Most of us are playing with AI; a few are putting it to work. The gap between the two is the difference between curiosity and a competitive edge.
Jan Griffiths and Tom Roberts sit down with Cheryl Thompson, founder of the Cheryl Thompson AI Adoption Advisory Practice and one of the most practical voices in AI adoption today. With over 1,400 hours of hands-on learning, Cheryl has gone deep on what works, what doesn't, and where most people get stuck.
This conversation is for the supply chain and IT professional who has dabbled in ChatGPT, gotten frustrated, and walked away. Cheryl breaks down the real difference between an AI assistant, a specialist, and an AI employee in plain English. She shares the prompt structure she uses every day, the mindset shift that separates the curious from the capable, and three things every supply chain professional should do this week to move from playing around to producing results.
Themes Discussed in This Episode
- Why AI isn't going to take your job, but someone who knows AI will
- The RCRQ prompt structure: Role, Context, Request, Questions
- AI assistant vs. specialist vs. AI employee, explained
- The Custom GPT, Claude project, and Gemini Gem comparison in plain English
- Why AI will lie to you confidently if you don't push back
- The Parkinson's law trap: what to do with the time AI gives back
- Practical use cases for procurement: RFQ documentation, supplier evaluation, negotiation prep
- Why human relationships still matter more than ever in supplier development
- Three things to do this week to move from playing with AI to using it
This podcast is powered by QAD RedZone.
Featured Guest
Name: Cheryl Thompson
Title: Founder, Cheryl Thompson AI Adoption Advisory Practice
About: Cheryl is on a mission to help small business owners and corporate professionals stop playing with AI and start getting real value from it. With more than 1,400 hours of dedicated AI learning and three rounds through an intensive 12-week training program, she has built a practice focused on practical adoption, not hype. Cheryl runs workshops and learning labs tailored by function, including supply chain and procurement, helping professionals build prompts, specialists, and AI workflows that fit how they actually work.
Connect: LinkedIn
About Your Hosts
Jan Griffiths
Jan is the host and producer of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and The Automotive Leaders Podcast. A former automotive manufacturing and supply chain executive, Jan is recognized as a Champion for Culture Change in the automotive industry. She brings direct, grounded conversations to leaders navigating execution, disruption, and transformation across the global automotive ecosystem.
Tom Roberts (Co-host)
Tom is Co-host of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and Vice President of Strategic Industry Development at QAD. He works closely with automotive and industrial manufacturers to close the gap between insight and execution, helping leaders move from visibility to systems of action that drive real operational outcomes.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Episode Highlights
[03:11] The 1,400-Hour Rabbit Hole: How Cheryl’s curiosity about AI turned into an obsession and a full-scale commitment to helping people adopt AI with confidence.
[08:20] The RCRQ Prompt Structure That Actually Works: Cheryl breaks down her practical framework for prompting AI effectively using role, context, request, and clarifying questions.
[09:15] Custom GPT, Claude Project, Gemini Gem: Different platforms. Same concept. Cheryl explains how AI specialists and agents work behind the scenes.
[12:57] AI Is the Loud, Confident Colleague Who Sometimes Makes Things Up: Why AI hallucinations happen, how people misuse AI like a search engine, and the importance of pushing back on outputs.
[14:05] Parkinson’s Law Meets AI: Tom explores the real challenge companies face once AI gives employees back hours of productive time.
[17:29] Only 27% of the Workday Is Real Work: Cheryl shares Asana research showing how administrative overload prevents professionals from focusing on high-value work.
[18:20] Negotiation Prep Is an Ideal AI Use Case: From supplier negotiations to procurement strategy, Cheryl explains how AI can sharpen preparation and confidence.
[19:37] Why Human Skills Matter More Than Ever: Jan reflects on how AI creates space for relationship-building, supplier collaboration, and the human side of supply chain leadership.
[21:50] Three Practical Ways to Start Using AI This Week: Cheryl gives supply chain and IT professionals a simple roadmap for moving beyond experimentation into real AI adoption.
Top Quotes
[13:34] Cheryl Thompson: “AI is not going to take your job. Someone that knows AI is going to take your job.”
[14:32] Tom Roberts: “Are people ready to say, okay, I've saved all this time, great. Now, what do I do?”
[19:43] Cheryl Thompson: “Yeah, and I'm so glad you said that because we have to remember the human in this AI world.”
Connect With Cheryl Thompson
Find Cheryl on LinkedIn and learn more about her workshops and learning labs at her website (link in show notes).
Connect With Us
We want to hear from you. What are your biggest supply chain challenges right now? What conversations do you want to hear on this podcast? Drop us a comment on the podcast website. The link is in the show notes.
Follow the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast for real conversations with leaders who are making hard choices, focusing their bets, and leading with intent.
🎧 Follow the podcast:
🔗 Learn more about QAD Redzone: https://www.qad.com/
