Many of the educational conversations about artificial intelligence are focused on the direct instructional process. However, AI can be harnessed for creating instructional materials including worksheets, problem sets, quizzes, and in this particular case, presentation materials.
AI cannot replace a presenter’s knowledge, judgment, or personal connection with an audience, but it can reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks and provide useful support throughout the presentation process. Educators and students can use AI to brainstorm ideas, organize information, improve slide design, rehearse delivery, and make content more accessible.
The most effective approach is to treat AI as a creative assistant in the creation of materials. Human users should provide the purpose, audience, and subject expertise, then review and refine everything the tool produces.
With that balance in mind, here are several ways AI can improve presentations.
1. Start With a Clear Plan
A strong presentation begins with a clear objective. Before opening a slide-design tool, ask what the audience should understand, remember, or do by the end. AI can help turn a broad topic into a focused presentation goal and suggest an appropriate structure. In the case of instructional slide decks, you should look to the student learning objectives (SLOs).
For example, a teacher might ask an AI assistant to propose an outline for a 10-minute presentation on renewable energy for middle school students given a specific set of SLOs. The assistant could suggest an opening question, a brief explanation of key concepts, examples of renewable technologies, and a concluding activity. The teacher can then adjust the outline to match the curriculum, students’ prior knowledge, and the available time.
AI can also help identify gaps in a draft outline. Asking, “What important concept might a beginner need before learning this topic?” may reveal that the presentation requires additional context or a simpler explanation. This type of questioning can help presenters build a more logical sequence instead of treating slides as a collection of disconnected facts.
2. Brainstorm Examples and Attention-Grabbing Openings
The opening moments of a presentation are important to establish relevance and encourage the audience to pay attention. AI can generate possible hooks, including thought-provoking questions, short scenarios, analogies, historical moments, or real-world problems. In traditional courses, it can be asked to tie into the previous class session’s topic to help make an effective transition.
For a lesson about data privacy, an AI tool might suggest beginning with a fictional scenario in which a student receives an advertisement related to a recent online search. The presenter can use that scenario to introduce the idea of personal data and digital tracking.
AI-generated examples should be checked carefully, especially if any include statistics, current events, or claims about real people and organizations.
3. Improve Slide Structure and Reduce Text
One of the most common presentation problems is overcrowded slides. AI can review slide text and recommend ways to shorten paragraphs, group related ideas, or separate a complex slide into two or more focused ones.
Instead of placing an entire explanation on a screen, presenters can use AI to identify the main point and convert supporting details into speaker notes. A slide might contain a concise heading, three key terms, and a simple diagram, while the presenter provides the full explanation aloud. This design keeps the audience focused on the speaker rather than distracting them with dense blocks of text.
AI can also suggest transitions between sections. A transition such as, “Now that we understand how the problem occurs, let’s examine how it can be solved,” helps audiences follow the argument and understand why the next topic matters.
4. Create Visuals That Support the Message
Presentation software with AI features can recommend layouts, color combinations, icons, charts, and images. These tools may also transform a list of ideas into a visual timeline, process diagram, or comparison table. Such features are useful when a presenter has strong content but limited design experience.
However, visual design should serve communication rather than decoration. Presenters should choose images and graphics that clarify an idea, show relationships, or create an appropriate emotional response. An attractive but irrelevant image can be distracting. AI-generated images should be reviewed for accuracy, context, and potential bias, and presenters should follow copyright and school or organizational policies.
When using charts, AI can help select a suitable format. A trend over time might work best as a line chart, while a comparison of categories may be clearer as a bar chart. The presenter still needs to verify the data, label the chart accurately, and avoid implying conclusions that the data does not support.
5. Adapt Content for Different Learners
AI can help make presentations more inclusive by creating alternate explanations of the same concept. A presenter might request a plain-language definition, an analogy, a step-by-step explanation, or a version appropriate for a particular reading level. This is especially useful in classrooms with varied levels of background knowledge.
AI can also assist with translation, captions, transcripts, and speaker notes. These features may help multilingual learners and audience members who benefit from reading as they listen. Automated captions and translations should be reviewed because errors can occur with names, technical vocabulary, accents, and specialized terminology.
AI can also help presenters adapt an opening for different audiences. A technical explanation may be appropriate for professionals but confusing for high school students. By describing the audience and the desired tone, a presenter can request several versions and select the one that feels most natural for each group of learners.
Another useful application is creating a glossary of important terms. Presenters can introduce the glossary before the lesson or provide it as a handout. Defining unfamiliar language helps students focus on the underlying ideas instead of trying to infer every term from context.
6. Practice Delivery With an AI Coach
A well-designed presentation can still lose impact if the delivery is rushed, too quiet, or difficult to follow. AI-powered rehearsal tools can analyze a practice recording and provide feedback on pacing, filler words, pauses, pronunciation, and sometimes eye contact or vocal variety.
Presenters can use this feedback to set specific goals. For example, they might practice slowing down during complex explanations, pausing after an important question, or replacing repeated phrases such as “um” and “basically.” Students can also rehearse answers to likely questions by asking an AI tool to act as an audience member with different levels of knowledge.
AI feedback should be viewed as one source of information, not a final judgment. Natural communication does not require a perfectly uniform speaking style. A presenter’s personality, enthusiasm, and interaction with the audience remain key parts of an effective presentation.
One of my graduate students has AI generate a second version of each of his instructional videos. He gives the students the opportunity to view either set of videos in his flipped classroom. The majority choose the AI-generated videos, because these tend to be shorter. We are not sure yet if there will be achievement differences at the end of the course based on which set of videos students viewed.
7. Generate Questions and Interactive Activities
AI can help turn a passive slide deck into an interactive experience. Presenters can ask an AI assistant to create quick polls, discussion prompts, comprehension checks, case studies, or exit-ticket questions based on the presentation content.
For a presentation on climate science, for example, the presenter might pause after explaining a feedback loop and ask the audience to predict what would happen if one factor changed. For a business presentation, participants might compare two possible solutions and defend their choice. These activities encourage audiences to process information rather than simply receive it.
Questions generated by AI should be reviewed for clarity and difficulty. A good question should connect directly to the presentation’s objective and give the audience enough information to respond meaningfully.
8. Check Accuracy and Protect Trust
AI can produce incorrect, outdated, or unsupported information. It may invent citations or present uncertain claims with confidence. Every statistic, quotation, date, and factual statement should be verified using reliable sources before it appears in a presentation. Human agency and human judgment need to be exercised at each step in the development process.
Presenters should protect private information. Sensitive student, customer, or organizational data should never be entered into an AI system unless the tool has been approved for that use and appropriate safeguards are in place. When AI has made a significant contribution to a presentation, it may be appropriate to acknowledge that assistance according to local policies.
A Presentation Partner
AI can improve presentations by helping plan more effectively, design clearer slides, create useful visuals, adapt content, practice delivery, and engage audiences. Its greatest value is not producing a finished deck with a single prompt; it is supporting the many decisions that make a presentation understandable and memorable.
The best workflow combines AI’s speed with human expertise. When used thoughtfully, AI gives presenters more time to focus on what technology cannot replace: insight, empathy, judgment, and meaningful communication. I have found that AI is good about identifying places in a presentation where I chunked information by making assumptions that might not be clear to a novice about steps in a process.
The author used MS Copilot to assist in the development of this article.
