The Human Purpose Behind My Use of AI

Mar 4 / Schmidty
I use AI for some scenarios in Montana RASS Training courses, you may have questions or concerns about why I chose to use it.

A few students have told me they would prefer that the course not include AI-generated material. I take that feedback seriously. This training deals with alcohol service, Montana law, public safety, and decisions that can affect real lives. You deserve to know who created the course, where its information comes from, and why AI is part of it.

The short answer is this: AI helps me demonstrate  situations that I could not otherwise afford to film-but it does not replace the human experience, judgment, or responsibility behind this course..

Built From Real-World Experience


I taught Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service (RASS) training live and in person for six years. My approach to the subject has also been shaped by a career in public safety, conflict management, de-escalation, and education.

I know how quickly an interaction involving alcohol can become complicated. Refusing a sale or ending alcohol service is not always as simple as saying "no." Employees may have to deal with embarrassment, anger, pressure from other customers, questionable identification, possible impairment, or someone who refuses to accept the decision.

Knowing the rule is important. Knowing how to apply it calmly and professionally is equally important.

That is why I wanted Montana RASS Training to do more than present pages of text and bullet points. I wanted students to see situations and consider what they might say or do before facing a similar situation during an actual shift.

The scenarios may be digitally produced, but the situations and communication strategies behind them come from years of working with and teaching real people.

Reviewed by the State of Montana


Before Montana RASS Training was released to the public, the complete course was thoroughly reviewed by the Montana Department of Revenue's Cannabis & Alcohol Regulation Division (CARD).

The course was built to follow CARD's strict standards for approved Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service training. The final test questions are not generated by AI, nor are they questions I created on my own. They are the official test questions CARD provides to approved online training companies.

I also remain in regular communication with CARD to help ensure that the course continues to meet Montana's requirements and expectations.

AI does not decide what Montana law requires. It does not establish the course standards, write the official test questions, or determine what students learn. The foundation of the course comes from Montana's requirements, CARD's review, and my own professional experience teaching this course in person.

Why Some Scenarios Use AI


For years, I had a clear vision for this training. I did not want to create another "death by PowerPoint" course filled with walls of text and forgettable bullet points.

I wanted to demonstrate practical situations, including how to:

  • Recognize signs of possible impairment
  • Examine questionable identification
  • Refuse a sale or additional service
  • Communicate without unnecessarily escalating tension
  • Respond when a customer becomes angry or confrontational

Creating realistic videos proved much harder than writing the lessons.

In years past, I contacted local establishments about filming on location. I spoke with volunteers, students, and paid actors. I considered the cameras, microphones, lighting, locations, scheduling, and editing that would be required.

As a one-person operation working from a home office, I simply did not have the production crew or budget necessary to coordinate and professionally film every situation.

Earlier training videos available for live classes often had poor sound, inadequate lighting, and inexperienced volunteer actors. Students sometimes became so distracted by the production quality that the actual lesson was lost.

AI gave me a way to finally show these situations more clearly and consistently.

AI Is a Production Tool, Not the Instructor


When you see me presenting in this course, it is me.

I am the instructor. I am responsible for what the course teaches, how the information is explained, and which scenarios are used to prepare students for real situations.

AI helps me create some of the visual examples, but I still wrote the material and prompted AI to produce the visual elements.  AI allowed me access to capabilities that once would have required actors, a film crew, multiple locations, and a much larger budget.

The purpose is not to make the technology the star of the course. The purpose is to make the lesson easier to understand and remember.

A digitally created customer may not be a real person, but the difficult interaction being demonstrated is one that a Montana server or seller could genuinely encounter.

Keeping the Training Affordable


Using these tools also helps me offer the complete course for .

Professional filming would require paying actors, hiring a production crew, purchasing or renting equipment, securing locations, and spending considerably more time on production. Those expenses would eventually have to be passed on to the student or the employer.

I did not want production costs to turn a required training course into a larger financial burden, particularly for individual employees, small businesses, rural establishments, and the many nonprofit organizations who take this course.

AI allows me to offer visual, scenario-based instruction while keeping the training accessible and affordable.

The People and Purpose Come First


The purpose of Montana RASS Training is to help protect:

1. People by reducing over-service, underage service, alcohol-related harm, and impaired driving.
2. Employees by giving them practical tools for handling uncomfortable and potentially confrontational situations.
3. Businesses by helping them comply with Montana law and reduce the risk of violations.
4. Communities by supporting safer, more responsible decisions around alcohol.

Those goals are deeply personal to me.

I am not a large corporation producing a generic course for a national audience. I am a Montana instructor and public-safety professional who cares about the people taking this training and the communities where they live and work.

I also teach small businesses, nonprofits, educators, and public-safety organizations how to use AI responsibly. Many of them have important messages to share but do not have large communications or production budgets. Used thoughtfully, AI can help people with limited resources create materials that once would have been beyond their reach.

For me, AI should support human beings-not replace them.

My Commitment to You


I will always be transparent about my use of AI. I will continue listening to student feedback, communicating with CARD, and improving the course whenever something can be made clearer, more useful, or more effective.

You do not have to be enthusiastic about AI to benefit from this training. I simply ask that you consider the purpose behind its use and the practical skills each scenario is intended to teach.

The actors in some scenes may be digital. The laws, responsibilities, and difficult situations are real.

So is the person standing behind this course.

Thank you for considering Montana RASS Training and for taking your responsibility as a Montana alcohol server or seller seriously.

-Schmidty