Guide to Hosting AI-Augmented Conversations
AI-augmented conversations integrate artificial intelligence tools into the full lifecycle of a discussion—from hosting and transcription to content creation and refinement. This approach streamlines workflow, boosts quality, and saves time while preserving human insight and oversight.
Step 1: Plan and Host the Conversation
Choose your platform. Select a video conferencing platform like Zoom that supports large audiences (up to 100 or more).
Set date and time. Ensure it works for your speakers, collaborators, and target audience.
Collaborate and assign roles. Consider inviting a partner organization and designating a skilled moderator to guide the first part of the conversation.
Require registration. This helps manage attendance and enables follow-up communications.
Develop guiding questions. Use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and FutureHouse to co-develop questions based on your goals. Revise collaboratively with your guest expert.
Structure the session. Plan for a 30-minute moderated conversation followed by open discussion or audience Q&A.
Step 2: Transcribe the Conversation
Record the session. Ensure audio quality is clear and saved in a format suitable for transcription.
Use AI transcription tools. Tools like Otter.ai can quickly generate an accurate transcript, typically within 10 minutes of uploading.
Edit lightly if needed. Correct speaker names and clarify unclear passages to prepare for analysis.
I used Otter.ai to generate in minutes a highly accurate transcript of a WAMC interview with Skidmore Consitutional law scholar Beau Breslin. (Click to enlarge.)
Step 3: Upload Materials for AI Analysis
Upload to a research assistant tool. Use NotebookLM or a similar platform to upload the transcript and other relevant documents (articles, bios, reports).
Build your briefing doc. NotebookLM will aggregate the content into a searchable “Briefing Doc,” providing context for content generation.
If you click on the above to enlarge it, you’ll see I’ve uploaded ten source documents for NotebookLM to consult in writing a feature on Beau Breslin that spotlights our conversation with him.
This is the top of an extensive ‘Briefing Doc’ an entire, well-organized aggregation of the ten documents I uploaded, laying out all of the material on which NotebookLM can freely draw upon when I give it the prompt I’ll ask ChatGPT to write for it.