{"id":278342,"date":"2025-09-15T15:02:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T20:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dallasinnovates.com\/?p=278342"},"modified":"2025-09-19T16:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T21:22:40","slug":"dallas-regional-chamber-offering-human-help-to-talk-to-machines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dallasinnovates.com\/dallas-regional-chamber-offering-human-help-to-talk-to-machines\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Regional Chamber Offering Human Help to Talk to Machines\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Linda Braddy, CEO at the North Texas Region of the American Red Cross, heard about the Dallas Regional Chamber\u2019s AI Office Hours<\/a>\u2014where people can talk to human experts about using and implementing AI at work\u2014her interest was piqued. An early adopter, Braddy sees AI\u2019s biggest value in the efficiency it can create.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Linda Braddy<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI use it to summarize documents like monthly performance reviews,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, last year, using knowledge-based AI, which answers questions using only the data that Braddy has uploaded, she created a \u2018four box\u2019 of her achievements. Then she fed those documents into an AI tool and asked for a summary of her work, which she used for her year-end evaluation. The AI reduced a process that had taken three hours or more to minutes. \u201cI still edit, of course, so it sounds like me, but I\u2019m saving SO much time.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>She also started learning how to build her own tool, which is when she happened to see an email from the DRC, talking about its new service: AI Office Hours. It\u2019s dedicated time for members and nonmembers alike to get one-on-one help with an AI tool or clarify something they heard.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I thought, this is perfect,\u201d says Braddy. \u201cI\u2019ve taken some online courses, but being able to ask questions to a person who answers me right away? This is exactly what I need.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Braddy says she was impressed with the expertise of her AI Office hours consultant, and with the transparency in telling her if he didn’t know something.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Making AI work for everyone<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The DRC\u2019s AI Office Hours started quietly after <\/span>Convergence AI<\/span><\/a> in May and ramped up during the summer. To date, nine consultants have de-mystified AI one hour at a time, during forty sessions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both consultants who want to join as experts, and those who need help, can sign up and establish a date to talk on the <\/span>website.<\/span><\/a> The DRC knows that when technology evolves this quickly, the danger of leaving people behind is greater. It also knows that learning and applying a new skill takes repeated exposure, which is why AI Office Hours isn\u2019t a one-time service. Braddy was thrilled to learn anyone on her team can access it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI lessons from the Red Cross<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Armed with an AI consultant, Braddy has steadily been introducing the technology across the organization and believes other nonprofits could also benefit. In addition to performance reviews, she points to two areas where AI has quickly proven its value:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n