Getting Started with AI at VT

Start with one small, real task in HokieAI. You do not need to choose a model or learn every feature before you begin.

Try this today

1. Go to HokieAI and sign in.
2. Select New Chat.
3. Ask for help with a small, non-sensitive task: “Rewrite this three-sentence email so it is clearer and warmer, but still brief: [paste your draft].”
4. Read the answer, then reply: “Make it shorter and less formal.”

That one follow-up is the important part. You are steering a conversation, not placing a one-time order.

Start with a useful request

Give HokieAI three kinds of information:

• Context: What are you doing, and who is the result for?
• Task: What action should it take?
• Shape: How long should the result be? What tone, format, or constraints should it follow?

Compare these requests:

Weaker: Write an announcement.

Stronger: I’m coordinating an AAD workshop for faculty and staff. Draft a 120-word announcement that explains what attendees will practice and invites them to register. Use a warm, direct tone and end with a placeholder for the registration link.

This structure does not guarantee a good answer. It simply gives the conversation a useful starting point.

Two more you can paste in and adapt. Both tell the assistant what to do when it is unsure, which is the part people usually leave out:

Shorten a long thread: I’m going to paste a long email thread. Summarize it in five bullets: what was decided, what is still open, who owes what, any dates, and anything that needs my response. If something is ambiguous, say so instead of guessing. [paste the thread]

Clean up rough notes: Here are my rough notes from a meeting. Turn them into a recap under 200 words with three sections — decisions, action items with owners, and open questions. Use plain language and no filler. If an owner isn’t clear from the notes, list it as unassigned rather than picking someone. [paste your notes]

Improve it through conversation

Treat the first response as a draft. Correct what is wrong, add context you left out, or ask for a different structure or tone. Try follow-ups such as “Put the action first,” “Use plain language,” or “Give me two alternatives.”

You remain responsible for the result. Before you use or send it, verify names, dates, numbers, quotations, policies, and other consequential claims against the real sources.

Turn one repeated task into a personal agent

When the same task keeps returning, save the pattern as a personal agent. Virginia Tech’s 4Help guide describes one as “a customized AI assistant” with instructions, knowledge, tone, and task focus.

1. Select Explore Agents.
2. Under My Agents, select Create.
3. Give the agent a unique name and select Let’s go.
4. Under Specific, describe its role, recurring task, desired output, and boundaries.
5. Test it with a representative request. Review the answer, then refine the instructions and test again.

For example, make a “Meeting Recap” agent that turns rough notes into a concise recap with decisions, owners, and open questions. For this first exercise, use non-sensitive sample notes and skip Knowledge Sources. Platform instructions, Add a chat starter, Search the Internet, and Sharing can wait until you have a clear reason to use them.

Use data deliberately

Virginia Tech’s AI tools and data-risk guidance says to “only use the lowest risk data that will still meet your needs.” Use the smallest amount of data needed, and remove or aggregate identifying details when possible. Honor research agreements and specialized requirements. If you are uncertain, ask AAD IT or the appropriate university data or security owner before adding the data.

Continue when you are ready

For model choice, files and images, web search, reasoning modes, reusable prompts, Skills, Artifacts, official agents, knowledge sources, and sharing, continue to Doing More with AI.

Questions? Open a ticket or email aadithelp@vt.edu.

Last updated: July 2026