The Best Way to Use AI for Presentations

Artificial intelligence is transforming every part of the presentation process, from the words that drive the story to the visuals that bring it to life. What used to take hours of drafting, editing, and formatting can now happen in minutes with the right AI tools.

Whether you’re outlining a keynote, designing slides, or refining a pitch, AI can accelerate your workflow and elevate the end result. But speed isn’t the whole story. The real opportunity is in how you use AI to think faster, explore more ideas, and present with greater clarity.

In this post, we will explore the best ways to use AI for presentations. You will see where it helps most, where to stay hands-on, and how to combine both AI and human effort for work that's faster to create and stronger to present.

What AI can (and can’t) do for presentation design

AI tools are powerful at the early stages of presentation work. They can generate outlines, summarize complex material, and suggest structure when you are staring at a blank slide. Feed a report into ChatGPT and you can get a concise deck summary in seconds. Use a visual generator to explore metaphors and imagery before committing to a design direction.

But what AI can’t do is make creative or strategic decisions. It can’t weigh the priorities of your audience, find the emotional core of a story, or judge when a visual feels off-brand. It also lacks the context that human teams bring to tone, timing, and persuasion, plus all the unspoken nuances and analysis that come from an experienced presenter who knows the topic, the brand, and the story.

So when you’re using AI to finish a presentation, think of AI as the production assistant rather than the creative director. It can accelerate research, formatting, and first drafts, but it needs direction and editing. The best presentations combine AI’s efficiency with human strategy, intuition, and taste. That mix produces work that feels fast to make and still distinctively yours.

How to use AI tools effectively for presentations

AI can make you faster, but it cannot replace the creative judgment that turns slides into a clear and convincing story. That’s why the best way to use AI in presentation design is to treat it as a brainstorming tool or sounding board, something you can actively bounce ideas off of and get feedback in real-time.

Start by understanding where AI adds value to your process. We find that its use-case is strongest in the early stages of work, like structuring ideas, summarizing long material, and generating visual directions. Tools like ChatGPT or VerdanaBold’s own PresentBoldly GPT can help you move from a blank screen to a structured outline or visual direction in minutes. These steps benefit most from automation because you are shaping possibilities, not final polish.

Once ideas take form, human input becomes essential. You decide which points matter, how to emphasize them, and what tone fits the audience. The same principle applies to visuals. Let AI suggest composition or imagery, but refine the layout, pacing, and brand details yourself.

Ultimately the right mindset is collaborative. Use AI to expand your range and remove busywork, not to outsource your creative thinking. If a tool saves time but flattens your message, it is solving the wrong problem. The best use of AI is acceleration that still leaves room for human intent, brand voice, and clear storytelling.

How to add AI to your presentation workflow

To get the most from AI, start by using it where it naturally fits into your creative process. The goal is not to hand off your presentation to a machine, but to let AI handle repetitive or exploratory work so you can focus on what makes the message distinct.

1. Clarify your purpose before prompting

Define your goal, audience, and core message before you open any tool. AI responds best to clear intent. A strong, one-sentence brief often leads to better results than a paragraph of vague direction.

2. Use AI to frame the story

Ask AI to outline possible structures or slide sequences. Tools like PresentBoldly GPT can generate frameworks that help you see the shape of a story before you start designing.

3. Draft supporting visuals

Use AI to generate concept images, diagram ideas, or layout suggestions. Treat them as rough sketches to inspire direction, not as final design work. Pro tip: don’t spend too much time on this step. If you try to get it perfect, you’ll never get anywhere.

4. Refine tone and flow

Once you have some content in place, either a written outline or some draft slides, AI can suggest alternative phrasing, shorten copy, or adjust tone once content exists. This is when you can start to edit the results carefully in order to maintain voice and accuracy.

5. Finish with human quality control

It’s common to reach the end of an AI-generated deck only to find that each slide sounds fine individually, yet the story feels generic overall. So before you hit save, check the logic, pacing, and design cohesion yourself. AI can accelerate production, but quality still depends on your judgment. Used this way, AI becomes a tool that sharpens your creative process instead of a shortcut that dulls it.

Common mistakes when using AI for presentations

AI can make presentation work faster and improve your content, but without some caution it can also make your story flatter. The difference depends on how you use it. Avoid these common traps if you want your work to stay sharp and credible.

Relying on automation instead of intention

AI can organize ideas, but it cannot decide which ones matter. If you skip the planning stage and let the model set the message, your slides will look organized but feel empty.

Using generic visuals or phrasing

AI tools often default to broad language and safe imagery. Review every suggestion and replace general terms with language that reflects your brand and audience.

Ignoring context and accuracy

AI can misstate data or over-simplify research, so verify every fact, number, and quote before adding it to a slide. We’re actually gonna repeat this because it’s so important: any time you ask an AI to calculate, research, or suggest content, you need to triple-check it for accuracy. Even simple facts can get skewed.

Skipping design review

Auto-formatted slides are convenient, but spacing, contrast, and alignment still need human attention. Consistency builds trust and helps you keep on brand in a way automation alone cannot.

The best presentations feel intentional because they combine human taste with machine efficiency. Treat AI as a collaborator, not a substitute, and your work will get faster without losing its edge.

FAQs: The best way to use AI for presentations

Can AI create an entire presentation for me?

It can, but the results are rarely ready to present. AI tools can organize content, summarize data, and even format slides, but they still need human editing for clarity and tone. Use AI to generate the first version, then refine it with your own insight and brand style.

What is the best AI tool for presentations?

The best tool is the one that fits your workflow. For quick outlines or copy development, general tools like ChatGPT work well. For design exploration, integrated tools inside PowerPoint or Google Slides are improving quickly. For guided creative support, VerdanaBold’s PresentBoldly GPT is designed to help teams combine AI efficiency with human storytelling expertise.

How can AI improve presentation design?

AI accelerates the early design process by auto-formatting slides, generating layouts, and suggesting visuals. It handles structure so you can focus on intent, tone, and persuasion.

Is using AI for presentations considered cheating?

Not at all. AI is a tool, not a shortcut. It saves time and removes friction so you can spend more effort refining ideas and connecting with your audience.

What’s the best way to prompt AI for better presentation results?

Be specific about your goal, audience, and outcome. A clear, focused prompt always beats a broad request. The stronger your direction, the smarter the results.

A presentation designer’s perspective

AI is changing how presentations are built, but great work still comes from clear thinking and deliberate design. The best way to use AI is not to outsource creativity but to amplify it: to remove friction, test new ideas, and sharpen the story you want to tell.

If you want to explore how AI can improve your workflow, try PresentBoldly, VerdanaBold’s custom GPT built for teams that care about clarity, strategy, and speed. It brings AI efficiency into the same design thinking that powers every VerdanaBold project.

At VerdanaBold, we see AI as an accelerant, not a replacement. The tools are getting better every month, but the teams who benefit most are the ones who use them with purpose. The best outcomes come from combining automation with the kind of strategic clarity that only humans bring. When you understand the strengths and limits of each tool, AI stops feeling like a shortcut and starts feeling like a force multiplier. That is the mindset that will define presentation design going forward.

About the author

Kyle Kartz is the Creative Director of Storytelling at VerdanaBold. He is an expert copywriter and strategist, with experience driving major campaigns for global brands in multiple industries. He is passionate about communications, the outdoors, and cooking.