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How do I find workflows worth applying AI to?

Short answer: Run a structured audit of your daily and weekly tasks across three categories — collaborative AI, deterministic workflows, and multi-agent systems — to find where AI can save time, reduce errors, or automate entire processes.

The Full Answer

Most people adopt AI reactively — they reach for ChatGPT when stuck on an email or ask Claude to summarize a document. That's useful, but it misses the bigger picture. The Business-First AI Framework provides a structured three-step approach to this question — discover where AI fits, deconstruct those workflows into building blocks, then build.

A proactive, structured audit of your workflows will reveal opportunities you'd never notice in the moment: repetitive tasks that could run on autopilot, decisions that benefit from an AI collaborator, and multi-step processes that could be orchestrated end-to-end.

The key is thinking in three categories. Collaborative AI covers tasks where you and AI work together in real time — drafting, brainstorming, reviewing, analyzing. Deterministic workflows are repeatable processes with clear inputs and outputs that AI can execute reliably with little supervision — formatting reports, processing forms, generating routine communications. Multi-agent systems are complex workflows where multiple AI agents coordinate across steps — research-to-report pipelines, intake-to-triage systems, monitoring-to-response workflows.

To run the audit, use the Analyze AI Workflow Opportunities — a meta prompt that guides an AI through a three-step process: scanning what it already knows about your work, interviewing you to fill gaps, then producing a categorized report with specific opportunities and actionable first steps.

Once you've identified opportunities, use the Deconstruct Workflows to break individual workflows into AI building blocks and understand exactly where automation fits.

How to Get Started

  1. Enable memory in your AI tool of choice (Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini) so the AI can draw on what it already knows about your work
  2. Copy the prompt from the Analyze AI Workflow Opportunities
  3. Paste it into any conversation — the AI will scan its context, interview you, and produce a structured report
  4. Pick 1-2 opportunities to pilot first — don't try to pursue everything at once

Start with Collaborative AI

If you're new to AI, start with Collaborative AI opportunities — they're the easiest to try and lowest risk. Move to Deterministic Workflows once you've identified a process you repeat often. Explore Autonomous Agents when you have experience with the other two categories.

Key Takeaways

  • Don't wait for problems — proactively audit your workflows to find AI opportunities
  • Think in three categories: deterministic workflows, collaborative AI, and autonomous agents
  • Use the six use case primitives — content creation, research, coding, data analysis, ideation, and automation — to classify what type of work each opportunity involves
  • Use the Analyze AI Workflow Opportunities meta prompt to run a structured audit
  • The richer context your AI has about your work, the better the recommendations
  • Start small — pick 1-2 opportunities and pilot them before scaling