How to Use AI to Automate Workflow
Highlights from the third AI Talk series
On January 22, Libraries faculty and staff gathered for the third talk in the AI Talk series, “How to Use AI to Automate Workflow,” a lunchtime session focused on practical ways AI can support everyday academic and library work. The event offered a relaxed space to ask questions, share experiences, and explore how AI tools are already shaping research, teaching, and administration.
The session was led by Jing Lu, Libraries clinical assistant professor and facilitator of the AI Talk series. She guided the conversation and helped connect participants’ interests to tools that are accessible and useful in academic settings.
The workshop focused on workflow automation—using AI to handle repetitive tasks and save time. To help participants make sense of what “automation” can look like in practice, Jing introduced three levels of automation, emphasizing that faculty and staff can start small and build gradually. At the first level, prompt-based automation, participants saw how AI tools can be used on demand through reusable prompts to draft, summarize, or refine content. The second level focused on template automation, where structured inputs and outputs allow AI tools to perform the same type of task repeatedly with minimal adjustment. The third level focused on workflow automation, where tasks run automatically across platforms with minimal human intervention. A key example was Zapier, a tool that connects platforms like Google Drive, ChatGPT, and other commonly used applications. Through demonstrations, participants saw how these connections can automate tasks such as collecting, organizing, and reviewing student feedback.
The discussion emphasized how small automations can make a big difference, reducing manual work and supporting more efficient teaching and administrative practices. The session also briefly touched on Microsoft Copilot, highlighting how AI-assisted automation can happen directly within familiar productivity tools.
Overall, the talk focused on concrete, real-world examples rather than theory. Attendees left with practical ideas for using AI to streamline their workflows and support their daily work in meaningful ways. The fourth AI Talk, titled “How to Use AI Tools to Create Video,” will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 11:30 AM–1:00 PM in WALC 2036.
