Introduction

So, I just finished completing the world’s first ever AI consulting micro-internship, thanks to a collaboration between University of Liverpool and the company Accenture; the organisation has over 779,000 employees on a global scale, having served over 9000 clients across more than 120 countries. This course was freely provided as an opportunity for the merging of consulting with AI tools that help further its development. While I never learned Business at GCSE or A-Level, I’m confident that those who did will gain more from this experience than I would as a Media undergraduate keenly interested in artificial intelligence. Despite this, I still found it enriching in furthering my understanding of how to approach AI prompting and being persuasive through presenting and rhetoric.

To start, I should give a little more information on what the programme entailed. It was a 4-week, online consulting experience between the 3rd and 28th November (currently written on 26th as I finished my final submissions before the deadline). Each week was divided into modules, but it began on 27th October with onboarding, providing context about Accenture. The course was designed to offer experience in “what it’s like to solve real business challenges” by “learning the fundamentals of consulting and the role AI plays in driving innovation, before applying key frameworks to explore how consultants approach complex problems”.

To do so, we were given an array of client briefs to choose from, each relating to a key industry sector and approaching said brief with research, creativity and an AI toolset. This submission would be in the form of a written report and presentation, designed to “showcase your consulting potential”. The frameworks we learnt were the 5 Whys, Root Cause Analysis and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), with SWOT being the one I was most familiar with after applying it in my Computer Science coursework. I also think after this that SWOT is the most transferrable for me as a media student, since it can be used to evaluate the credibility of sources.

Another thing I got to learn is how to perform prompt engineering, which is the skill of crafting precise questions and commands to guide AI tools in generating accurate and useful responses. In other words, learning the best way to get a productive answer from AI. My 3 tips for prompt engineering effectively is:

• Have clear, specific responses
• Provide context, since the AI can be more accurate and personalised to you
• Request a desired format (e.g – unstructured table, paragraphs, step-by-step guide, bullet points)

After, I got to use the skills gained so far to tackle a real client brief, offering a chance to “develop an innovative, AI-informed solution”; this is what provided me with the chance to write my written report and PowerPoint presentation. Like I stated beforehand, there were several briefs to choose from. I chose to do mine on the Creative and Digital Sector, which focused on Baltic Creative CIC. Specifically, it tasked me to develop a marketing plan which would integrate a brand identity for a new location outside of the Baltic Triangle that resonated with local communities. I really enjoyed getting to research the company to get a broader understanding of their goals and motivations, personalising my advice to them within my work.

The main challenge for the company’s attempts to market itself was a need to preserve its robust identity whilst appealing to new consumers, geographically restrained to the Baltic Triangle. While I did find it difficult to write about due to its clear business focus, I still managed to use my initiative and draw logical conclusions based on my time studying A-Level Media. To be precise, I drew inspiration from when we did the film industry and covered how Black Panther marketed itself. This made me consider social media as a key marketing tool, as well as synergy and staff training. I was also able to discuss Mayor Rotheram’s ‘Merseyrail for all’ commitment to reach net-zero by 2035, something which I think was crucial in the brief’s reference to sustainable marketing.

Also, I did really appreciate the structure and guide provided for how to tackle the report and presentation, since I didn’t understand terms like ‘executive summary’ and ‘implementation approach’ at the time.

Conclusion

Overall, I would say that the experience was enjoyable, however I did feel a little alienated due to having no substantial experience of business concepts. I would recommend if you enjoy business and especially if you like learning about AI’s role within shaping the fundamentals of business.

Any questions? Feel free to contact me via johnjoyce4535@gmail.com!

Check out my last piece: I’m Scared I’ll Never Leave Again – The Nottingham Reunion

To read more about what’s happening on campus, check out the following link:

https://www.liverpoolguildstudentmedia.co.uk/category/on-campus