like this every week.

Subscribe now

Would it be useful if you could use AI to help you to eat better? To plan recipes that actually helped you to increase your energy, improve your mood & help you to get to your fitness and weight goals?

Before diving in, I want to emphasize that I’m no nutrition expert. My goal here is to outline a process to extract the best insights from leading authorities in nutrition and tailor them to your everyday life. I have set out the prompts that you can use so that you can tailor them to your needs and do this for yourself.

This idea started as a personal project. Like many parents, my diet shifted over time to accommodate what my kids prefer: pasta, chips, and convenience foods. I wanted to reclaim healthier eating habits for myself. The process was also inspired by Brian Johnson of Heroic—a fantastic personal development resource that has kicked me into action to eat better than I had been.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Identify Nutrition Experts

The first step is to find credible experts in nutrition. My personal goal is to feel fitter and more energized, so I sought out general nutrition advice. If your goals differ—such as weight loss or managing a specific dietary restriction—you might adjust the following prompts.

Prompt 1

Who are the five most well-known experts in nutrition who can help me eat more healthily? Please provide their names and a short summary of their teachings.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Dr. Michael Greger

   • Advocates a whole-food, plant-based diet to prevent chronic diseases.

   • Founder of NutritionFacts.org.

   • Author of How Not to Die and How Not to Diet.

2. Dr. Joel Fuhrman

   • Promotes a nutrient-dense, plant-rich diet.

   • Focuses on greens, beans, berries, and seeds.

   • Author of Eat to Live and The End of Diabetes.

3. Dr. Megan Rossi

   • Specializes in gut health.

   • Encourages diverse plant-based diets to support the microbiome.

   • Author of Eat Yourself Healthy.

4. Dr. Andrew Jenkinson

   • Examines metabolism and weight regulation.

   • Highlights sustainable weight loss strategies.

   • Author of Why We Eat (Too Much).

5. Professor Tim Spector

   • Advocates for personalized nutrition and gut health.

   • Author of The Diet Myth and Spoon-Fed.

Step 2: Look for Common Ground

To synthesize their teachings and make sure I’m not following the advice of one radical nutcase (with all due respect to all five of them - since I haven’t heard of them before I don’t know whether any of them are controversial), I asked AI for common principles among these experts - so as to reach a consensus.

Prompt 2

What do these teachings have in common?

Here’s the consensus:

• Whole, Unprocessed Foods: Focus on fresh vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains.

• Personalized Nutrition: Tailor your diet to your body’s needs.

• Nutrient Density: Choose foods rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

• Avoid Inflammatory Foods: Limit refined sugars, processed oils, and additives.

• Connection Between Diet and Health: Emphasize how diet impacts physical and mental well-being.

Step 3: Applying That Expert Advice

With these principles in mind, I tailored prompts to help incorporate these insights into daily life.

Prompt 3

How can you help me incorporate these suggestions into my daily routine? Please provide five actionable prompts.

Here are the five prompts that were returned:

1. Personalized Meal Planning
   “Using principles of whole, nutrient-dense foods, create a weekly meal plan tailored to my preferences for chicken, fish, and vegetables. Include quick-to-prepare options for my running routine.”

2. Identify and Replace Inflammatory Foods
   “Analyze my current diet and suggest healthier alternatives to any processed or inflammatory foods.”

3. Support Gut Health
   “Recommend ways to add gut-friendly foods like probiotics and prebiotics into my meals. Include specific recipes.”

4. Sustainable Eating
   “Design a grocery list of sustainable, ethically sourced foods to reduce waste and improve health.”

5. Track Progress
   “Create a daily journal template to monitor changes in energy, digestion, and mood as I implement these strategies.”

Step 4: Recipes Tailored for You

Now comes the practical part—what to buy and cook. I asked AI to generate quick, healthy recipes based on the above prompts.

Prompt 4

Provide five recipes that:

• Can be cooked in 20 minutes or less.

• Use ingredients available in UK supermarkets.

• Focus on whole foods, nutrient density, and gut health.

Here are the results:

Recipe 1: Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

• 4 cups mixed salad greens

• 1/2 cucumber (sliced)

• 1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

• 10 cherry tomatoes (halved)

• 50g feta cheese (crumbled)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and oregano.

2. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until fully cooked.

3. Toss salad greens, cucumber, onion, and tomatoes in a bowl.

4. Slice chicken and arrange on top of the salad. Sprinkle with feta and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Recipe 2: Salmon and Avocado Rice Bowl

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets

• 1 cup microwaveable brown rice

• 1 avocado (sliced)

• 1/2 cup edamame (shelled, frozen)

• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

• 1 spring onion (sliced)

Instructions:

1. Cook salmon fillets in a non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes per side.

2. Microwave rice and edamame as per package instructions.

3. Assemble the bowl with rice, salmon, avocado, and edamame. Drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil, then garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion.

Recipe 3: Veggie-Packed Egg Scramble

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 cup spinach

• 1/2 cup mushrooms (sliced)

• 1/4 red bell pepper (diced)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms, bell pepper, and spinach for 3-4 minutes.

2. Beat eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper, then pour into the pan.

3. Cook and scramble gently until eggs are set. Serve immediately.

Recipe 4: Lentil and Tomato Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 can (400g) lentils (drained and rinsed)

• 1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes

• 1 small onion (diced)

• 2 garlic cloves (minced)

• 2 cups vegetable stock

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add chopped tomatoes, lentils, stock, and paprika. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Blend half the soup for a creamy texture or leave chunky. Season to taste.

Recipe 5: Quick Cod with Steamed Vegetables

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 2 cod fillets

• 1 lemon (sliced)

• 1 cup broccoli florets

• 1 cup green beans

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place cod fillets on a baking tray, season with salt, pepper, and lemon slices. Drizzle with olive oil.

2. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.

3. Steam broccoli and green beans in a microwave steamer or on the hob for 5-7 minutes. Serve alongside the cod.

Shopping List:

• Proteins: Chicken breasts, salmon fillets, eggs, cod fillets

• Vegetables: Mixed salad greens, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, red bell pepper, broccoli, green beans

• Carbs: Microwaveable brown rice, lentils (canned)

• Condiments: Balsamic vinegar, soy sauce/tamari, sesame oil

• Pantry Items: Feta cheese, avocado, edamame (frozen), chopped tomatoes (canned), vegetable stock

• Seasonings: Oregano, smoked paprika, sesame seeds, spring onion, lemon

1. Mediterranean Salmon Salad

   • Ingredients: Salmon fillets, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, lemon, olive oil.

   • Instructions: Pan-sear salmon, assemble salad, drizzle with lemon and olive oil.

2. Vegetable Stir-Fry with Tofu

   • Ingredients: Firm tofu, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic.

   • Instructions: Stir-fry vegetables and tofu with seasoning.

3. Chicken and Quinoa Bowl

   • Ingredients: Chicken breast, quinoa, avocado, spinach, cherry tomatoes, lime, olive oil.

   • Instructions: Grill chicken, cook quinoa, and combine with fresh toppings.

4. Miso Soup with Veggies

   • Ingredients: Miso paste, tofu, seaweed, mushrooms, spinach, spring onions.

   • Instructions: Simmer all ingredients in water until hot.

5. Berry and Yoghurt Parfait

   • Ingredients: Greek yoghurt, mixed berries, granola, honey.

   • Instructions: Layer yoghurt, berries, and granola in a glass.

Final Thoughts

This process has been a revelation for me, helping to align my diet with my energy and fitness goals. The key takeaway? Nutrition is deeply personal, and AI can help you leverage expert knowledge to create a plan that works for your unique lifestyle.

Feel free to tweak the prompts and recipes to suit your needs. Let me know how it works for you!

Notes

• Find the recipes and and additional resources linked below.

• Check out Brian Johnson’s Heroic for personal development insights around nutrition and generally living a healthier lifestyle.

Happy eating. Did you find this useful? Will you use it yourself? Please do let me know. You can also listen to this episode as a podcast here.

Subscribe now

Even without AI, business owners can use the principles from the book to enhance decision-making. They can learn to (for instance):

1. Challenge Intuition: Avoid relying on gut instincts (System 1) for critical decisions; adopt deliberate, analytical thinking (System 2).

2. Recognise Biases: Be mindful of common cognitive biases such as overconfidence, anchoring, and loss aversion that can distort judgement.

3. Prioritise Evidence: Base decisions on data and thorough research rather than assumptions or first impressions.

4. Encourage Critical Thinking: Foster a culture where teams question assumptions and explore alternative perspectives.

5. Simplify Complex Decisions: Break decisions into smaller steps to prevent being overwhelmed by complexity.

An advantage of using AI however is that you don’t need to carry with you the concepts from the book as abstract notions that you’ll use for a future problem (like a hammer looking for a nail).

Instead, since AI can immediately apply the principles to a problem in real life you can ask AI to apply the principles from the book to the very next important decision you have to make.

The decision will still be yours - but by applying the science-backed principles from the book to the detail of your decision (as you describe it to AI) you can finally make sure you’re putting some of the best, thought through research to work in the decisions that matter to you.

To try this for yourself try the AI tools for this book (and others like it) for free at this link:

See those Here

This is how you make AI into something (Surprisingly) useful- by applying proven human research to real world problems.

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So you know you need to set goals for the next year. Maybe you have a vision of the future that you want to work towards in your personal life (or maybe - more cynically - you have an appraisal and you have to set your next work objectives as part of that process!).

Either way AI can help.

Give this tool your vision for a brighter future - whether that’s in 5 years time, over the next month or the next 24 hours - this will break that goal down into manageable steps. And it will do so without judgement - so for this exercise you can describe what you really want - not what you think other people would like to hear!

This can help get take steps towards your partially-formed, blurry, un-focussed idea of what you’d like for your life and this will set out the steps to get there.

Careful - you might just get what you want! (And what you choose to disclose in your work appraisal - well that’s entirely up to you)

You can get the tool here:

Get the tool

Meanwhile if you’d like to learn to make tools like this for yourself - the place to go is right here - you can start with this free training:

Show me how to do this myself

“So why should I buy from you? What makes you different from every other [insert service] provider out there?

If you don’t have an answer to that question before the pitch - a genuine one that both you and your prospect believe then you’ve still got some preparation to do.

Fortunately there is an AI tool can help. By asking questions about your business and its people it can help you focus on what is genuinely unique about your business.

You can find it (for free) here:

3 Uniques (requries sign in)

And if you’d like to learn how to create tools like this specifically for the purpose of applying them to your work or your business you can get help on that (and a free online masterclass) - here:

Set up free account

So this weekend a US presidential candidate pulled out of the race because his party thought he could not win.

In business you're facing competition constantly and so you need to have worked out what your competitive advantage is if you've any chance of continuing in business long term

Here AI can help - both generally (of course AI can help you be more productive, more creative and, as a result become a more agile business)

But also - specifically - there is a GPT based on the book "Playing to Win" that you can use to determine the competitive advantage that your business has.

Subscribe now

The tool asks a series of questions about your business, your goals, your products and how you win business before creating a SWOT analysis and suggesting next actions for you based on the book

You can find that tool for free here (opens a link in Chat GPT)

Meanwhile if you’d like to explore more tools like this you can do that (again - for free), with new tools released every week - here.

Get the tool

One of the tasks of an in-house lawyer is to keep the business informed of changes in law. More significantly - in house counsel are required to work out how those changes will affect the business, to get a plan in place to deal with them and have a strategy to respond.

It’s a big ask. Regulation can come from a lot of directions - from government, regulators, from changes in case law - how do you keep on top of it all ? And how do you work out what matters?

Here, fortunately AI can help. Attached are a set of prompts that can help any in house lawyer to identify and understand the legislation, to work out how it will affect their business and to communicate it to the business in a way that the business understands.

They were created using a series of questions to Chat GPT following a set process and work better the more context that you give - but can be used on any Large Language Model (LLM) that is up to date. As always - I can’t give any promises as to the results & you’ll want to check these for yourself, but the results should make it easy enough to do that. So you can concentrate on everything else in your inbox.

The 12 step plan (including all the prompts you need is here (opens google document) and reproduced below (prompts in italics).

Step 1: Monitor Regulatory Changes

Use AI to generate a summary of the latest regulatory updates from specified sources relevant to the industry or sector. This helps in keeping the process timely and relevant.

AI Prompt: Generate a summary of the latest regulatory updates from [specific regulatory body] related to [industry or sector] as of [today's date].

Step 2: Verify and Analyse the Regulation

Analyze the regulation using AI to provide a detailed breakdown of its implications, ensuring a thorough understanding before moving forward.

AI Prompt: Analyse the full text of [new regulation name and number] issued by [regulatory body]. Provide a detailed breakdown of its implications for [specific industry or company sector].

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Step 3: Draft the Summary of the Regulation

Draft a concise summary of the regulation using AI to ensure clarity and accessibility for all stakeholders.

AI Prompt: Create a clear and concise summary of the regulation [regulation name] focusing on its purpose, key dates, and primary requirements.

Step 4: Detail the Key Changes and Impact

Detail the key changes and their potential impacts using AI, providing stakeholders with the necessary information to understand how the changes affect the organization.

AI Prompt: Compare the new regulation [regulation name] with the existing [related regulation name]. Highlight key changes and assess the potential impacts on [company's specific departments or operations].

Step 5: Develop the Action Plan

Develop a comprehensive action plan using AI to detail necessary steps for compliance, ensuring all tasks are clearly defined and assigned.

AI Prompt: Based on the impact analysis of [regulation name], draft an action plan detailing the immediate steps and long-term adjustments needed for compliance. Include role-specific tasks and timelines.

Step 6: Draft the Compliance Strategy

Use AI to draft a strategic plan for compliance, incorporating industry best practices and ensuring all regulatory requirements are met.

AI Prompt:: Propose a compliance strategy for adapting to the new regulation [regulation name]. Incorporate best practices for [industry] compliance and suggest oversight mechanisms.

Step 7: Review and Approvals

Organize review and approval processes using AI to draft communications, ensuring all stakeholders have the opportunity to provide feedback.

AI Prompt:Generate an email draft to send to stakeholders for reviewing and approving the draft regulatory update document. Include a link to the document and a deadline for feedback.

Step 8: Communicate the Update

Communicate the update across the organization using AI to draft and format the communication, ensuring wide and effective distribution.

AI Prompt: Draft an internal communication plan to disseminate the updated regulatory guidelines to employees across all departments. Suggest formats and channels for effective distribution.

Step 9: Provide Training and Support

Prepare training and support materials using AI to ensure comprehensive understanding and implementation of the new regulations.

AI Prompt:: Create an outline for a training session on the new regulation [regulation name]. Include key points to cover, recommended delivery methods, and interactive elements to ensure understanding.

Step 10: Set Up Monitoring for Compliance

Set up a monitoring system using AI to regularly check compliance and report on the effectiveness of the implemented changes.

AI Prompt: Outline a compliance monitoring schedule post-implementation of the new regulation [regulation name]. Suggest metrics for evaluation and intervals for reporting.

Step 11: Update as Necessary

Regularly update the regulatory response using AI to adapt to changes or new information that may arise.

AI Prompt: Draft a procedure for periodically reviewing and updating the company's response to the regulation [regulation name], including triggers for review and roles involved.

Documentation and Record Keeping

Use AI to maintain and update documentation related to the regulatory update process, ensuring all data is accurate and accessible for audits.

AI Prompt: Prompt: Generate a template for documenting all stages of the regulatory update process, from initial monitoring to final implementation, ensuring version control and audit trails.

This process, once put into place can take some of the “grunt” work out of updating the business on new regulations. Please do let me know what you think.

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© Richard Nicholas (2024), BeyondUseful.com

By contrast the AI Act is a piece of legislation that has only recently passed and is not yet in force. It doesn’t apply (directly) to UK business, only to those planning to operate in the EU or trade with EU based customers (still a fairly wide range of clients), however the text of the AI Act is published.

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Using Chat GPT’s “Create GPTs” function I therefore referenced the text of the legislation and asked Chat GPT to answer questions on the Act in particular way - I wanted it to give practical answers that also referenced, and linked to, the relevant part of the legislation - so that I could check those for myself.

(After all I’m not planning to use the GPT to give advice, but rather as a first port of call as - in this case I’m not familiar with the legislation (which is lengthy) so could do with a sensible view as to where to look in the Act to find answers around some of the trickier questions that I suspect I may be asked.

You’re welcome to try it for yourself here. Of course you shouldn’t use this for legal advice, nor rely on it for research (AI is like an enthusiastic researcher that will state wrong, but persuasive answers as confidently as right ones - so like me, you’ll need to double check the results) - and I take no responsibility for the answers it gives.

But - assuming that’s understood - you’re welcome to use this GPT here:

One note - the reason that I set this up as a GPT is because, when prompted without source material I’ve found ChatGPT not to be so good at actually looking at the regulation - but rather seems to use commentary about the legislation (or indeed previous iterations of the legislation - of which there have been several for the AI Act) - so I’d rather direct the AI to the text of the legislation itself.

I’d be really grateful of your thoughts. Also if you want to build these (or more sophisticated) GPTs for yourself let me know.

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One area that we shouldn’t forget however is how we can use freely available tools like ChatGPT for various day to day tasks that we might work on.

As an example, I thought I’d do a quick demonstration of something that I set up (and which you easily could as well, with very little practice) – here is “GDPR bot”!

This is a GPT (a single-use tool, using open ai’s large language model).  Because I have “fed” this tool the EU GDPR, the GPT will answer any question that you might ask about GDPR.  It will do this even if you don’t know the relevant section of GDPR or how exactly to phrase your question (e.g. using the right legal language).

For instance, if you were to ask “what do you need to have in place when appointing a processor” it will pick out the provisions of Article 28 GDPR, summarise them and give you the relevant reference within GDPR. 

If you deal with GPDR every day you probably know that the relevant provisions are set out in article 28 and when and how they apply - but if you didn’t know what to ask then the advantage that AI has is that it can make sense of the question and use the information it has to answer that question – finding the part of the legislation that’s relevant.

You could do this with any piece of legislation or indeed any internal company policy – meaning that someone could ask a question without knowing where to find the answer or even how to properly phrase the question and would get a sensible, understandable answer.

Of course – you should always use some caution – this AI is not actually intelligent, nothing it says amounts to legal advice and it has no training on (for instance) guidance from any regulator or case law – but it does give a good starting point for any frequently asked questions that you might receive as an in-house lawyer.

If you want to try GDPR bot for yourself (you need the premium version of open ai to do this) you can find that here.. 

If you’d like me to show you how to create a GPT like this for yourself then drop me a line and I’d be glad to show you.

You can find what I created here.

GPTs up the game by being capable of being trained on documents, web pages, videos that you put together - as well as their implicit learning. They are a phenomenal tool and the right, specialised, thoughtful GPTs could really be very powerful indeed.

By contrast however - since they are deliberately put together by human creators and the prompts behind them are hidden- there’s a fair bit of scope for deliberate manipulation - users could create the tool to deliberately mislead, or promote particular products in answer to a question without the user knowing.

My little GPT doesn’t do any of that. It can however help you think up a title for a non-fiction business or personal development book, to plan out the chapters, set out a description and even write a first draft of it for you.

To make any book your own you’re going to have to play with the results - but using the GPT means that you don’t need to think of the prompts yourself.

Please do see what you think and if you’d like to learn more about making GPTs like this one please do drop me a line and I’ll set out the process step by step

NOTE - it helps to first understand how to speak to the AI to get consistent results. Please do let me know what you think - will you be creating any GPTs yourself? And how do you find this one? (I should have said - it is completely free to use).

Fortunately, as a commercial lawyer it’s not a situation I ever find myself in but there are things we can learn from those who do make daily life and death decisions, such as former surgeon Atul Gawande.

In his book “the Checklist Manifesto” he describes how a simple checklist, introduced into various New York hospitals drastically reduced fatalities & how such a simple tool can (and does) save lives every day (used by airline pilots, astronauts and cleaners) and how the same can be applied throughout the world of business.

It’s the reason that I still use checklists in my work, whether its about data, buying technology, implementing AI or other processes. None of mine are likely to save lives, nor have a lasting impact on the world, but they’ll likely make some businesses more compliant & hopefully make the business a little bit easier to run.

If you’re keen on getting consistency in your business (or even just to ensure that others can take over from you when you decide to take that long holiday) then the book’s well worth a read.

Ever felt like you’re really just “not feeling it”?  You’ve got a presentation to give, a difficult call or a project to get through, but you’re struggling to feel focussed and ready?  What if you could use a proven technique that can make you feel ready for anything in 2 minutes - Would that be useful to you?  

In Amy Cuddy's book "Presence" she describes how our body language can change our thoughts, feelings, and behavior.   Specifically, drawing on research from various experiments carried out on unsuspecting test subjects she was able to demonstrate that anyone can increase their confidence and power by adopting certain body language positions, even if they don't feel confident at the time.

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Cuddy provides scientific evidence to support her claims, and she shares stories from her own life and the lives of others who have benefited from using her techniques.   

So how can you use the lessons that she has learned?  Here are steps you can take right now to put yourself in a more prepared state:

1. Set a timer for two minutes

 (this is of course optional - you might not always be able to do this!)

2. Stand up.

If you’re not able to stand, because of a disability or medical condition Cuddy was able to replicate similar results from people who imagined themselves standing in the way suggested in step 

3. Choose one of the following two poses;

   1. Feet apart, stand tall, hands in the air (as if you’ve just won a 100 metre race); or 

   2. As above but with your hands on your hips, elbows out 

4.  Hold that stance for two minutes.  

As you do this you should find that your level of testosterone increases (causing increased alertness)  and level of cortisol decreases (reducing stress).  This action by itself puts you in a state that is alert but relaxed and has the effect of making you feel and behave in a way that is more confident and powerful (you don’t have to believe in this for it to work, as experiments on researchers confirmed).

5.  What else?

You don’t need to do anything else but - as you’re holding that stance anyway…Tony Robbins would suggest two other areas that you might look at - being 

1. What you  focus on and.    

2. The  language that you use

 (he refers to the above three elements - focus, language and physiology as the “triad”).

• In terms of your focus - focus on the result that you are looking to achieve.  What do you want?  What’s important right now?

• In terms of your language - take a moment to check how you’re describing the situation to yourself. (Using positive language in your own mind  can affect how you visualise the situation.  Are you really “nervous” or “excited”?    Climbing a “mountain” or taking “the first few steps”?  The language we use can make a situation seem scarier or more dangerous than positive language

7. Two minutes up yet?  By now you may have noticed a physical change and by focussing on the end result with positive language, a clearer mind and change in focus as well.  

8. You’re now ready for the task in hand - but just before you start here’s one extra thing - give this state a name.  This might be your “hero state” or your “ready state” - the goal is to have a quick shortcut that you remember  and can recall at will.

8. Now that you have a name for this state (posture, focus and language)- practice recalling it at times when you start a new task.  You want to get into the habit of bringing this  “hero state” so that you can quickly find it when you next need it (ahead of that next speech, project or call)

This exercise can save a huge amount of time and stress - why not give it a try for your next project?

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