AI for PowerPoint: better slides, faster

AI is most useful for PowerPoint before you open PowerPoint: it helps you work out the story, draft tight slide text and write speaker notes, so you spend your time on the message and not on the blank slide. You do not need design or coding skills.

This guide shows a simple process for building a presentation with AI, what to check, and where the tools still need a person.

Key facts about our free AI workshop

• Free, live on Zoom, every weekend
• 3 hours, 12:00-15:00 SAST (10:00-13:00 UK, 11:00-14:00 CET), on Saturday or Sunday (you pick one)
• ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini on your own work
• No coding needed

How can AI help with a presentation?

Think of a presentation in three layers, and use AI on each:

• The story. What the audience needs to know, in what order, and what you want them to decide or do.
• The words. One idea per slide, short headings that say the point, and speaker notes for the detail.
• The look. Layouts, icons and images, where tools such as Copilot in PowerPoint, or image generators, can give you a starting point.

Most weak presentations fail on the story, not the look. Start there.

How do I get AI to outline a presentation?

Give it the same brief you would give a colleague:

1. Who the audience is and what they already know.
2. How long you have, for example 10 minutes and about eight slides.
3. The one decision or action you want at the end.
4. Your source material: paste a report summary, notes or key figures you are allowed to share.

Ask for a slide-by-slide outline with a heading that states each slide's point. Then push back: "Which slide could I cut?" and "What question will the finance director ask on slide 4?"

No coding needed. Join live: the questions and breakouts only happen live, and you leave with something you can use on Monday. Save my free seat.

Can AI write the slide text and speaker notes?

Yes. Once the outline is right, ask for slide text of no more than three short bullet points per slide, and separate speaker notes of about 80 words per slide in plain spoken language. Read the notes aloud. If a sentence is hard to say, it will be hard to hear, so ask for a simpler version.

Check every number and claim against your source. AI can round a figure, swap two years or add a fact that sounds right but is not in your material.

Can AI design the slides for me?

Partly. Copilot in PowerPoint, where your employer provides it, can turn a document or outline into draft slides. Other tools can suggest layouts or make images from a description. Treat the result as a first draft: apply your company template, remove decoration that does not help the point, and make sure charts show the real numbers. Our guide to Microsoft Copilot explains what to ask your IT team about access.

Can AI help me make charts from my data?

It can suggest which chart fits your point and help you prepare the data. A line chart shows change over time, a bar chart compares categories. Build the chart in Excel or PowerPoint from your own figures, so you know every value is right. Our guide to AI in Excel covers preparing and checking the numbers.

How do I rehearse a presentation with AI?

Once your slides are ready, paste in your speaker notes and ask the AI to play a sceptical member of the audience. Ask for the five hardest questions someone in the room could ask, then practise your answers out loud. You can also ask it to time your notes: at a normal speaking pace most people say about 130 words a minute, so a 10-minute talk needs roughly 1,300 words of notes, not 3,000.

Finally, ask for a one-paragraph summary of the talk. If the summary does not match the point you meant to make, the story needs work before the slides do.

What should I keep out of AI tools?

Confidential client information, unreleased financial results, staff details and anything your employer has not approved for the tool you are using. Describe the structure of the data instead, or use made-up figures to get the layout right. In South Africa, personal information is covered by the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). This is general information and not legal advice.

What does the free workshop cover?

Over three hours on Zoom you work through choosing the right tool, writing prompts that work, researching and drafting quickly, getting answers from your own documents, making images and slides, building your own AI assistant, automating a repetitive task, making a simple web app without code, and understanding AI agents. You leave with a 30-day plan. Our hosts have taught more than 12,000 people.

It runs every weekend, on Saturday and again on Sunday, so you can pick the day that suits you. The times are set for South Africa, and the UK and Europe times above work for learners there too.

No coding needed. Join live: the questions and breakouts only happen live, and you leave with something you can use on Monday. Save my free seat.

Frequently asked questions

Can ChatGPT make a PowerPoint presentation?

ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can outline a presentation and write the slide text and speaker notes. You then build or polish the slides in PowerPoint, or use Copilot in PowerPoint if your employer provides it.

What is the best way to start a presentation with AI?

Start with the story, not the slides. Give the AI your audience, time limit, source material and the decision you want, and ask for a slide-by-slide outline.

Do I need design skills?

No. AI gives you a structure and a first draft, and your company template does most of the design work.