How to Create AI Slides: Step-by-Step Tutorial (2026)

You have a presentation due tomorrow. The topic is complex, the audience is demanding, and you've been staring at a blank PowerPoint slide for 20 minutes. Sound familiar?

AI slide generators have changed this workflow entirely. Instead of building slides one by one, you describe what you want and an AI team creates the entire deck. In this tutorial, I'll walk you through creating a complete, published slide deck using Ivern Slides -- from zero to shareable link in under 2 minutes.

What you'll learn:

• How AI slide generation works
• What you need before you start
• Step-by-step walkthrough
• Tips for better AI-generated slides
• Editing and customizing your deck

Related: Best AI Presentation Generators Compared · AI vs Manual Presentations · Try Ivern Slides

How AI Slide Generation Works

Traditional slide creation follows a linear path: outline → write content → design slides → format → present. Each step is manual and time-consuming.

AI slide generation collapses this into a single step:

1. You describe your presentation -- topic, audience, tone, length
2. AI agents collaborate -- one plans the outline, another writes content, a third polishes the design
3. You review and present -- the deck is ready to share or customize

The key difference from tools like ChatGPT? AI slide generators produce actual presentations -- not text you have to manually copy into slides.

Ivern Slides uses a 3-agent pipeline built on Ivern AI:

• Outline Planner -- structures your topic into a logical slide flow
• Slide Writer -- creates content for each slide with proper Markdown formatting
• Design Agent -- applies themes, frontmatter, and visual polish

The output is Slidev Markdown -- an open-source presentation framework built for developers.

What You Need Before You Start

You need exactly two things:

1. A free Ivern AI account -- sign up here (no credit card)
2. An API key -- Anthropic or OpenAI (get one at console.anthropic.com or platform.openai.com)

The BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) model means you pay your API provider's standard rates with zero markup from Ivern.

A typical 12-slide presentation costs approximately $0.05–$0.15 in API usage depending on your provider and model.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Step 1: Set Up Your Account (2 minutes)

1. Go to ivern.ai/signup
2. Create your account with email or GitHub
3. Navigate to Settings → Connections → API Keys
4. Paste your Anthropic or OpenAI API key

Your key is stored securely and used only for your tasks. Ivern never marks up API costs.

Step 2: Open Ivern Slides (10 seconds)

Navigate to ivern.ai/slides or click Slides from the Ivern dashboard.

Step 3: Describe Your Presentation (60 seconds)

Fill in the presentation form with these fields:

Pro tip: The more specific your topic description, the better the AI can structure your deck. Instead of "marketing presentation," write "Q2 marketing results for the product team covering CAC, LTV, and channel performance."

Step 4: Generate Your Deck (60–90 seconds)

Click Generate and watch the 3-agent pipeline work:

1. The Outline Planner creates an 8–15 slide structure based on your topic
2. The Slide Writer fills in content for each slide with headings, bullet points, and code blocks
3. The Design Agent applies your chosen theme and optimizes the Slidev Markdown

The entire process takes 60–90 seconds.

Step 5: Review and Edit (Optional)

Your generated deck is fully editable Slidev Markdown. You can:

• Edit the source directly -- modify the Markdown text
• Reorder slides -- cut and paste slide sections
• Add content -- insert new slides, code blocks, or images
• Change themes -- update the frontmatter to switch visual styles

Example of what you'll see:

---
theme: default
class: text-center
---

# The State of AI Agents in 2026

Technical insights for developer teams

---

Market Overview

• 340% growth in AI agent adoption (2025)
• 67% of enterprises now use multi-agent systems
• Average task cost: $0.03 with BYOK pricing

---

Architecture Patterns

### Step 6: Build and Publish (30 seconds)

Click **Build & Publish** to:

1. Compile your Slidev Markdown into a fully interactive SPA
2. Host it on a unique URL (e.g., `ivern.ai/slides/abc123`)
3. Make it ready to present with speaker notes, animations, and transitions

Your presentation is now live and shareable.

### Step 7: Present or Share

Your hosted deck includes:
- **Presenter mode** -- speaker notes and slide preview
- **Navigation** -- arrow keys, click, or swipe
- **Sharing link** -- send the URL to anyone
- **Animations and transitions** -- built into Slidev

## Tips for Better AI-Generated Slides

### Be Specific About Your Audience

"Technical presentation for CTOs" produces very different slides than "introductory presentation for marketing interns." The AI adapts content depth, terminology, and examples based on audience.

### Specify the Number of Slides

Include a target slide count in your topic description. "Create a 15-slide deck covering..." gives the AI a clear structure to follow.

### Include Data Points

If you want specific statistics or data in your slides, include them in your topic description:

> "Include market size ($12.4B in 2025), growth rate (340% YoY), and key players (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google)."

### Use the Right Theme

- **Default** -- clean, professional, works for most contexts
- **Seriph** -- elegant serif typography, good for formal presentations
- **Apple Basic** -- minimalist, inspired by Apple's presentation style

### Iterate on the Outline

The Outline Planner's structure is the foundation. If the first generation isn't right, adjust your topic description to emphasize different points.

## Editing and Customizing Your Deck

Since Ivern Slides produces standard Slidev Markdown, you have full control:

### Add Speaker Notes

```markdown
---
# Market Overview

The market has grown significantly...

note: Emphasize the 340% growth number -- this is the headline stat.

Add Code Blocks

---
# Building an Agent Pipeline

\`\`\`python
from ivern import Squad, Agent

researcher = Agent(role="researcher")
writer = Agent(role="writer")

squad = Squad(agents=[researcher, writer])
result = squad.run("Analyze AI market trends")
\`\`\`

Add Images

---
# Architecture Diagram

![Agent Pipeline](https://example.com/pipeline.png)

Change Layouts

Slidev supports multiple layouts per slide:

---
layout: two-cols
---

# Left Column
Content here

::right::

# Right Column
Content here

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export to PowerPoint or Google Slides?

Ivern Slides generates Slidev Markdown. You can copy the text content into any presentation tool, but the native format is Slidev. For many teams, the hosted Slidev presentation is a better sharing experience than a PPTX file.

How much does each presentation cost?

With BYOK pricing, a 12-slide deck costs approximately $0.05–$0.15 in API usage depending on your provider. Ivern adds no markup.

Can I use it for free?

Yes. Ivern's free tier includes 15 tasks -- enough to generate several presentations and explore the platform.

Is the content original?

The AI generates original content based on your specific topic description. It doesn't copy from existing presentations.

Can I share presentations with people who don't have Ivern?

Yes. Published presentations are hosted on public URLs that anyone can access -- no Ivern account required to view.

Start Creating AI Slides Today

You've seen the full workflow: describe, generate, edit, publish. From a blank page to a shareable presentation in under 2 minutes.

Create your first AI presentation free →