AI for Business: Strategies, ROI, and Becoming an AI-First Organization
Ionuț Țurlea
Account Director | Head of AI @Essensys Software
Ionuț Țurlea is a seasoned Sales, AI & Business Development professional with a focus for helping organizations unlock the transformative potential of AI.
He focuses on driving measurable outcomes through strategic AI adoption and fostering organizational change. Ionut has guided companies and organizations in assessing ROI, scaling operations and integrating AI tools.
Currently acting as Accounts Director & Head of AI Initiative in Essensys, an enterprise-level technology company. Previously he founded a B2B2C tech startup.
Course syllabus
1
Session 1 - Introduction to AI in Business
• Discuss how AI has evolved and why it’s a game-changer in the business landscape • Introduce the concept of Large Language Models (LLMs) and how they work • Explore various use cases of AI in different industries • Discuss what makes AI models special and their ability to enhance productivity • Introduce the "three AI personas" (Assistant, Strategist, Creator) for productivity improvement • Setting Up an AI-Driven Workspace • Steps to select the right LLM for business use • How to handle sensitive data securely when using AI tools
2
Session 2 - Building an AI Strategy & ROI
• Discuss the three AI operating modes: Optimize (internal efficiency), Accelerate (improve products/services), and Transform (new products/services) • Brainstorm use cases for each mode • Developing an AI Strategy • Case studies of companies with effective AI strategies (e.g., Salesforce, Khan Academy) • The importance of focusing on ROI and managing pilots at team, division, and company levels • Calculating and Demonstrating ROI • Methods to measure the ROI of AI implementation, including time saved and productivity gains
3
Session 3 - AI as a Thought Partner & Prompting Workshop
• How to use AI for decision analysis, risk evaluation, and providing feedback on business strategies • Best practices for avoiding common pitfalls, such as AI hallucinations • Introduction to the prompt-building process: task description, context, role, specific requirements, boundaries, and reasoning • Explore different types of prompts (basic, focused, comprehensive) and their use cases
4
Session 4 - Embedding AI into Business Processes
• Discuss strategies for embedding AI into daily workflows and developing habits that support an AI-driven mindset • Scaling AI Across the Organization • How to pilot AI tools at the team level before scaling • Engaging stakeholders and securing buy-in for AI initiatives • Reality Check & Ethical Considerations • Address AI’s limitations, hallucinations, and the importance of human oversight
