# The 2026 AI Starter: twelve starter briefs October 2026 edition. Checked on 16 Oct 2026. Free from Neosaipien under the free licence: use it, change it for your team and share it free, keeping the credit and the date. Please don't sell it. Full terms: LICENCE.txt, in the download. neosaipien.com How to use: copy only the text inside the box under a brief, fill the parts in [square brackets], and give it to your assistant. Set the level in the tool as well, not only in the words. Then run the check, which sits outside the box on purpose: it is for you, not for the AI. Levels: 1 Read (it reads and reports back here in the chat). 2 Draft (it saves a draft only you can see; nothing goes out). These briefs stay at levels 1 and 2. The five checks: The job. The facts. The steps. The changes. The sign-off. Every brief is an illustration of a common task and names no real company or person. Check your workplace's rules before you paste anything. Neosaipien is not affiliated with Anthropic, OpenAI or Google. ## Managers ### 01 Plan a meeting that ends in a decision Level 1, Read. ``` Goal: Draft an agenda for a [length] minute meeting on [date] that ends in a decision on [the decision]. Done looks like: For [who's in the room, and what each cares about]: a one-line purpose, three timed items, the exact question to answer, and what to read first. Context: [The options and any numbers], and [the notes from the last meeting on this]. May touch, must not: Use only what I paste, and reply here. Don't send invites or contact anyone. Limits: One page. Stop and ask: If the people in the room can't make this decision, say so first. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The job. The minutes add up to the meeting's length, and this room can answer the question. ### 02 Hand over a task Level 2, Draft. ``` Goal: Write a handover for [the task], which [first name] takes over on [day]. Done looks like: For [first name], who knows [what they know] but hasn't done [the new part]: what done looks like, the deadline, who to ask, what they can decide alone, and two things that could go wrong. Under 200 words. Context: [My notes, links and a past example of the finished task]. May touch, must not: Read those files and save one draft. Don't share it or message anyone. Limits: One draft. Stop and ask: If my notes leave out a deadline or an owner, ask me rather than guess. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The job. Read it as them on day one. Could you start without asking anything? Never paste: performance ratings, pay, health details or complaints about anyone on your team. ## Sales ### 03 Prepare for objections Level 1, Read. ``` Goal: Prepare me for the objections I may hear about [the offer] on [date]. Done looks like: For me, meeting [the buyer: a cautious finance director]: five likely objections, each with what might sit behind it, an honest two-sentence answer and a question to ask back. Context: The facts I can stand behind: [terms, timelines, what's included]. May touch, must not: Use only those facts, and reply here. Don't search the web or open my email. Limits: Half a page. Stop and ask: If an answer needs a fact I haven't given you, flag it instead of filling it in. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The facts. Every answer rests on the facts you gave it. Cut any promise or figure you can't back up. ### 04 Reopen a deal that went quiet Level 2, Draft. ``` Goal: Draft a short email to [first name], who went quiet after [the last step: our proposal], to get a clear answer, even if it's no. Done looks like: Under 80 words, no guilt and no checking-in opener, ending with one easy question they can answer in a line. Context: Our last exchange: [paste it, or point to the thread]. They're probably busy with [what you know]. May touch, must not: Read that thread and save one draft in my Drafts. Never send it. Limits: One draft. Stop and ask: If the thread shows they already said no, tell me instead of drafting. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The sign-off. The tone is one you'd use face to face, and you press send yourself. Never paste: another customer's prices or terms, or contact details your rules don't allow. ## Operations ### 05 Write up what went wrong Level 1, Read. ``` Goal: Help me write up [the incident: the late delivery on Tuesday], so we agree the cause and change [the one thing]. Done looks like: For [the operations team and our director], who want facts, not blame: what happened in time order, likely causes, what we'll change with an owner and a date, and what we still can't answer. Context: The timeline and messages: [paste, with personal details taken out]. May touch, must not: Use only what I paste, and reply here. Don't name or blame a person. Limits: One page. Stop and ask: If two messages give different times, show both and ask me. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The facts. Every time and event matches your records. Treat the causes as ideas to test, not findings. ### 06 Plan a rollout Level 2, Draft. ``` Goal: Draft a rollout plan for [the change: a new booking system], live on [date] without breaking [orders, payroll]. Done looks like: For [the people affected: 30 staff on two sites, some on nights]: phases with dates, who does what, how we tell people, the checks before each step, and how we go back if it fails. Context: [Dates, limits and who's involved], and [the calendar of holidays and busy weeks]. May touch, must not: Read those files and save one draft. Don't book, invite or message anyone. Limits: Two pages at most. Stop and ask: If a date clashes with a holiday or a busy week, flag it rather than move it. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The changes. One new draft, nothing booked or sent. Then give each task an owner who agrees. Never paste: door or alarm codes, system passwords, or staff home addresses. ## HR People's details stay out: a first name or a role is enough. ### 07 Explain a policy to a new starter Level 2, Draft. ``` Goal: Rewrite our policy on [the topic: expenses] in plain words for [first name, or the new starter], who joins on [date]. Done looks like: What they can do, what they need to do and who to ask, in under 200 words, with the steps as a list and a closing line saying the full policy is the one that counts. Context: The policy text: [paste, or the policy file]. May touch, must not: Read the policy and save one draft. Don't send it or open staff records. Limits: One draft, in about ten minutes. Stop and ask: If the policy is unclear or contradicts itself, quote both parts and ask me. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The facts. Read it beside the original. Every limit, date and condition must survive. ### 08 Find the themes in survey comments Level 1, Read. ``` Goal: Group these staff survey comments into themes, so [the leadership team] can pick [two or three] to act on. Done looks like: Five themes at most, each with a one-line summary, roughly how many comments fit and two short quotes, then the comments that fit nowhere. Context: The comments, with names and small-team details removed: [paste]. May touch, must not: Use only what I paste, and reply here. Don't guess who wrote a comment. Limits: Five themes. Stop and ask: If a comment raises a safety or wellbeing concern, flag it to me on its own. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The facts. Spot-check the counts, and find every quote word for word in the survey. Never paste: health, pay, disciplinary or grievance details, or anything that shows who wrote a survey comment. ## Marketing ### 09 Rewrite a web page for its reader Level 2, Draft. ``` Goal: Rewrite our page on [the service] for [the reader: someone comparing us with two others], so they see what we do and [book a call]. Done looks like: A headline under ten words, three short sections and one call to action. Every fact kept, none added. A draft copy, not published. Context: The current page: [paste, or its address]. May touch, must not: Read the page and save one draft copy. Don't edit or publish the live page. Limits: About the original's length. Stop and ask: If something looks out of date, flag it rather than fix it. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The facts. Compare it line by line: no new facts, no lost conditions, no new promises. ### 10 Plan a customer interview Level 1, Read. ``` Goal: Write questions for a [30] minute customer story interview with [their role] at [the kind of organisation]. Done looks like: Ten open questions in order, two follow-ups for the key ones, and a short note to send them first. No leading questions. Context: What we already know about their project: [paste]. May touch, must not: Use only what I paste, and reply here. Don't look the customer up or contact them. Limits: One page. Stop and ask: If the story would need a result or a figure, make it a question for them, not a claim. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The job. Every question is open and none leads. Any result or figure is asked about, never assumed. Never paste: unreleased plans, customer lists, or a customer's results they haven't approved. ## Finance Results, forecasts and contracts are often off limits: paste only what your rules allow. ### 11 Pull the money terms from a contract Level 1, Read. ``` Goal: List the payment dates, price rises, penalties and notice periods in this contract with [the other party], so [who will manage the account] knows what to track. Done looks like: A table: the term, what it says in plain words, the clause number and any date, with a clause number on every row. Say so if something isn't there. Context: The contract text: [paste, if your rules allow it]. May touch, must not: Use only this contract, and reply here. Don't fill gaps from other contracts or the web. Limits: One table, one page at most. Stop and ask: If a clause is ambiguous, quote it and ask rather than interpret it. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The facts. Open each clause number and read the original. The table is a map, not the contract. ### 12 Chase an overdue invoice Level 2, Draft. ``` Goal: Draft a reminder to [first name, their role] about invoice [number], so it's paid by [date] and the relationship holds. Done looks like: Under 100 words, polite and firm: the invoice number, amount, original due date and who to call. Leave a [how to pay] gap for me. Context: The invoice details: [paste, if your rules allow it], and [our credit policy for this stage]. May touch, must not: Read the invoice and the thread, and save one draft. Never send it or change the account. Limits: One draft. Stop and ask: If the thread shows a dispute or a promised payment, tell me instead of drafting. ``` > Your check, not part of the brief: The facts. The number, amount and dates are copied exactly, and the tone fits your credit policy. Never paste: bank or card details, payment links, or results that aren't public yet.