Ai123 session plan

Welcome everyone, and thank you for joining today’s session on Ai123!

Ai123 is an initiative by Neighbourly, in partnership with Microsoft, designed to give AI novices a solid foundation in artificial intelligence. This programme will help you gain the skills needed to us3 AI effectively, and for charities - support your organisation and communities in building knowledge.

By the end of this session, you’ll feel more confident about what AI is, how it works and how to apply it in a meaningful way. This training will equip you with the right content and approach to help others who are just getting started.

Let your learners know:

• If they have any questions, feel free to ask them during the session or save them for the end
• This session is interactive, so be ready to take part in discussions and activities.

Let’s get started!

What is Ai123?
Ai123 is Neighbourly’s volunteer-led AI training campaign, created in partnership with Microsoft. It’s designed for AI novices and aims to provide essential AI knowledge to volunteers and charity networks.

Why is this important?
Over 64% of small charities struggle to integrate AI because they don’t know where to start, lack resources, or don’t have the right support. This campaign helps bridge that gap.

How does it work?
You will be part of a ‘Train the Trainer’ model. This means you’ll learn AI basics and safety today, then utilise what you've learned and can pass on this knowledge by training other staff, volunteers or service users.

Who can take part?
This campaign is open to everyone—no prior AI or training experience is needed! If you already have AI skills, that’s great too—you’ll be able to refine your knowledge and help others get started.

The world of work is changing fast, and AI is at the heart of this transformation. In fact, 71% of employers now prioritise AI skills over traditional work experience.

Unfortunately, small charities and community organisations often lack the resources and time to keep up. Without access to AI knowledge, they risk falling behind. Also - the digital divide is growing—8.5 million people in the UK still lack basic digital skills.

That’s why we’re here today. We’ll break AI down into simple terms and provide you with practical knowledge to share with others. By the end of this session, you’ll have the skills to help charities (and yourself!) understand AI and use it effectively in work and everyday life.

AI is best thought of as a helpful assistant that learns from information to complete tasks. It can assist with things like writing, data analysis and pattern recognition, making work more efficient and accurate.

Chances are, you’re already using AI without even realising it! It’s built into everyday tools like spellcheckers, recommendation systems (such as Netflix or Spotify), and voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.

AI assistants come in many forms, including chatbots, virtual assistants, and integrated AI tools built into software and apps. These tools can help with tasks like answering questions, automating workflows and generating content.

When using AI, it’s important to choose trusted and reputable tools to ensure security and reliability. Not all AI tools are created equal, so always check reviews, privacy policies and terms of use.

Cost matters too! There are many free AI tools available for experimenting, which are great for getting started. However, paid options may offer more advanced features and better support, making them a worthwhile investment for organisations in the long run.

Think of AI like an intern—it’s helpful, but it still needs supervision!

Here are some key safety tips to keep in mind:

• What goes into AI stays in AI – Be mindful of what you share.
• Always review AI-generated content to check for accuracy and appropriateness.
• Never share private or sensitive information with AI tools.

Charities should also have clear guidelines on how they use AI. To help with this, we’ve provided a template AI policy designed specifically for charities. You’ll find it in the resource hub, which we’ll share with you after this session.

Being responsible with AI ensures it remains a powerful and safe tool for everyone!

AI's Boundaries: Discuss the limitations of AI, including its inability to fully understand human emotions, perform tasks requiring common sense reasoning, and guarantee 100% accuracy.

Hallucinations: Explain the phenomenon of AI hallucinations, where models generate outputs that are factually incorrect or nonsensical and users are required to double check outputs.

Context leaking: As chat interactions get longer, models often get confused and make mistakes - to avoid this, try using AI in "small chunks" by setting up different chat conversations.

Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered assistant built directly into Microsoft tools, helping users with tasks like writing, research and data analysis. It works in real-time, meaning you can get instant support while working in your documents, emails and spreadsheets.

One of the key benefits of Copilot is that it’s designed with business security in mind, making it a safe and reliable choice for organisations.

You can try Copilot for free at https://copilot.microsoft.com/—give it a go and see how it can simplify everyday tasks!

AI responds based on how you communicate with it—this is where prompts come in!

A prompt is anything you type to guide the AI, whether it’s a question, statement or description. The more specific and clear your prompt, the better the AI’s response.

Here’s an example of how prompts affect the quality of AI’s answers:

• Simple prompt: "create content for a social media post"
• Detailed prompt: "Create text for a social media post on Instagram. Talk about our upcoming social event in January where we redistribute food into vulnerable communities. Add a link to our website. Make the tone of the post friendly and inviting."

By using well-structured prompts, you’ll get more relevant and useful responses. In this session, we’ll explore how to craft great prompts.

Using clear and well-structured prompts leads to better AI responses. Here’s why:

• Avoids misunderstandings – Vague prompts can lead to irrelevant or incorrect answers or produce hallucinations
• Saves time – A well-written prompt gets you the right response faster, reducing back-and-forth adjustments.
• Reduces bias and misinformation – Being specific helps AI generate accurate and balanced responses.

By refining your prompts, you can get the most out of AI tools while ensuring the information you receive is useful, relevant and responsible.

To make AI easier to use, we’ve built a prompt library with a collection of ready-made prompts tailored for small charities and their communities. This tool helps charities quickly generate useful content with AI.

Let’s see it in action!

1. Select a category – For example, Environment.
2. Choose a role – Let’s pick Marketing.
3. Browse suggested prompts – Here’s a great one:
   • “Write social media posts about simple ways to reduce carbon footprint.”
4. Use the ‘Copy & Open’ button – This instantly takes you to Microsoft Copilot.
5. Paste the prompt and press enter – In seconds, Copilot generates multiple social media posts, complete with emojis and hashtags!

Let’s try another example:

• Keeping the Environment category, I’ll now select HR.
• One useful prompt here is: “Create safety guidelines for outdoor volunteering.”
• Again, clicking ‘Copy & Open’ lets me paste it straight into Copilot, and just like that, I have a set of ready-to-use safety guidelines!

You can explore even more prompts at https://hub.neighbourly.com/ai-prompt-library—it’s all available in the Ai123 resource hub. Give it a try and see how AI can support your work!

To make AI learning simple and practical, we’ve developed the Ai123 Framework—a structured 'Remember, Do, Share' guide to help individuals use AI effectively. You’ll find it in the resource hub, and it’s a great tool to share with others.

Here are some of the key things to remember:

🔹 Keep it simple – No need for technical jargon; use everyday language.
🔹 AI isn’t perfect – Always verify AI-generated information.
🔹 Protect privacy – Never share sensitive or personal data with AI tools.
🔹 Humans make the final call – AI is a helpful assistant, but decisions should always be made by people.
🔹 Ask AI to simplify – AI can break down complex topics into easier-to-understand explanations.
🔹 Use AI for support, not replacement – AI is great for brainstorming and assisting, but it shouldn’t replace human expertise or judgment.

You can access the Ai123 Framework in the resource hub for a more structured approach to AI learning. 

https://knowledge.neighbourly.com/your-ai123-framework

Ai123 is a ‘train the trainer’ programme, meaning the real impact comes when you share what you’ve learned—with colleagues, charities and your community.

🔹 Why it matters: AI literacy is a growing skill gap, and by passing on your knowledge, you’re helping to close it.

🔹 Take it step by step:

• Start small—try using AI for simple tasks like automating repetitive work or brainstorming ideas.
• Build confidence, then explore more advanced applications.
  🔹 AI is a tool, not a replacement: It won’t replace human skills, but it can enhance what you do.

For further learning, visit the Ai123 resource hub to access courses, articles and hands-on tools to deepen your understanding and support others on their AI journey.

Thank you for being part of Ai123—your efforts make a real difference! 🚀