👨‍🚀 How top companies are increasing AI usage among employees

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Hi AInauts,

Welcome to the latest edition of your favorite newsletter!

In addition to an exciting update for AI image editing, this time we have practical tips for anyone who wants to take the AI usage of their organization to the next level.

Here's what we have in store for you today:

• 🤯 UPDATE: "Secret" image editing model now available free of charge

• 🔥 How top companies are increasing AI usage among employees

• 💭 HeyGen makes your avatar even more realistic

Let's go!

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🤯 UPDATE: "Secret" image editing model now available free of charge

We have to start right away with a great update. Last week, we wrote about AI image editing.

In addition to the already well-known FLUX Context and Qwen models, an unknown model with the code name "Nano-Banana" went viral on LMArena.

Now it's official: the "secret" Nano-Banana model comes from Google and is also available directly from Google Gemini.

The best part: it's currently free to use for everyone!

You can try it out in the Google Gemini app here, or in the AI Studio.

Simply upload your image, write what you want to change, and it will be created.

The results are truly remarkable and will transform many areas.

Here are a few examples:

Ads:

Comics featuring our Nauti:

Or edit a selfie of yourself.

→ Click here to try it out! It's really fun.

🔥 AI adoption framework: How top companies are increasing AI usage among employees

We talk to lots of entrepreneurs, executives, etc., and often hear the same question:

There are also statistics to back up that dilemma. And they are brutal:

Only 8% of employees use AI on a daily basis!

The rest? They tried it out, found it "quite nice," and went back to their old workflows.

We have therefore spent the last few weeks developing a framework that addresses precisely this issue.

It incorporates best practices from top companies in this field, such as Shopify, Zapier, Whoop, and Ramp, as well as insights from experts like Peter Yang.

As always, we placed great importance on practicality and simplicity!

Below, we will briefly introduce you to the framework with a few practical examples—greatly abbreviated, of course, because it is quite extensive.

The framework: WHY → WHAT → HOW

At first glance, it sounds too simple. But it's used so often for a reason. It's powerful!

Don't worry, we're not talking about abstract visions and values blah blah blah. Here's what's behind it all:

WHY – The wake-up call

"We are now AI-first" is the new "We need to become more digital." It sounds good in a boardroom presentation, but for employees it means absolutely nothing.

People do not change their behavior for abstract concepts.

They change it for:

• Personal gain ("It makes my job easier")

• Fear of loss ("Without this, I'm left behind")

• Social pressure ("Everyone else is doing it")

As a founder, managing director, or team lead, you need to give your team the why.

Many start here with a "Code Red" moment.

Example Zapier: CEO Wade Foster declared an "all hands on deck" moment back in March 2023 after ChatGPT's launch. The message: "This changes everything. We have one week to understand how."

WHAT - Which topics

"The main thing is that we use AI" is like "The main thing is that we have a website." Yes, fine. And now what?

In the "What" section, we deal with which topics, processes, and workflows we want to tackle specifically. And, of course, what does NOT need to be supported by AI.

This is about prioritization. You can't do everything at once. We have developed a questionnaire and matrix for this purpose. But essentially, you can always start with the question:

What are the high-volume tasks that are very repetitive and time-consuming?

HOW - The 5 pillars of execution

This is the actual core and main part of the framework. This is where implementation takes place.

It consists of five pillars. For each pillar, there are several tactics and things that you can and should implement.

Here are the five pillars, each one with a specific example:

1. Explain – but properly Wade Foster (CEO of Zapier) shows how it's done: after ChatGPT was launched, he gave everyone a week off. The task: "Find out how this will change our business." Then everyone shared their findings. The result: a time saving of 10 hours per sales rep today.

2. Measure & Reward Tobi Lütke (CEO Shopify) integrated AI usage into performance reviews. 1-5 scale: "How well does this person use and share AI workflows?" Signal to everyone: This is now important for your career.

3. Enable - Eliminate red tape Luis von Ahn (CEO Duolingo) offers a $300 AI budget per employee, no approval required. Plus "FriAIdays" - every Friday, two hours dedicated solely to AI experiments. Cost: Marginal. Impact: 50% increase in output.

4. Activate champions At Ramp, an "AI SWAT team" identifies the biggest time wasters in each department and develops solutions. The champions gain extra visibility with leadership. Message: AI skills = career boost.

5. Prioritize – The leader shows how it's done Hilary Gridley (Head of Product, Whoop) shows how it's done: When someone comes to her with a problem, she says, "Let me show you how I solve this with AI." Screen share. Live. Message: If the boss does it, it's important.

These are just a few examples of possible tactics that will encourage your employees to use AI more and better.

Your 3 Leadership-Actions this week

Want your team to use more AI? Here are three possible actions for this week.

• Action 1: The "Code Red" moment. Write a memo (max. 1 page): "Why AI is critical for us NOW." Be specific. Be painful. Set a deadline. Send it out on Monday.

• Action 2: Identify quick wins. Ask your top 3 performers: "What takes up most of your time?" Pick ONE process. Assign someone to build an AI workflow for it. This week.

• Action 3: Create visibility. Next all-hands meeting: Show an AI win YOURSELF. 5 minutes. Live demo. No slides. Show that YOU mean business.

Let's go!

P.S. Should we organize a webinar to describe and review the framework? Just let us know if you are interested— if there is sufficient interest, we will arrange one.

P.P.S. We are also considering setting up a small group of entrepreneurs, managing directors, and executives (max. 8 people) who want to work with us to promote AI adoption in their teams. In addition to input and guidance from us, the exchange of ideas and experience within the small group will also be an enormous-added value.

If this is of interest to you, let us know!

💭 HeyGen makes your avatar even more realistic

Finally, a quick update from HeyGen. We know that many AINAUTS use the tool for their avatar and social media videos.

With this update, your avatar will now be even better and more realistic!

To be honest, sometimes it's impossible to tell what's original and what's an avatar. (The dangers associated with this are another matter entirely...)

HeyGen is now combining its digital twin technology with the most advanced avatar model available: Avatar IV.

This makes AI avatars virtually indistinguishable.

• Better voice and tonality

• Emotions in gestures and expression, based on the script

• Full-body movements are now more natural too

It's super easy:

• Record a 2-minute video of yourself

• Look into the camera while doing so.

• Upload it under My Avatar - Digital Twin

• Then go to AI Studio

• Activate the Avatar IV toggle

You can try it out here! Have fun.

We made it! But no need to be sad. The AInauts will be back soon, with new stuff for you.

Reto & Fabian from the AInauts

P.S.: Follow us on social media - it motivates us to keep going 😁!
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