GenAI Quick Start for Small Business (Practitioner-Led)

Generative AI is changing how small businesses work - but most owners don’t have the time to navigate the risks, policies, tools, and training needed to get started safely. This 3-hour workshop gives you a practical, responsible, and immediately usable foundation for adopting Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and other AI tools inside your business.

This session is led by a seasoned practitioner who has spent the last 18 months working directly with organisations across BC - from engineering firms to nonprofits to government-adjacent agencies - helping them assess and adopt GenAI in real operations, build policies, train staff, and reduce fear and uncertainty. This is not theory. It’s practical, hands-on, and grounded in real implementation experience.

You will leave the session with the core elements every small business needs to get started responsibly:

• A clear GenAI Acceptable Use guideline you can apply immediately
• A simple staff-ready AI adoption and augmentation policy
• Leadership messaging templates and a staff FAQ to address resistance or fear
• Prompt design skills and practical examples that you will have worked through
• A clear understanding of risks, boundaries, and safe use practices

What You’ll Learn

1. Policy Essentials

• How to use AI safely
• Data protection and responsible use
• What to include in a small-business Acceptable Use policy
• Balancing safeguards with flexibility

2. Communications & Change Readiness

• How to talk to staff about AI (without creating fear)
• Leadership messaging that builds trust
• How to introduce AI as an “augmentation, not replacement” tool
• Creating a simple staff FAQ (template included)

3. Practical GenAI Skills Training

• Hands-on prompt design and use (bring your laptop - it's hands-on)
• What GenAI can do today - and where to be cautious
• Templates and approaches that you and your team can use immediately

NOTE: Eligible BC employers may be able to recover up to 80% of the cost through the BC Employer Training Grant (BC ETG).

About the Organizer:

This event is organized by Steve Harris, founder of AI4Enterprise & LinkedIn.