The 2nd Grade Presentation: How AI Helped Me Show Up as a Dad

Brennan Gerle Feb 17, 2026 8:00:00 AM

It was Wednesday afternoon.

2nd grade art class.

And I wanted to do something special for my son’s class.

I’m Brennan Gerle. Founder at POLR AI. I build AI systems for SMBs.
But this wasn’t a “business use case.”
This was a dad moment.

I got assigned Andy Warhol.

Pop Art. Bright colors. Soup cans. Marilyn. Repetition.

A fun topic.
A tight week.

So I did what I do when time is short.

I built with AI.

This took me exactly 26 minutes from beginning to complete.

Not so I could do less.

So I could be there. Fully.

I didn’t need a perfect process. I needed help.

Three tools. Three little assistants. One calm Wednesday.

Gemini for Google Slides — I redesigned the presentation. Fast. Clean. Kid-friendly.
NotebookLM — I created a short kids educational video so they could hear the story, not just see it.
Google AI Studio — I created a fun Andy Warhol photo booth app so they could make something and take it home.

And I kept the links because other parents are busy too:

Blueprint diagram

I’ve done the old way.

Late night. Tabs everywhere. Copy-paste. Formatting. Stress.

This time was different.

Gemini helped me shape the slides around the simple truths kids actually remember:

Pop Art means popular art.
Warhol used everyday objects like soup cans.
He used bright colors and big contrast.
He repeated images—Marilyn again and again—until it felt like a pattern you could see.

NotebookLM helped me turn that into a kid-friendly explanation they could listen to.

Then AI Studio gave us the best part: The doing part.

A photo booth that turned their pictures into Warhol-style pop art.

For an hour, I wasn’t “trying to teach.”
I was just there with them.

Watching them laugh. Watching them make something. Watching it click.

AI didn’t replace me.

It gave me the 26 minutes I needed to actually be present.

Pop Art Wireframe

Most leaders I talk to don’t need “more AI.” They need more room to breathe.

01) Sales decks
Gemini generates a strong first draft so your team spends time on the customer, not formatting.

02) Onboarding + training
NotebookLM turns your docs into simple training explainers people can actually consume.

03) Customer comms
AI helps you draft clear, consistent customer comms faster.

04) Interactive lead magnets
AI Studio prototypes lightweight tools that let prospects interact before they buy.

Not to move faster for the sake of speed. To move calmer. With less friction.

Workflow Diagram

If you want to find more moments like this in your business, we can help.
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