Sometimes with good results, and other times… not so much. Because, let’s be honest, we’ve all felt that frustration of investing hours in the form and not achieving the impact we expected in the end. And then artificial intelligence came along. And with it, a paradigm shift: effectiveness and efficiency — which are not the same thing — ceased to depend on format. Today, what really makes the difference is not how I need to present something, but how I think about it and how I formulate it. The key is in the language. In knowing how to ask good questions, in giving precise instructions. In writing a good prompt.
That little phrase—the prompt—has become a spark of professional creativity. A tool that allows me to transform plain text into eye-catching infographics, a vague idea into an audiovisual script, or a never-ending briefing into a direct and compelling presentation. It has even helped me create the soundtrack for a video I had to edit against the clock.
From traditional materials to augmented content
With AI involved, presentations, reports and briefings can become much more visual, concise and, above all, persuasive. It is no longer the software that makes the difference, but the way we feed it: with clarity, knowledge, intention and sensitivity. I speak from experience.
A little over a year ago, I took an AI course with Mago More (yes, the same one many of you have seen on television, and yes, he is a true master at this). From then on, I saw everything from a different perspective. Since then, I have not stopped trying out tools, exploring uses and applying this technology to all kinds of tasks. And I’ll confess something: now I have interns. Lots of them.
They are specialists in almost any subject, available at any time, and I give them precise instructions on what I need. And as a good tutor, I know I have to review what they do, correct them, provide context, and teach them how to do better. The difference is that these ‘interns’ never tire, learn quickly, and work with astonishing efficiency. Thanks to them—to AI—I can do everything from writing an email in Cambridge English (or Minnesota English, if necessary) to analysing a complex business case. And the results, honestly, are light years ahead of what I could achieve on my own, and in a fraction of the time.
What’s more, if I need visual support, I have that too. For example, in my last post, I included an AI-generated illustration to accompany the video. All I had to do was describe in detail what I wanted: ‘an illustration showing a speaker in front of a crowd, in the style of Soviet posters from World War II, with invented symbolism representing the importance of design, image and communication.’ And the result was exactly what I was looking for. AI does not replace my creativity: it amplifies it.
A new language is emerging within the company
From my point of view, artificial intelligence does not replace human vision: it amplifies it. It helps us see better, go further. When you learn to dialogue with it, to understand its logic, you realise that it can become an ally in developing, exploring and expressing ideas with greater strength, agility and impact.
I have had many conversations on this topic with colleagues, friends and professionals from different fields. And in almost all of them, the same feeling emerges: fear. Fear of losing control, of being left behind, of not understanding this new stage which, as someone recently said, is comparable to an industrial revolution, but much faster and more powerful. And yes, that comparison is true. But I don’t see it as a threat. On the contrary. I believe that huge doors are opening to reinvent our work, to eliminate what does not add value and focus on what really does: excellence. So, if you still feel wary of AI, I encourage you to give it a chance. It is not an enemy, it is a tool that can multiply your talent.
A clear example of its potential can be seen in the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for developing AlphaFold, an AI programme capable of predicting the structure of proteins from their genetic sequence. Until very recently, determining the exact shape of a protein could take months or even years. With AlphaFold, that process is reduced to hours or even minutes. Isn’t that crazy? We’re talking about a technology that can accelerate the discovery of new drugs and help us stop diseases in record time. And this is just one example, one of the thousands of positive applications that AI can have — and is already having — in the professional world.
From concept to screen in 40 minutes
Let me give you a very straightforward example. Recently, in the marketing unit where I work, we received a request to develop a new project. Together with a colleague, we set out to create a series of videos quickly, accurately and with a powerful aesthetic.
And what I’m telling you is completely true. We had the idea of designing an avatar that combined the image of a Telefónica saleswoman with the archetype of a Greek goddess. We wanted her to be the narrator and present different content about the product we wanted to highlight. The result—which I’m showing you as is, unpolished, raw—was surprising: it took less than forty minutes from the conception of the idea to the final video. Just a few months ago, something like this would have seemed impossible.
In short, artificial intelligence is helping me grow. And that’s why I insist so much on something that may seem simple but makes all the difference: taking the first step and learning to write good prompts. Because, in the end, creating a good prompt is not just about writing a command to a machine. It’s about thinking precisely. It’s about taking a moment to clearly define what you need, how you want it, and why. It is learning to express yourself better, to refine your ideas until they take shape. This exercise, which seems technical, actually trains you mentally: it improves your strategic planning, stimulates creativity and also sharpens your aesthetic eye, because it forces you to imagine the result before it exists. And that simple act — imagining clearly — is, perhaps, the new way of thinking at work.
