Adopt · Workflows
AI workflows for real work
Do a real task with AI, step by step: the prompts to copy, the checks that catch its mistakes, and what the evidence says.
Every workflow gets a plain call. Prompt lists are everywhere; we tell you how to catch the errors, what studies found and how to measure it yourself. No AI company pays us.
The first workflows
Try with checksResearch a question with AI and check the sourcesGet to a sourced answer without passing on something the AI made up.Any roleTry itEdit and tighten your own draft with AIClearer writing that still says what you meant, in your voice.Any roleTry with checksWrite a first draft from your own notes with AIGet past the blank page, from material you already trust.Any roleTry with checksGet unstuck with software or a computer problemWork through a problem yourself, and know when to stop and call IT.Software and ITTry with checksPlan, write and test a code change with AIMove through well-defined changes while keeping the understanding and the tests in your hands.Software and ITTry with checksDraft marketing materials with AI and check every claimMore options to choose from, with no claim you can't support.Marketing and communicationsTry with checksClean a spreadsheet and analyse it with AIA first analysis, with the answer checked by a route that doesn't depend on the AI.Data and researchTry with checksPressure-test a business plan or decision with AIFind the weak points before someone else does. AI challenges your plan; you make the decision.Management and operationsTry with checksTurn your findings into slides and visuals with AIFrom findings to a clear deck, with the numbers still right.Design and creativeTry with checksTurn notes and records into minutes or a report with AIA good first version of routine paperwork that you were there to check.Office and adminTry with checksDraft a customer reply with AI that a person reads before it goesReplies that can be quicker and more consistent, with a person answerable for each one.Customer serviceWaitShould AI screen or rank your job candidates? Not yetWhy we say wait, and how to use AI in hiring without letting it decide who gets through.People and HR
How we make the call
| A mistake would cost little, and you would spot it quickly | Try it |
| Anything in between: worth trying, with the specific checks on the page | Try with checks |
| A mistake could do real harm and a person could not reliably catch it; or the studies point to it making things worse; or rules apply that most organisations are not set up to meet | Wait |
Two coders judge each workflow separately, on how bad a mistake would be and how easily it could be caught. If they disagree, the stricter answer stands. The call answers "should I try this today?" It is not a rating. "Try it" can sit beside "not enough evidence yet", and evidence can stop a use but can never make a risky one safe. Ratings are on What works.
Measure it yourself
People often misjudge how much AI helps them. Our self-test lets a coin flip decide which of your next 10 tasks use AI, and compares the results. Nothing leaves your browser.
What comes next
We chose these first because they are what people use AI for most at work, going by Claude.ai and Bing Copilot data, with no more than two from any one area. How that use compares with the evidence. Teaching, sales, translation and training guides come next. Legal, finance, health and public-service workflows need more care, and come after those. Tell us what you would like to see.
Written by AI Adoption's editors as our own recommendation, last checked 5 November 2026. It has not been reviewed by an outside practitioner. Before publishing, we ran its prompts once on made-up samples with a second AI model, also from Anthropic. That is a check on the wording, not a test of whether the workflow works for you. Disclosure: AI Adoption uses AI tools in its research and editorial work, including Claude from Anthropic. No company has any say in this page. Reuse under CC BY 4.0. Spotted an error? Tell us.