AI for Research and Decision-Making

Learning Objectives Use AI to compress hours of research into minutes Apply AI-assisted analysis to improve decision quality Know when AI research is reliable and when to dig deeper yourself The Research Time Trap How much time do you spend researching before making decisions? For most professionals, it is more than they realize: Preparing for a client meeting: 30 to 60 minutes of background research Evaluating a new vendor or tool: 2 to 4 hours of comparison research Writing a proposal or recommendation: 1 to 3 hours of supporting research Answering a colleague's question that requires investigation: 15 to 45 minutes AI can compress most of these by 60 to 80%. Not by doing the research for you — but by giving you a strong starting point that you verify and build on. Five Research Workflows The Quick Brief (5 Minutes) When to use: Before a meeting, call, or conversation where you need context. Give me a 5-minute brief on [topic/company/person/industry trend]. I am a [your role] and I need to [context for why you are researching]. Focus on: what I need to know, what has changed recently, and what the key debates or challenges are. Example: Give me a 5-minute brief on Snowflake's AI strategy. I am a data engineering manager evaluating whether to expand our Snowflake contract. Focus on: their new AI features in 2025-2026, how they compare to Databricks, and what customers are saying about the experience. The Comparison Matrix (10 Minutes) When to use: Evaluating options…