Members Only | 08.11.25
How MSPs Can Thrive With Artificial Intelligence: Embracing a Growth Mindset
By Alison Webster, MBA, CPCS, CPMSM, CPHQ, FMSP
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere! It is transforming how we work, collaborate, and innovate. For MSPs, staying informed and adaptable is essential. Embracing a growth mindset allows us to meet these changes not with fear but with curiosity and confidence.
When I saw that my employer was offering a continuing education course on “AI prompting”, I quickly signed up, hoping to catch up or maybe even get a little ahead of things. Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned a lot and have been amazed at the potential of generative AI. In this article, I’ll share key insights from that experience and encourage all MSPs to further explore AI with purpose and confidence.
Key Lessons From the Course
Although AI has been around for decades, generative AI is a new form that can produce original content. First, we learned how it works — and how fast it is changing; every week brings something new. Standalone generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, offer direct access to large language models (LLMs). LLMs are systems trained on vast amounts of text data to understand, predict word sequences, and generate human-like responses. A very simple example could be “burger + coke + (what word comes next?)”. The LLM is trained on vast amounts of data, so it immediately recognizes that “fries” is the most commonly occurring word that comes next in the word sequence — and so it goes.
While we learned about many different AI tools, ChatGPT Plus was the hands-on tool that we used most frequently for our homework assignments. My favorite homework assignment was to create a custom ChatGPT, which is like creating a personalized chatbot. I built my custom ChatGPT on our medical staff bylaws, rules, and regulations, and named it “Bylaws Assistant”. I can now ask my “Bylaws Assistant” any question about our bylaws or rules and regulations content. It quickly generates the answer, quoting the section and page number each time. I’ve since built other custom GPTs that help me in my day-to-day work.
When asked what my biggest takeaway or “aha” moment was from the course, it was the realization that AI tools really can function as a personal assistant. It’s like having a really smart intern you can delegate work to, help you think through things, and bounce ideas off.
However, it’s important to remember that anything that leaves your desk is your responsibility. It’s the same thing with LLMs: Always ensure that you critically check all of the work produced because at the end of the day, you are responsible for the output and the consequences, just like you would if an intern were supporting you.
Tips for Effective Prompting
I learned how to optimize my prompting skills to get the best output. It’s important to give clear and specific instructions: Give it a role, provide context, break down tasks into step-by-step instructions, and stick to one topic per thread. I learned to ask it: “What more do you need from me?” You want to craft detailed prompts that lead to reliable, high-quality outputs. At the end of the day, it has more to do with communication skills than technical skills. As MSPs, clear communication and attention to detail are critical skills.
Practical Uses for MSPs
There are so many ways to start using AI. Some examples are ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Notion AI, Canva Magic Write, and Briefly. These are just a few helpful AI tools to explore. If you haven’t already, perhaps start by asking ChatGPT to check an email for content and spelling.
Need to generate a flyer for that next medical staff meeting, or need help getting started writing up a project charter or policy? Would you like some feedback on a slide presentation you put together, or even get some ideas to start putting together a presentation? Need help taking notes? AI can help! It can be your thinking partner, a supportive critic, and your learning coach. Like many others, I’ve now learned how to use ChatGPT for all of these roles.
Embracing an AI Growth Mindset
Does using AI feel like a shortcut, or even cheating? This question often comes up, but it’s really just the next evolution of work. If we think of AI like calculators, digital cameras, or Google, it enhances efficiency but doesn’t replace expertise. Always remember to review, refine, and edit AI-generated content — your expertise ensures accuracy. While AI-generated content can look polished, looks can be deceiving. It’s important to understand why critical thinking is essential to catch biases, errors, and hallucinations before AI outputs leave your desk. The human-in-the-loop principle is that the human touch and critical thinking keep you in control of your AI workflows. By embracing AI as a tool that helps us work faster, communicate more clearly, and refine our ideas, it allows us to create high-quality, efficient outputs without losing expertise — or thinking that we are cheating!
An important takeaway I learned is that AI isn’t here to replace the uniquely human skills we bring to our roles — it’s here to elevate them. As MSPs, our subject matter expertise, judgment, empathy, and collaboration remain essential. What is going to change is how we spend our time and where we focus our energy. By staying flexible, experimenting with new tools, and adopting a growth mindset, we position ourselves to not just keep up with change, but to lead it.
You don’t need to become an AI expert overnight. Start small, stay curious, and let AI handle the repetitive so you can lean into the strategic. The future of our profession isn’t about competing with machines — it’s about working smarter, together. I’m excited for the MSP landscape and believe that we can thrive with AI if we embrace a growth mindset.
Lastly, if you’ve tried AI in your work already, we’d love to hear your story. If not, what’s one small step you’ll try this week? Please share any feedback with the NAMSS Publications Committee by sending a short email to info@namss.org with the subject line: “AI Workplace Feedback.”