Maisha Unravels AI

Maisha L. Cannon is the dynamic founder of The Collab Lab, Inc. A trailblazer in the recruiting industry, her enthusiasm for learning and sharing knowledge is infectious.

Maisha has delivered powerful presentations at some of the most prestigious conferences in her field. She has captivated audiences at SourceCon (7x), Recruiters Network (6x), and Gem Summit (2x). 

As an industry leader, her expertise has been displayed in publications such as Recruiting Daily, Recruiting Brainfood, and SourceCon.

Maisha's inventive approach to talent sourcing has not gone unnoticed. She has been honored as a finalist in the SourceCon Grandmaster Challenge and as the third-place winner in the World's Greatest Sourcer competition.

At The Collab Lab, Inc., Maisha creates engaging learning experiences that empower professionals to enhance their skills at the intersection of talent development and technology. Maisha and I met through LinkedIn. I'm so grateful to be learning from her and sharing her expertise with you all!

About Maisha

Name: Maisha L. Cannon

Pronouns: she/her

Occupation: Founder, The Collab Lab, Inc.

Industry: Learning & Development

Location: Vancouver, BC Canada

AI Tools: 

• ChatGPT, Claude, Dalle, Findem, Lens, Loom AI, Perplexity, Pi, Scribe, Spotify AI DJ, Zoom AI Companion

How would you rate your AI knowledge?

I’m at a 5 and rising thanks to YouTube University and the independent research and exploration I’ve done.

What sparked your interest in AI?

Participating in the #100DaysofAI challenge back in May 2023 was a pivotal moment for me. 

Each day, I spent 30 minutes exploring different facets of AI, a nice mix of learning about its capabilities and testing them in real-time. 

Experimenting with AI art through Stable Diffusion truly captivated me—seeing my words transformed into images was magical.

What are you most excited about when it comes to AI?

How it can make our lives easier, more interesting, and more efficient.

For example, AI-driven personal assistants help streamline our daily tasks, from scheduling meetings to managing emails, allowing us more time to focus on creative endeavors or quality time with loved ones.

Maisha's 24 hours with AI

Here’s how a day with my AI allies might look.

MORNING:

Pi: Pi is a friendly and conversational AI that provides personalized guidance, support, and humor to brighten your day. I use it both on the web and on mobile. 

An early morning prompt I may use could look like: Hey Pi, suggest a daily affirmation that will help me stay focused and positive.

ChatGPT Plus (web): GPT (aka ChatGPTisha) is my AI bestie. I use it for so many tasks daily - both personal and professional. 

One way I like to use it in the morning is as an editor for my email/Slack replies.

✍️A go-to prompt is: Please review my email draft and suggest enhancements for clarity and impact. Use the BLUF technique.

Loom AI: Record quick videos while sharing my screen. The AI in Loom handles auto titles and provides timestamps with summaries. I especially love the filler word removal!

Claude: I use Claude to critique my business writing (email, proposals, reports). I like to ask for recommendations on how to improve. Then, I put the feedback into ChatGPT and have it make the recommended edits.

✍️Prompt: Please review the following text and provide feedback on areas that could be improved in terms of clarity, structure, grammar, word choice, etc. Suggest specific edits or rewrites where appropriate.

AFTERNOON:

Findem.AI: I can spin up a quick search with natural language while helping clients search for candidates for open roles.

✍️Prompt: Business Analyst with Tableau proficiency and 5 years experience in Nashville, TN

Zoom AI Companion: With a simple click, I love knowing I’ll receive a meeting summary and can ask questions real time to make sure I’m not missing anything. It’s been a great supplement to my handwritten scribble notes!

Scribehow: Scribe helps me document team processes, build training docs, and capture workflows in seconds. 

It saves so much time that would otherwise be spent taking screenshots and getting bogged down in the minutia of formatting.

Perplexity: During my lunch break, I wanted to get some ideas for a summer vacation. 

✍️ Prompt: Best summer travel destinations with direct flight from Vancouver, BC

EVENING:

Dalle (pictured below): I wanted to whip up a cute image to send to my niece at the end of the school year.

✍️Prompt: Anime style Illustration of a nine-year-old African-American girl. She has brown skin, long braids with beads reaching her shoulders, and a bright smile. She's dressed in a very stylish outfit featuring boots, a skirt, and overalls. In her hands, she balances about 12 different awards with icons indicating achievements in academics, art, math, and science.

Google Lens: I was watching The 8 Game and wanted to see for myself what the Hangul handwriting said. I grabbed my phone, went to Lens, and hit translate. This is my favorite thing to do when watching reality shows from other countries.

No prompt needed, just point and click!

ChatGPT Plus Mobile (voice): Inspired by a friend, I now use GPT for a Daily Reflection Audio Journal.

After vocalizing my thoughts at different times throughout the day, I’ll typically ask for a reflection that I can consider or ask GPT to synthesize the day's themes as an ICF Coach.

✍️Prompt: How did today's experiences align with my personal and professional goals? What did I learn, and how can I apply these insights tomorrow?

Spotify AI DJ: I love music, so every day, in addition to my favorite tunes, I check out the AI DJ for a curated lineup of music based on my tastes.

I love that the voice of the DJ is an actual Spotify employee - the Head of Cultural Partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan.

No prompt needed, just one tap!

Last, but certainly not least, Maisha has created her very own prompting framework,  the ‘EASY AS P.I.E. PROMPT RECIPE.' Check it out here!

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I'm Amanda Halle, author of Unraveling AI. You can call me Amanda, Mands, or AJ (my middle name is Jane). I've been in and around the HR/people space my entire career and started my solopreneur journey 3 years ago. I focus on fractional people support, advisory in HR and AI, and project-based work primarily in the L&D niche from my years in leadership consulting and change management.