Design a Smart AI Assistant for Business Tasks
Your goal: Imagine and describe an AI helper that can do repetitive business tasks automatically—like sorting emails, matching suppliers, or checking documents.
Think of it like a smart assistant that can read information, make simple decisions, and prepare draft outputs for a team. You'll pick ONE business area (Procurement, Finance, Marketing, or Operations) and explain how this AI helper would work.
Deadline: 1 Week
Complete and submit by October 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM
New to This? Start Here! 👋
Don't worry if you've never done this before. Here's what you need to know:
❓ What is an "AI Agent" or "AI Helper"?
Think of it as a smart computer program that can read information, make simple decisions, and create outputs—just like a helpful coworker. For example: It reads 50 supplier emails, compares prices, and tells you "Supplier A is cheapest at $10,000."
📋 What are you creating?
You're designing a simple AI assistant (on paper—no coding needed!) that automates boring, repetitive tasks for a business team.
You will write: A 4-6 page document explaining what your AI does, how it works, and who would buy it.
🎯 How to approach this task:
- Step 1: Pick one business area below (like Finance or Marketing)
- Step 2: Think of ONE repetitive task people hate doing (like sorting 100 emails daily)
- Step 3: Describe how an AI could do that task automatically
- Step 4: Create an example showing what the AI would produce
- Step 5: Research 20 companies that would pay for this solution
- Step 6: Write a simple business plan
💡 Remember: You're not building anything technical. You're just writing about what an AI helper could do. Think of it like designing a new app on paper—you describe what it does, not how to code it.
📝 Quick Example to Guide You
Here's a mini-example of what your writeup might look like (simplified):
Example: Invoice Processing AI for Finance Teams
1️⃣ The Problem:
Finance managers at mid-sized companies manually check 50-200 invoices per week. Each invoice takes 5-10 minutes to verify (check amounts, due dates, matching PO numbers). This wastes 10+ hours weekly.
2️⃣ How the AI Works:
Input: PDF invoice uploaded
Process: AI reads invoice → Checks if amount matches PO → Verifies due date → Flags errors
Output: "✓ Approved: $5,000 due March 15" OR "⚠ Error: Amount mismatch ($5K invoice vs $4.5K PO)"
3️⃣ Example Output:
Status: ✓ APPROVED
Amount: $5,000.00
Due: March 15, 2025
Recommendation: Schedule payment for March 10
4️⃣ Who Needs This:
Target: Companies with 100-1000 employees, processing 200+ invoices/month. Examples: Shopify, Canva, Airbnb accounting teams
5️⃣ Business Value:
Saves 8 hours/week per finance manager. At $50/hour = $20,800/year saved. Charge $500/month subscription = $6K/year revenue per customer.
👆 Your writeup will be similar—but longer and more detailed! This example is simplified. Yours should include all 7 sections with more depth, examples, and the full 20-company lead table.
Step 1: Pick ONE business area
Choose one area where your AI assistant will help. Don't worry if you're not familiar with these—just pick one that sounds interesting:
Procurement (Buying & Suppliers)
Help teams buy things: Read purchase requests → Find the best suppliers → Prepare purchase orders
Example: Employee requests 50 laptops, AI finds 3 suppliers and suggests the best one
Finance (Money & Accounting)
Help with invoices and payments: Sort incoming bills → Check for errors → Remind teams what to pay
Example: AI reads 20 invoices, flags 2 with wrong amounts, creates a payment schedule
Marketing (Content & Posts)
Help create marketing content: Generate post ideas → Check images/text quality → Schedule social media posts
Example: AI creates 10 Instagram post ideas based on product launch, suggests best times to post
Warehouse/Operations (Inventory)
Help manage products: Handle returned items → Decide what to restock → Suggest where to store items
Example: AI processes 30 customer returns, decides which can be resold, which need repair
Your Writeup Should Include (7 Sections)
Follow these sections in order. Each one builds on the previous:
Section 1: The Problem (Keep it Simple)
Describe the problem your AI helper solves:
- •WHO has this problem? (e.g., "Procurement managers at mid-size companies")
- •WHAT is the problem? (e.g., "Spend 10+ hours/week manually matching supplier quotes")
- •WHAT would success look like? (e.g., "Reduce matching time from 10 hours to 1 hour")
Section 2: How Your AI Helper Works
Explain what your AI does in 3 simple steps:
- •STEP 1 - What INPUT does it receive? (e.g., "Email with purchase request and budget")
- •STEP 2 - What DECISIONS does it make? (e.g., "Compares 5 suppliers, checks prices and delivery times")
- •STEP 3 - What OUTPUT does it create? (e.g., "Ranked list of suppliers with recommendation")
Section 3: Real Example Walkthrough
Show your AI in action with a realistic scenario:
- •Use a specific example with actual numbers/names (e.g., "Sarah from IT requests 50 laptops, budget $50,000")
- •Walk through each step: What the AI reads → What it decides → What it outputs
- •End with the final result the user sees (be specific!)
Section 4: Sample AI Output
Show exactly what your AI produces (copy-paste format):
- •Create a realistic output your AI would generate (bullet list, table, or simple JSON format)
- •Keep it short and clear: 5-10 lines is perfect
- •Example: "✓ Recommended: Dell Store ($45K, 5-day delivery) | ⚠ Alternative: HP Direct ($48K, 3-day delivery)"
Section 5: Top 20 Companies That Need This
Research and list 20 real companies that would buy your solution:
- •Create a table with: Company Name | Industry | Company Size | Why They Need It | Priority (High/Med/Low)
- •Be specific: Use real company names you research (e.g., "Shopify - E-commerce - 5,000 employees - High")
- •Prioritize by urgency: Which companies have the biggest pain point right now?
Section 6: How to Reach Out to Companies
Plan a 3-step outreach strategy (how you'd contact these companies):
- •MESSAGE 1: Short email explaining the problem + your solution in 3 sentences
- •MESSAGE 2: Follow-up with a sample output using their company as an example
- •MESSAGE 3: Request a 15-minute call, or offer to send a video demo if they're too busy
Section 7: Simple Business Plan (1 Page)
Answer these business questions briefly:
- •Problem + Solution + Value: What problem does this solve and how much time/money does it save?
- •Who pays for this? What role/department? How much would you charge per month?
- •Risks: What could go wrong? Success metrics: How do you measure if it's working? (2-3 numbers to track)
💡 How AI Helpers Usually Work
Most AI assistants follow one of these simple patterns. Pick one for your design:
Common AI Work Patterns:
- 1.Read → Decide → Draft
Most common: AI reads information, makes a decision, creates a draft
Example: Read invoice → Check if amount is correct → Draft payment reminder
- 2.Checklist & Quality Check
AI goes through a list and marks each item as pass/fail
Example: Check if all required fields are filled in a form
- 3.Sort & Route
AI decides who should handle each task or where it should go
Example: Send urgent requests to Manager A, routine ones to Team B
- 4.Create & Explain
AI creates something and explains why it made that choice
Example: Recommend a supplier and explain: "Cheapest price + fastest delivery"
Example AI Instructions You Might Use:
These are the types of commands you'd give your AI:
- →"Read this email and tell me in one sentence what the person wants"
- →"Compare these 3 options and list the top choice with 2 reasons why"
- →"Create a summary in this format: Decision + Reason + Next Step"
- →"Point out any problems or missing information in 2 bullet points"
Tip: Keep instructions simple and specific. AI works best with clear, step-by-step commands.
🛠 Tools you can use
Write & format
- • Google Docs or Notion
- • Google Slides or PowerPoint
- • Canva (for simple visuals)
Tables & numbers
- • Excel / Google Sheets (lead table, simple ROI)
- • Basic charts (bar, pie, line)
Optional AI helpers
- • ChatGPT/Claude for drafts
- • Perplexity for quick research
- • Figma/Canva for diagrams
What to Submit
You need to submit these files/documents:
1. Main Writeup Document
Your complete writeup with all 7 sections. Use Google Docs, Word, or PDF.
Length: 4-6 pages
2. Company Leads Table
Excel or Google Sheets with your 20 target companies (name, industry, size, priority, why they need it)
Length: 1 spreadsheet
3. Outreach Plan
Your 3-step approach plan for reaching out to companies (can be part of main doc or separate)
Length: 1 page
4. Sample AI Outputs
Examples of what your AI produces (include in main document as Section 4)
Length: 5-10 lines each
5. Presentation Slides (Optional)
A 5-slide deck summarizing your idea (problem → solution → value → who buys → next steps). Bonus points!
Length: 5 slides
📤 How to Submit:
- • Email everything to hr@aifirelab.com
- • Include: Your name, Student ID, and all required files
- • You can attach files or share Google Drive/Dropbox links
- • Deadline: 2 weeks from today
Evaluation Criteria
💡 Tips for Success
Keep these tips in mind while writing:
- 1.
Write like you're explaining to a friend
Imagine you're telling a classmate about your idea. Use simple words, not business jargon.
- 2.
Use ONE specific, detailed example
Don't say "helps companies save time." Say "helps companies reduce invoice processing from 2 hours to 15 minutes per day."
- 3.
Keep it short and visual
Use bullet points, tables, and short paragraphs. Nobody wants to read pages of text.
- 4.
Focus on WHAT the AI produces, not HOW
Students care about results. Show examples of what comes out, not the technical details of how it works.
- 5.
Show immediate value
What does someone get on Day 1? For example: "Saves 5 hours in the first week" is better than "Improves efficiency."
Submit Your Project
When you're ready, submit your writeup and attachments:
Email your submission to:
hr@aifirelab.comInclude in your email:
- • AI agentic tool writeup (PDF/Doc link)
- • Lead table (Sheet/PDF)
- • Approach plan (1 page)
- • Optional mini deck (PDF)
- • Your name and Student ID