AI is more than just a buzzword—it’s a game-changer. Our Summer Demo Days: AI in Action webinar series was all about turning talk into action. Across five sessions, our team brought AI to life with live demos that put theory to the test with real-world use cases. Let’s rewind and revisit some of the top takeaways and favorite moments from the series!

Part 1: Practical Ways to Use GAI at Work

Amanda Crowley, our Director of Marketing, showed how much generative AI (GAI) can simplify your workday. One of the standout moments was when she demonstrated how GAI can turn your handwritten notes into a polished, digital document. By simply taking a photo of your notes and uploading it to ChatGPT, you can have it transcribe the text and generate a Word document that’s ready for editing. For anyone who prefers jotting down notes by hand but still wants the convenience of digital access, this is a perfect solution. This practical tip is just one of the many ways GAI can boost your productivity at work.

Part 2: What Fine-Tuning an AI Model Really Means

Chris Glacken, our Director of Innovative Technology, and Kyle Miller, our Manager of Item Workshop, led an in-depth discussion on training and fine-tuning a GAI model. One of the challenges in this area is that GAI providers are constantly updating and releasing new versions. As Kyle mentioned, “When OpenAI puts something out, be careful; they are learning too. This stuff is not in its final form.” Additionally, Chris provided valuable insights into using a company’s own source material and the use of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which allows organizations to tailor the context more effectively.

Part 3: Prompt Engineering Mastery and Model Comparison

Andrea Zemp, our Senior Product Manager, broke down five easy ways for you to level up the prompts you’re sending to your favorite AI chatbot like ChatGPT. In real time, she used one of ITS’s newest tools, the SparkAI™ Playground, to demonstrate how these prompt improvements—from specifying a persona to listing out step-by-step instructions—resulted in better responses. In one of our favorite moments, she asked us to imagine that our prompts are emails to our colleagues. We write emails so that our colleagues can scan them easily and find the information they need, and we follow up with them if we don’t get the response we’re looking for. Our prompts can benefit from the same treatment.

Part 4: Enhance Data Analysis and Optimize Survey Results

Craig Boas, our Product Manager, guided by Jeffrey Spranza, our Director of Product Management, demonstrated how AI is transforming data analysis and survey tools in the assessment industry. Craig showed how the ITS Survey tool uses SparkAI™ to generate summaries and insights from open-ended text responses, which are often challenging and time-consuming to analyze manually. SparkAI™ can help survey users turn text responses into actionable information by providing summaries and conclusions that are relevant, accurate, and consistent. Finally, they shared how the ITS Survey tool is designed to serve the assessment industry’s specific needs and allow customers to customize and configure their surveys based on their use cases and preferences.

Part 5: How to Mitigate AI Security Threats

In the final part of our series, Chris Glacken, our Director of Innovative Technologies, revealed just how accessible AI-driven cheating has become. The key takeaway? You don’t need to be a developer or a tech expert to exploit these methods—many tools and applications are readily available online, complete with easy-to-follow guides. This accessibility means that an elaborate cheating attack doesn’t necessarily reflect a high level of skill; it could simply be the result of purchasing the right tool. Chris highlighted the critical role of security measures, like secure browsers, which are vital for any organization committed to protecting the integrity and validity of its assessments.

Putting AI into Practice

These sessions have showcased AI’s practicality and real-world impact, from simplifying daily tasks to protecting the integrity of assessments. We hope these insights have not only informed but also inspired you to explore new ways AI can enhance your processes.

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