Digital Innovation and Transformation

Generative AI for Business Professionals

Generative AI provides business professionals with new ways to research information, develop content, analyze documents, generate ideas, support decisions, and improve knowledge-intensive processes.

5 days Classroom or live online English

Smart Horizon Certified - Global Leadership Consultants

Take the course details with you.

Download the full standard outline: why attend, methodology, objectives, audience, competencies, the daily outline and current plans.

Download course PDF

Why attend

From knowledge to real-world impact.

Creating meaningful business value from these technologies requires more than knowing how to use an AI chatbot. Professionals must understand how to select appropriate use cases, provide effective instructions, evaluate AI-generated information, redesign workflows, and manage the risks associated with enterprise AI adoption.

This Generative AI for Business Professionals course develops practical capabilities for applying tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and other generative AI platforms to business activities. Participants learn prompt engineering, AI-assisted research and analysis, content generation, workflow design, responsible AI practices, and methods for evaluating productivity and business impact.

Workplace challenges

Professional Problems This Course Is Designed to Solve

The programme explores practical approaches to the following challenges. Results depend on how the learning is applied in your organisation.

Low productivity in knowledge-intensive work: Reducing time spent drafting, summarizing, researching, restructuring, and processing business information.
Inconsistent generative AI results: Improving output quality through structured prompts, context management, examples, constraints, and iterative refinement.
Information overload: Using generative AI to summarize documents, compare information, extract key points, and organize large volumes of business content.
Limited integration of AI into business processes: Moving beyond isolated chatbot use toward repeatable AI-assisted workflows connected to real job responsibilities.
Difficulty identifying valuable AI use cases: Evaluating where generative AI can improve speed, quality, customer experience, creativity, or decision support.
Unreliable AI-generated information: Managing hallucinations, bias, unsupported claims, outdated information, and other limitations through verification and human review.
Generative AI governance risks: Protecting confidential information, intellectual property, personal data, and organizational knowledge while promoting responsible AI adoption.

Course methodology

How you will learn.

The programme combines practical demonstrations, guided AI exercises, prompt engineering workshops, business scenarios, document analysis activities, case studies, and workflow redesign exercises. Participants use realistic business tasks to explore how generative AI can support communication, research, analysis, problem-solving, decision preparation, and process improvement while maintaining appropriate human oversight.

Course objectives

What you'll take away.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Understand generative AI, large language models, and their business applications
Identify high-value generative AI use cases across different organizational functions
Develop effective prompts for professional and analytical tasks
Use generative AI to research, summarize, analyze, and structure business information
Improve business writing, communication, and content development with AI assistance
Apply generative AI to problem-solving, brainstorming, and decision preparation
Design repeatable human-AI workflows for knowledge-intensive business processes
Evaluate AI-generated outputs for accuracy, relevance, bias, and reliability
Manage confidentiality, intellectual property, and responsible AI risks
Develop practical approaches for measuring generative AI productivity and business value

Target audience

Who should attend.

This course is suitable for:

Managers and team leaders
Business analysts and consultants
Finance and commercial professionals
Human resources professionals
Marketing and communications teams
Project and programme professionals
Operations and administrative professionals
Business professionals responsible for digital transformation and process improvement

Target competencies

Capabilities you will build.

Participants will develop competencies in:

Generative AI literacy
Prompt engineering
AI-assisted research
Business content generation
AI-supported analysis
Business problem-solving
Workflow redesign
AI output verification
Responsible AI
Human-AI collaboration

Course outline

Your learning journey.

A focused, practical outline with time to explore, apply and reflect.

Day 1Generative AI Fundamentals and Business Applications

09:00–09:45Understanding generative AI, large language models, prompts, context windows, and AI-generated outputs
09:45–10:30Exploring business applications of ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and other generative AI tools
10:30–11:00Distinguishing generative AI from traditional automation, analytics, search, and machine learning applications
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Distinguishing generative AI from traditional automation, analytics, search, and machine learning applications (continued)
11:45–12:30Identifying suitable AI use cases across finance, HR, marketing, operations, projects, and administration
12:30–13:15Recognizing hallucinations, bias, incomplete responses, and other limitations of generative AI systems
13:15–14:00Practical exercise: Mapping business activities and prioritizing opportunities for generative AI adoption

Day 2Prompt Engineering for Professional Business Tasks

09:00–09:45Structuring effective prompts using objectives, context, instructions, constraints, examples, and output requirements
09:45–10:30Using role, audience, tone, format, and reference information to improve AI-generated responses
10:30–11:00Applying iterative prompting to refine complex business outputs
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Applying iterative prompting to refine complex business outputs (continued)
11:45–12:30Breaking complex assignments into structured sequences of AI-assisted tasks
12:30–13:15Developing reusable prompt templates for reports, emails, proposals, summaries, and management briefings
13:15–14:00Prompt workshop: Building and testing a professional prompt library for recurring business responsibilities

Day 3Generative AI for Research, Analysis and Decision Support

09:00–09:45Using generative AI to summarize reports, policies, meeting records, research, and business documents
09:45–10:30Extracting key facts, risks, actions, themes, and decision points from complex information
10:30–11:00Comparing alternatives and organizing qualitative information into structured analytical outputs
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Comparing alternatives and organizing qualitative information into structured analytical outputs (continued)
11:45–12:30Applying AI to brainstorming, scenario development, root-cause exploration, and problem-solving
12:30–13:15Evaluating AI-generated research through source checking, fact verification, and critical review
13:15–14:00Case study: Using generative AI to investigate a business challenge and prepare a management decision brief

Day 4AI-Assisted Business Workflows and Process Improvement

09:00–09:45Mapping existing workflows to identify repetitive and knowledge-intensive activities suitable for AI assistance
09:45–10:30Combining human expertise and generative AI across research, drafting, analysis, review, and approval stages
10:30–11:00Applying AI-assisted workflows to marketing, HR, finance, procurement, projects, customer service, and operations
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Applying AI-assisted workflows to marketing, HR, finance, procurement, projects, customer service, and operations (continued)
11:45–12:30Transforming information between documents, presentations, summaries, tables, and stakeholder communications
12:30–13:15Establishing human checkpoints for decisions, approvals, sensitive content, and high-impact business outputs
13:15–14:00Practical workshop: Redesigning a business process into a structured and measurable human-AI workflow

Day 5Responsible Generative AI and Business Implementation

09:00–09:45Protecting confidential, personal, commercially sensitive, and proprietary information when using generative AI
09:45–10:30Managing hallucination, bias, intellectual property, misinformation, and inappropriate reliance on AI-generated outputs
10:30–11:00Establishing verification, human review, accountability, and quality-control procedures
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Establishing verification, human review, accountability, and quality-control procedures (continued)
11:45–12:30Developing organizational guidelines for acceptable and responsible generative AI use
12:30–13:15Measuring AI value through productivity, time savings, quality, consistency, adoption, and business outcomes
13:15–14:00Capstone exercise: Developing a Generative AI Business Implementation Plan covering priority use cases, workflows, controls, responsibilities, and measurable benefits

The timings provided are estimates and may vary depending on the number of participants and the discussions taking place during the sessions. They are indicative only and do not constitute a binding commitment.

Dates & venues

Find a session that works for you.

Confirmed dates accept registration requests. Tentative dates are enquiry only.

Good to know

A few things to know.

How is the course delivered?

Our classroom programmes combine facilitated discussion, case studies, exercises and reflection. The precise format will be confirmed before enrolment.

Can you deliver this programme for our team?

Yes, you can enquire about a tailored programme. Share your goals, group size and preferred dates with our learning team.

Will I receive a certificate?

Participants who complete the programme receive a Smart Horizon UK certificate of attendance. Smart Horizon UK programmes are not externally accredited and do not award a professional qualification, licence or designation. Where a course title or outline refers to a professional certification (for example, AACE International's Certified Cost Professional), the programme supports learning and preparation only; the credential itself is awarded solely by the relevant professional body under its own application and examination requirements.

What should I confirm before booking travel?

Please confirm the session, exact venue, accessibility arrangements, fees and any visa requirements with the team before arranging travel. Tentative dates are not confirmed sessions.

Keep exploring

Your next horizon awaits.

All courses

The full course agenda and dates are available above. Use the session links in Dates & venues to choose a session. Registration and quotation forms require JavaScript; you can also contact our learning team directly.