AI adoption is accelerating across organisations, but effective use remains inconsistent.

Increasingly, it is not access to tools that matters, but how they are used in practice.

What separates a serious practitioner from a casual user is the discipline applied to them: The quality of prompts and the consistency of how outputs are tested, refined and integrated into everyday work.

As AI becomes embedded in the workplace, the most valuable users are those who approach it with structure and intent.

Deloitte UK appoints first chief AI officer

This article outlines five practical habits that can improve the quality, reliability and security of AI use in day-to-day operations.

1. Network drives are out

The era of shared network drives is behind us. Get into the habit of saving documents to a cloud location (OneDrive, Sharepoint, Google Drive) so that AI agents can easily access the data they need.

Beyond access, cloud storage also means your files are always the latest version. AI tools working from outdated files stored locally or on a network drive can produce inaccurate or misleading outputs, which defeats the entire purpose.

A few good habits to adopt:

  • Agree a folder structure with your team so AI agents know where to look. A messy, unorganised cloud drive is only marginally better than a network drive
  • Name files clearly and consistently. AI tools navigate by file names, so ‘Final_v3_ACTUAL_final.doc’ is not helpful
  • Archive old versions rather than keeping multiple copies of the same document, to avoid the AI referencing outdated material.

 

2. Get used to writing prompts

Prompts need to be crafted carefully. Giving an AI tool vague or generic instructions won’t produce the best results.

Consider the difference between these two approaches:

  • Weak prompt: Write me a summary of last month’s sales report;
  • Strong prompt: Summarise last month’s UK sales report in three bullet points, highlighting the top-performing product, the weakest region, and any month-on-month trends. Keep the tone professional and concise.

If you’re not sure, you can use the prompt coach function in co-pilot.

3. Don’t start too big

The temptation when first building an AI agent is to solve a complex, high-impact problem straight away. Resist it. Start with something small and well-defined such as automating a routine report, and get that working well first. Once you have a functioning agent, extending its scope is relatively straightforward.

Starting small also means that when things go wrong (and they will), the consequences are manageable and the problem is easier to diagnose.

4.Use it in everyday life

Getting comfortable with its use is key. A good place to start is finding ways to make your personal life more efficient. Building simple agents in your personal life removes the pressure of professional consequences and lets you experiment freely.

You might use it to:

  • Monitor your gym workouts;
  • Provide you with daily news summaries;
  • Plan your weekly meals and generate a shopping list.

5. Practice safe use

AI is only as trustworthy as the platform you’re using it on.

Many general-purpose chatbots use the conversations you have with them to train future models, meaning anything you type could, in theory, become part of the model’s future outputs for other users.

Sensitive client data, internal financials or personal information should never be entered into an unsecured AI tool.

Before using any AI platform for work, check your firm’s policy on which tools are approved for use.

Enterprise versions of tools like Microsoft Copilot or Claude for Teams are designed for data privacy.

If your firm doesn’t have an AI policy yet, make it a priority to get one in place.

The risk of an employee inadvertently causing a data breach through casual AI use is very real, and growing.

The AI Reckoning: How does business win the race?

To summarise – the gap between those who use AI well and those who don’t is widening fast but becoming an effective AI user doesn’t require a technical background, it comes down to a handful of deliberate habits practiced consistently.

Get your data in order, learn to write a good prompt, start small, and use it regularly enough that the tools become second nature. And, crucially, never overlook the security concerns.

For a business owner, the consequences of getting that wrong can be significant.

The businesses that will get the most from AI are those that take the time to learn how to use it properly.