Using AI to Boost Efficiency: A Guide for Washington Treasurers

Presented by Ashley Murphy, Kris HagelConference SessionFor WTA Conference

Using AI to Boost Efficiency: A Guide for Washington Treasurers

This presentation, delivered at the Washington Treasurers Association Conference on April 9, 2025, by Ashley Murphy and Kris Hagel from the Peninsula School District, focuses on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance efficiency in financial and operational roles within public entities.

Key Takeaways:

  • Generative AI Fundamentals: The presentation provides a basic understanding of generative AI and its capabilities.
  • Data Privacy as a Foundation: Emphasizes the importance of data privacy as a cornerstone of safe AI use, encouraging iterative experimentation with AI tools.
  • Amplify GenAI: Introduces Amplify GenAI as a secure platform for AI interactions and provides a link to Claude's system prompt documentation.
  • Prompting Best Practices: Demonstrates the progression from "good" to "better" to "best" prompts, showing how adding context and specificity significantly improves AI outputs. It also touches on prompting reasoning models.
  • AI Tools for Enhanced Productivity: Showcases several AI tools:
    • HeyGen: For creating AI-generated videos.
    • Synthesia.io: For creating AI training videos.
    • Notebook LM: For knowledge management and organization.
  • Practical Use Cases for Treasurers and Finance Professionals: Provides concrete examples of how AI can be applied to:
    • Disciplinary Letters & Letters of Reference: Generating these documents based on provided information.
    • Simplifying Complex Information: Making complex policies, procedures, or WACs easier to understand.
    • Interview Questions: Generating interview questions.
    • Presentation Feedback: Using AI to provide feedback on presentations.
    • Budget Breakdown: Analyzing department-level budgets using the School District Accounting Manual and Skyward reports, creating documents with visual aids and key takeaways.
    • Allocation Formulas: Developing formulas for building-level budgets, considering factors like poverty, diversity, and enrollment, and generating explanatory one-pagers.
    • Contract Analysis: Analyzing union contracts, vendor contracts, and field trip location contracts.
    • Investigation Notes: Summarizing and wrapping up investigation notes.
  • Recent AI Advancements: Highlights recent developments in AI:
    • Claude Computer Use: (Unspecified capabilities)
    • Deep Research (Perplexity.ai): Emphasizes deep research capabilities now offered by Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity.
    • ChatGPT Advanced Voice with Video: (With a link to an OpenAI demo on X)
    • Sourcetable.com: (Implied as a new tool)
  • PSD's AI Website (psd401.ai): Promotes the district's website as a resource for AI information and guidance.

Actionable Insights:

  • Cultivate an AI Mindset: Be curious and experiment iteratively with AI tools.
  • Prioritize Data Privacy: Always consider data privacy implications when using AI.
  • Master Prompting Techniques: Strive for specific and context-rich prompts to improve AI outputs.
  • Explore the Demonstrated Tools: Experiment with HeyGen, Synthesia.io, Notebook LM, and Sourcetable.com to see how they can enhance your workflow.
  • Apply AI to Financial and Operational Tasks: Use AI to streamline tasks like writing letters, generating interview questions, analyzing contracts, simplifying complex information, and creating budget reports and allocation formulas.
  • Stay Updated on AI Advancements: Keep abreast of new developments in AI, such as deep research capabilities and advanced voice/video features.
  • Visit PSD's AI Website: Explore psd401.ai for resources and guidance on AI in education, which can often be adapted for other public sector roles.

Looking Ahead:

This presentation provides a practical and actionable guide for Washington Treasurers to leverage AI for increased efficiency in their complex roles. By emphasizing data privacy, demonstrating specific tools and use cases relevant to finance and operations, and highlighting recent advancements, the presentation empowers attendees to confidently explore and integrate AI into their daily work. The presentation encourages a proactive and informed approach to AI adoption, positioning it as a valuable tool for enhancing productivity, streamlining operations, and improving decision-making within public entities. The closing remarks emphasize the importance of data structure and the potential for AI to improve interactions and understanding based on that data.