AI Without Fear: First Steps for Professional Women
How to start in AI the easy, playful way
Does this sound familiar? You know that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the workplace. You hear about ChatGPT, automation, and tools that optimize time... but every time you try to explore a little, you find yourself in a sea of technical information that feels like it's written in another language.
You're not alone. Many professionals with established careers feel that AI is essential but don't know where to start without feeling overwhelmed. Today, I want to share a clear and accessible path to take your first steps in AI without stress—and if possible, even have fun with it.
1. Understand the Basics Without Jargon
You don’t need a programming course to take advantage of AI. First, understand what it is: a technology that allows machines to learn and make decisions based on data. You already use it every day without realizing it—when Google suggests a response, Netflix recommends a show, or your email filters spam.
I know I’m not the best example because I studied AI a long time ago, but I also have many friends and colleagues who find technology at best tedious, at worst, intimidating.
Even though I was trained in the subject, the first time I used ChatGPT to ask it all sorts of questions, I felt like I had a new toy in my hands—a tool with great potential. Two years later, I know this is a disruptive technology that will change our lives, but taking the first steps is entirely within your reach.
2. Experiment With AI Without Fear
Instead of reading about AI, start using it, play with it, experiment. Don't worry—you won’t break anything.
Some easy and free tools:
ChatGPT: For generating ideas, summarizing texts, or drafting emails.
Canva with AI: For automatically designing presentations and graphics.
Hemingway App: To improve writing with intelligent corrections.
You only need 10 minutes a day to get familiar with them.
The first tool I tried was ChatGPT, and I tested it with topics I already knew about my company to verify the content. The next tool was D-ID, which allowed me to generate an avatar that vocalized the text (about my company) that I had provided.
That’s when I realized that ChatGPT makes up a lot of information, but it writes in a very coherent way. If you skim through it, you might miss important errors. Although it has improved significantly, the first rule of using AI is to treat it as an assistant and always verify the information it provides.
Since then, I have tried many tools, but to start slowly, begin by testing ChatGPT with topics you already know. Ask it trick questions and even say, "Did you just make that up?" to see how it reacts when you catch an error.
3. Find Practical Use Cases in Your Daily Work
The best way to learn is by applying. Think about repetitive or tedious tasks at work and find out how AI can help. Some examples:
Generating email drafts or reports.
Formatting a dataset correctly.
Organizing meetings and automatically transcribing notes.
Some tasks where I have used AI:
Generating a list of names for an internal application. These names were later discussed and combined with team contributions to reach the final name.
Looking up the formula to extract a calculated value in Excel based on my data. Before, I would search for tutorials and watch them until I found what I needed.
Asking AI to transform a file from one format to another for migrating e-learning content between platforms. The alternative was to create them from scratch, copying and pasting each file’s content.
Creating an image that represents a team’s identity based on attributes and values I provided. Although the quality wasn’t perfect, the concept was meaningful.
As you can see, AI can help with small, everyday tasks and save you time. However, if you’re working with company content, don’t upload sensitive information—whether it’s your own or your clients’. For example, with Excel, I described the file’s content and what I wanted to do instead of uploading my data.
4. Learn in Small Doses
You don’t need a master’s degree in AI—just small, consistent habits. Some ideas:
Subscribe to a newsletter with digestible information (like this one!).
Spend 10 minutes a day testing a new tool.
Join communities where other women share their experiences.
I have a full-time job and a family, plus I want to take care of my health by getting enough sleep and moving my body. In other words, I have very little free time—probably like you.
When I want to learn something new, I don’t fit it into my free time—I replace some activities with others. For example, I worked on a photography project during my lunch break (on days when I went out, I ate a sandwich while working). Last year, I woke up 30 minutes earlier than usual to dedicate that time to my project. To avoid losing sleep, I went to bed 30 minutes earlier—meaning I switched from watching a one-hour Netflix show to a 20-30 minute one, or none at all, depending on the day.
5. Connect With Other Women on the Same Path
Learning in a community is always easier. Look for groups on LinkedIn or webinars about AI applied to business and productivity. Asking questions and sharing experiences speeds up learning.
Right now, I’m part of two English-speaking communities: one on AI and Agile, and an exclusive AI mastermind group. Obviously, I don’t participate actively in everything—just the mastermind—but I love sharing my concerns with people who are in the same boat.
If this topic interests you, message me privately, and let's connect!
Conclusion: Taking the first step in AI doesn’t mean becoming an expert overnight—it means daring to experiment and gradually integrating tools that make your work easier. The key is to explore without fear (you won’t break anything!) and remember that technology is here to assist you, not replace you.
Now tell me: Which of these steps are you going to try this week? You don’t have to do everything at once—just start with the action that feels most natural or interesting to you right now. Share your experiences or questions in the comments.
Let's talk about AI—without fear!