Last month at Gainsight’s Pulse conference, professionals from customer success, community management, and product experience gathered to explore the future of their fields. Among the many highlights was a workshop hosted by Seth Wylie, Gainsight’s Principal of Enterprise AI Transformation. The session, titled AI and the Courageous Art of Making a More Meaningful Day, focused on how AI can help professionals enhance their daily workflows in personal and practical ways.
What set this workshop apart was its hands-on approach. Attendees weren’t just there to listen—they were there to experiment, create, and rethink how they integrate AI into their work. Feedback after the session revealed that three key concepts really struck a chord: building a personal AI assistant, guiding AI conversations intentionally, and reading AI outputs with an open and reflective mindset.
Whether you missed the workshop or want a deeper dive, let’s unpack these ideas to see how they can help you create more value in your workday.
1. Creating a Personal AI Assistant
Imagine having an AI assistant who truly understands the nuances of your role—your responsibilities, goals, and even the unique challenges you face. In the workshop, Seth introduced the concept of creating such an assistant, using his own AI persona, named Cyrus Moneypenny, as an example. While the name may sound playful, the functionality behind it is anything but trivial.
Cyrus is essentially a customized chatbot built with a tool like ChatGPT, but it’s the information Seth fed into it that makes it effective. He uploaded detailed insights about his job, his professional goals, his approach to work relationships, and even his personal aspirations. The result? Cyrus can provide relevant, context-aware nudges or reminders that help Seth stay aligned with what matters most in his work.
The great news is that creating your own AI assistant doesn’t require a degree in computer science. Workshop attendees explored how they could start their own journey with sttools like ChatGPT or Gainsight’s Atlas AI agents, which are specifically designed to integrate into professional workflows. Some participants envisioned using their AI personas to track customer interactions or manage day-to-day tasks, while others saw them as tools for maintaining focus on long-term strategic goals.
If you’re looking to create your own AI assistant, start by defining what information it should know about you. Upload your job description, current projects, goals, and even examples of your communication style. Then, give it clear instructions on how to interact with you—for instance, asking it to remind you of your priorities when you’re feeling stuck or to flag opportunities based on recent interactions.
2. Guiding AI Conversations
One of the biggest frustrations professionals encounter when using AI is irrelevant or overly generic responses. This often happens because we treat AI like a magic eight ball—asking vague questions and expecting perfectly tailored answers. In the workshop, Seth emphasized the importance of guiding AI conversations with purpose and precision.
The key is to frame your interactions thoughtfully. Instead of immediately asking for solutions, try starting with a prompt like: Here’s what matters to me about this project. Please interpret this information before suggesting next steps. This allows the AI to process context before diving into recommendations, resulting in responses that are more aligned with your needs.
Workshop attendees found this approach particularly useful. One participant, frustrated by how AI tools often missed the mark, tried this method and discovered a significant improvement in the relevance of the insights they received. Whether you’re using ChatGPT, Gainsight’s Staircase AI for customer intelligence, or another tool, the takeaway is clear: Context is king. By giving your AI tool a clear framework for the conversation, you’re more likely to get actionable and meaningful results.
Pro tip: Don’t just tell AI what you want—also tell it what you don’t want. For instance, you can instruct it to avoid overly broad suggestions or to prioritize insights from specific data sources. Think of it as setting up a conversation with a colleague—you’re laying the groundwork to make the interaction as productive as possible.
3. Reading and Rambling With AI
The third concept Seth introduced during the workshop was Read, Ramble, Reflect. This technique involves engaging more deeply with AI-generated outputs to find unexpected insights.
Here’s how it works: when you receive a response from AI, it’s easy to dismiss the generic parts and move on. Instead, take a moment to read closely. Look for the small phrases or ideas that stand out—these sparks are often where the real value lies. Once you identify something interesting, pause and reflect. What does this spark make you think of? How does it relate to your goals or challenges?
From there, ramble freely. Share your thoughts with the AI, typing or speaking in a stream-of-consciousness style. This back-and-forth can lead to deeper insights and even help reframe challenges in ways you hadn’t considered before.
One attendee shared how this approach helped them navigate a complex customer relationship. They latched onto a small but intriguing suggestion from the AI’s output and used it as the basis for a new strategy to rebuild trust with their client. The process wasn’t about finding perfect answers—it was about collaborating with the AI to uncover fresh perspectives.
This method is especially valuable when brainstorming or tackling ambiguous challenges. By treating the AI as a partner in exploration rather than a problem-solving machine, you open yourself up to possibilities you might not have considered otherwise.
Conclusion: Real-World Impact of AI
AI is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a tool that professionals can use to make their work more efficient, meaningful, and impactful. Whether it’s creating a personal assistant that gets you, guiding AI conversations with intention, or finding unexpected insights through reflection, the strategies from Seth Wylie’s workshop are practical and accessible for anyone looking to enhance their workflows.
At Gainsight, we’re passionate about helping professionals harness the power of AI. Tools like Staircase AI turn fragmented customer interactions into actionable insights, while our new Atlas AI agents integrate seamlessly into your daily tasks to improve efficiency and outcomes.
The takeaway from the workshop—and this blog—is that AI isn’t about replacing human effort. It’s about enhancing it. So, how will you use AI to make your workday more meaningful? Start experimenting, keep an open mind, and see what new opportunities unfold.
Learn more about Gainsight’s AI tools and start building your own AI-powered workflows today.
