In this episode of the AI Innovators Interview Series, we sat down with Martina Matthews, founder of Miss ChatGPT101, a consulting and education practice that helps business owners, students, nonprofits, and professionals build foundational AI literacy. Drawing on nearly twenty years in tech startups and executive operations roles, Martina is focused on making AI accessible, understandable, and practical for people at every skill level.
Below are the highlights from our conversation.
From Tech Startups to AI Education
With a Bachelor’s degree in computer science in hand, Martina began her career almost two decades ago during the early days at Chegg, an education tech start-up. That experience led to a tech start-up journey, and shaped her love for innovation and her interest in helping people adopt new technologies.
After years in operations, customer support, and customer experience roles, she stumbled into AI not through formal planning, but through curiosity. “Just out of normal tech curiosity, I started playing with ChatGPT. And I immediately started thinking through how this could have affected my day to day operations in my roles prior. And I thought, wow, this is the jackpot for everyone in business.”
What she found next surprised her. “So many people had not yet used any type of LLM. And their first question in meeting me was, I know I need to do something with AI because that is what I am seeing in the media, but I have no idea where to start.”
That gap inspired her to found Miss ChatGPT101, an initiative centered on demystifying AI for non-technical audiences.
Helping People Start With AI Where They Are
Martina spends most of her time teaching practical prompt engineering, foundational AI concepts, and simple workflows that build confidence and measurable value.
“There is so much value in just teaching folks how to prompt. Still to this day, people do not feel confident in their prompt skills. And that alone can save folks five to ten hours a week.”
She encourages people to experiment without fear. “It is just words. You cannot break anything. You cannot break any of your current processes. You cannot break any of your workflows.”
By starting with small, safe steps, individuals begin to see how AI connects to their work, their routines, and their biggest efficiency gaps.
Guiding Students Through the Future of Work
Martina also teaches and advises students at Governors State University, where she serves on the College of Business Advisory Board. Many of them express anxiety about whether AI threatens the value of their degree.
“They want to know how does this change what I have learned. The big question is, does this actually void everything I just learned over the last one to four years working towards my degree. Am I now irrelevant.”
Her guidance goes beyond technology. She teaches students how to show their work publicly and build a digital presence.
“You need to build a personal brand. You need to have a LinkedIn presence. If you are not on LinkedIn, create your GitHub portfolio or create a website, which anyone can create in 90 seconds using AI.”
Workflow Transformation and Real Productivity Gains With AI
Martina is especially passionate about helping professionals identify where AI can immediately reclaim hours of repetitive work. She shared how AI would have transformed her own executive workflow.
“Having been in executive leadership for 15 years, I had to do monthly reporting. All of that all in would take me about a week. And now if you leverage AI, you can really cut that down.”
She added, “You can really have a first draft of all of these things ready for you to review. I truly believe your time is probably spent dropping it down to less than half a day.” These types of time savings, she explained, are not hypothetical. They are available today with basic AI literacy and the right prompting.
AI as a Thinking Partner
One of Martina’s most relatable insights is the value of AI or anyone who struggles with starting points or blank page syndrome.
“Anybody that deals with blank page syndrome, using AI as your thinking partner is a big win. This is your sounding board and you do not have to agree with what it says, but having the conversations and getting some ideas is all you need to run with it.”
She even gives her chatbot a name to make the experience more natural. “I have named my ChatGPT, “Chatina”, and we have a ton of conversations on a daily basis.”
Practical Guidance for AI Adoption
Martina outlined three principles for anyone implementing AI in their work or business.
First, start with the problem. “Start with the problem first. Do not lean into an app or a software that you hear you need. Think through what your opportunities are for efficiency or impact.”
Second, build literacy before you attempt automation. “Educate yourselves before you automate. You do need to build it, you do need to review it, and then you need to get comfortable with what does and does not need review.”
Finally, treat AI as a tool, not a replacement. “It is going to get you closer. I think it gets you 80 percent of the way there for copywriting or outlining. Take that 80 percent as your personal assistant and then do the final review.”
Measuring AI Success in Organizations
When discussing how organizations should evaluate the impact of AI, Martina emphasized focusing on measurable productivity improvements.
“Being able to quantify how much time is saved per workflow or task. This should shave that time down significantly.”
She also highlighted adoption and usage as critical indicators. “A big one is the adoption rate and the active usage rate. Do not just purchase an AI tool to check the box. Who is using it.”
She noted that many companies fail because employees do not engage with new tools. “Employees are not using it. They are just “X-ing” it out and moving on. That is not okay.”
Martina also pointed out the cultural benefits of removing tedious work. “When employees are not drowning in mindless work, they are happier and they tend to stay at a company longer.” So AI can support employee satisfaction and retention.
Looking Ahead: AI Literacy, Upskilling, and Opportunity
Martina believes that the next few years will come down to AI literacy and willingness to adopt. “Everybody needs to start being open and adopting it.”
Even small adoption steps matter. “It does not have to be a revamp of processes. Even if they start with the individual’s output, it frees up the capacity of the smart people they hired.”
Freeing up that capacity unlocks new value. “If you have people busy fighting with PowerPoint slides, that is what you are passing up on. So do you want a pretty PowerPoint or do you want more revenue.”
Watch the Full Interview
To hear Martina Matthews’ full conversation on AI literacy, prompt engineering, student readiness, workflow transformation, and the future of work, watch the complete interview below.
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