How I Use AI to Create Data Slides in 10 Minutes (Instead of 2 Hours)

The prompts and workflow that transformed how I build data presentations

I used to spend hours on data slides. Exporting from Excel. Formatting charts. Tweaking layouts. Rewriting headlines until they made sense.

Now I do it in 10 minutes.

The difference isn’t working faster. It’s working with AI as a thinking partner — using it for the parts it’s good at while I focus on what it can’t do: the insight.

Here’s my actual workflow.

The AI Data Slide Workflow

Most people use AI wrong for data presentations. They dump numbers into ChatGPT and ask it to “create a presentation.” The result is generic, insight-free, and usually wrong.

The trick is breaking the process into steps — using AI for some, doing others yourself.

Step 1: Find the Insight (Human)

AI can’t do this for you. Before touching any tool, I look at my data and ask: “What’s the one thing that matters here?”

This takes 5 minutes of thinking. It’s the most important part.

Once I have my insight — “EMEA is growing 3x faster than Americas” or “Churn dropped 40% after the intervention” — everything else becomes easier.

Step 2: Generate the Headline Options (AI)

With my insight clear, I ask AI to help me phrase it compellingly.

My prompt:

AI gives me 5 options. I pick the best one or combine elements from multiple.

This takes 1 minute instead of 15 minutes staring at a blank slide.

Step 3: Suggest the Visualisation (AI)

Next, I ask AI which chart type fits my story.

My prompt:

AI doesn’t just give me an answer — it explains the logic. “A line chart works because you’re showing change over time, and the inflection point in March is your story.”

Sometimes I disagree with its recommendation. That’s fine. The value is in the reasoning, not the answer.

Related: Data Storytelling: How to Make Numbers Compelling (Not Boring)

Step 4: Write the Supporting Text (AI)

Every data slide needs a brief explanation — one or two lines that reinforce the insight. AI drafts this fast.

My prompt:

I usually edit what it gives me — cutting words, adding specifics — but it’s faster than writing from scratch.

Step 5: Build the Slide (Human + Copilot)

Now I build the actual slide. If you have Copilot in PowerPoint, you can prompt it directly:

My Copilot prompt:

Copilot gets me 70% of the way there. I spend another 2-3 minutes adjusting formatting, colours, and emphasis.

Total time: 10 minutes for a data slide that used to take 2 hours.

Related: Best PowerPoint Copilot Prompts That Actually Work

The Prompts I Use Most Often

Here are three more prompts from my data presentation workflow:

For simplifying complex data:

For anticipating questions:

For creating the narrative:

These prompts save me hours every week. Not because AI is doing my thinking — but because it’s accelerating the parts that used to be slow.

Related: AI Presentation Workflow: How I Cut Creation Time from 6 Hours to 90 Minutes

What AI Can’t Do (And Shouldn’t Try)

AI accelerates data presentations. It doesn’t replace your judgment.

AI can’t find your insight. It can summarise data, but it doesn’t know what matters to your specific audience. That’s your job.

AI can’t know your politics. It doesn’t know that your CEO hates pie charts or that the board has seen this data before. Context is human.

AI can’t guarantee accuracy. Always verify numbers. I’ve seen AI confidently miscalculate percentages. Trust but verify.

Use AI for speed. Use your brain for strategy.

Try This Today

Next time you have data to present, try Step 2 from my workflow:

Write down your insight in one sentence. Then ask AI: “Give me 5 headline options for this insight. Punchy, clear, no jargon.”

See how much faster it makes you.

Mary Beth Hazeldine combines 24 years of corporate banking experience with expertise in AI-enhanced workflows. She helps professionals create better presentations in less time.

Mary Beth Hazeldine

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