This session provides a practical introduction to generative AI tools for professionals. Participants will explore how AI can enhance everyday workflows.
Topics covered will include:
- using AI as a thought partner to generate ideas, explore different angles, and overcome creative blocks;
- accelerating your research process by searching the web for information and summarizing it to answer questions and surface relevant insights;
- drafting documents, refining prose, adjusting tone, and polishing content for different audiences;
- building presentations, creating visuals, and designing infographics that communicate complex information clearly;
- understanding the basics of how AI can help analyze datasets, identify patterns, and generate summaries that support better decision-making; and
- boundaries of AI capabilities and key data privacy and security concerns that every organization should consider.
Details
Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: Robins School of Business, University of Richmond
Fee: $300
Facilitator
M. Saif Mehkari is a Professor of Economics at the University of Richmond and co-creator of SpiderAI, the university's primary platform for delivering AI tools and large language models to the campus community. Saif brings experience in AI education through his work designing and leading several AI workshops and faculty learning communities at UR. He is also launching a new Generative AI course for Economics and Business students in Spring 2026, bringing practical AI applications directly into the business curriculum. Saif holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from The Ohio State University and a B.A. (with majors in Economics, Computer Science, and Mathematics) from Ohio Wesleyan University. He specializes in macroeconomics where he uses computational methods to solve models. His research has been published in top journals including Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Economic Theory, the European Economics Review, and Review of Economic Dynamics.
Registration