How to Get a Competitive Edge at Work According to an AI Expert

There’s a lot of noise around AI right now—and even more confusion about what actually matters.

Thanks to Brittany Perlin Danishevsky, she’s debunking all the AI myths and setting us free with the facts. Brittany is a 2017 Fellowship Alum and in her words, “The program had such a big impact on me and my learning and my desire to grow, as an entrepreneur, intrapreneur, and solopreneur.” Psst….If you want to continue learning and growing, we have a new edition of Fellowship Academy (Sales and AI Edition) and Brittany will be joining as a speaker. 

Brittany is also an AI expert, has a Masters in AI Ethics and Society from the University of Cambridge, and works in Agentic AI deployment for Magical. She’s passionate about making sure we use AI in ethical and useful ways. In this guide, Brittany breaks down what AI actually is, how to use it thoughtfully, and any ethical concerns — giving you an edge in today’s job market. 

1. An AI Overview: Breakthrough the hype

So, what is AI? 

We hear so much about AI but what actually is it? Here are some definitions that might come to mind: neural network, large language model, generative AI, predictions software, algorithms, robots, Terminator, and extension of humans.

There are a lot of varieties and ways we use AI and it’s such a broad topic and that makes it difficult to cut through all the noise and hype and really understand “What is it that we’re actually talking about here?” or  “What are we supposed to use?” or “How is AI supposed to change my life?” or “What makes AI so harmful?”  Here’s the thing that makes it even more complicated: Everyone has their own definition of AI. 

Let’s ground ourselves in this definition: “An AI system is a machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers, from the input it receives, how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments. Different AI systems vary in their levels of autonomy and adaptiveness after deployment.” – Most recently updated definition from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)  

What do we know for sure about AI? 

• Employers want you to use AI to expand your abilities at work (most employees have some sense of AI fluency).
• AI trends and tools are constantly changing (hard to keep up).   
• The best way to succeed in an AI first world is using good old fashioned soft skills: critical thinking, creativity, and resourcefulness (human skills are NEEDED now more than ever). 

What do we not know for sure? 

• What tools and technologies will have the most staying power in the workplace and beyond. 
• How AI will impact hiring. We don’t know how it’s going to impact job loss and early career hiring.
• What the ethical impacts may be; the 880+ million ChatGPT users are essentially in a psychological experiment (we don’t know how it’s going to impact our brains). 
• Lots of unknowns. 

AI in the workplace: 

What employers expect: 

• Understanding augmentation versus replacement. As an employee, you’re not looking to completely give up your work to a machine, instead, you’re looking to find ways for AI to help you go faster or gain more information and to take your skills/experience to the next level. Employers want to hear about productivity gains/efficiency gains and they want to know how you’ve used it to become a better employee. ⭐ 
• Demonstrating judgement, not blind adoption: it’s not about saying “I use ChatGPT to write emails” instead you want to be able to have an opinion such as “I don’t like how ChatGPT edits my articles, so here’s a prompt I came up with so it does a better job.”  
• Speaking to experimentation and capabilities: employers want you to be able to speak to some experience of using AI in a way that is helpful, or not helpful, it’s about showing that you used AI for a problem and then reflecting on what worked/didn’t work (show that you’re learning through that). Demonstrate experimentation and coachability.  

AI in the job interview: 

Questions you may be asked: 

• How have you used AI in your work or studies? 
• Give an example of when AI improved your workflow 
• How do you stay current on AI developments 

Questions you can ask: 

• What does your AI stack look like?
• How can I personalize my stack for this role? 
• What guidelines exist around privacy and accuracy? 

Tips and tricks: 

1. You may never keep up with all the tools 
2. When repeating tasks, ask: “How can AI help?”
3. Know what GenAI is good for (and what it’s not)
4. Your human skills are your advantage: critical thinking, creativity, resourcefulness 

2. Stop, Think, Prompt: Making Smart Decisions with AI

GenAI is good at:

1. Summarization (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Notion AI)
2. Drafting content (Jasper, Copy.ai, Writesonic)
3. Rephrasing and translation (DeepL, Grammarly)
4. Code Generation (GitHub Copilot, Replit)
5. Idea Expansion (ChatGPT GPTs, Micro AI, Canva)

*You need a strong understanding of your goal and context to benefit the most 

What is your success metric? So important to know this

GenAI struggles with: 

1. Accurate factual recall – try asking for a URL or research paper (to back up what’s being said). 
2. Up to the minute information – limited by training cutoff
3. Understanding context/intent – easily misinterprets vague prompts
4. Original reasoning – imitates creativity, doesn’t originate it 

Best case: hallucinations and AI slop 

Worst case: harmful inaccuracies and misinformation 

The REAL problem: 

Most AI failures happen because: 

• The task was wrong
• The tool was wrong
• The output was trusted too much
• The human checked out too early 

Prompting is about decision-making across a workflow, not clever phrasing 

BEFORE you prompt: 

• Know your task and tool is (without AI), for example, are you summarizing, translating, or brainstorming new ideas 
• Define the task without mentioning AI
• Decide if AI should be used at all
• Understand the tool’s behaviour and limitations
• Identify risks: bias, privacy, misinformation 

During prompting: provide clear instructions and iterate

• State constraints and priorities clearly
• Expect the first output to be rough
• Actively counter vagueness and over-agreement 
• Use follow-ups to correct specific failures 

After you get output: Validate and Edit 

• Treat outputs as drafts, not answers
• Identify and verify claims 
• Edit for intent and context, not just grammar
• Be willing to discard entirely if misleading (just because AI wrote it, doesn’t mean it’s better than something you wrote)

🔥 Hot tip from Brittany: You should never start or end with AI (it’s there for the messy middle).

3. Just because you can: Ethical USe of AI in the Workplace

What are the risks and harms you’ve thought about with AI? 

• Environmental impacts
• Using AI as a therapist/dating coach/companion
• Plagiarism
• Losing our own ability to think 
• Bias

Any major change comes with both benefits and harms, so it’s important to consider these harms. 

Personal code of conduct

• Rather than solving “AI ethics” entirely, focus on your own principles. 

Important notes: 

1. Your code will evolve
2. Much of this is beyond your control (e.g. environmental impact and workplace) 

👀 Brittany’s code of conduct: 

• Never copy/paste code or text without reading and understanding it. 
• Don’t share private or personal information with AI systems
• Avoid using AI for therapy or companionship
• When possible, pay people instead of using AI
• Regular check in: what skills am I maintaining vs. over-relying on AI for?
• Stay informed about impacts, but don’t let it become constant stress

👉 Building your code of conduct:

Questions to guide you:

• What matters to you? For example: creativity, efficiency, learning, privacy, impact
• Where do you want to maintain human skill and judgement? 
• What would using AI in alignment with your values look like? 
• Where do you have actual agency? 
• What kind of leader do you want to be? 
• Where can you guide AI culture at work and beyond? 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”- Margaret Mead 

AI isn’t about replacing your work—it’s about how you choose to use it.

The people who will stand out aren’t the ones using AI the most, but the ones using it strategically. That means knowing when to use it, when to question it, and when to rely on your own thinking.

Because in an AI-first world, your real advantage isn’t the tools—it’s your human skills. 

About Fellowship Academy: Sales & AI Edition 

In just six weeks, you’ll gain practical, employer-valued skills in sales and AI, sharpen your entrepreneurial and human judgement, and learn directly from founders, operators, and leaders shaping Canada’s innovation economy. This isn’t theory-based—you’ll build portfolio projects, apply AI-powered workflows, and develop the confidence to make an impact from day one. If you’re ready to stand out in a competitive job market, step into a growth role with momentum, and plug into a 500+ peer network, this is your starting point.

When: April 18 – May 28th, 2026 (6 weeks)

Where: Hybrid – one in-person launch weekend in Toronto + virtual workshops

Who: Recent grads and early-career professionals (21–33) ready to break into startups and SMEs

Price: $699 CAD 

Apply here →