Many bad things have been said about the use of AI in business – but hearing AI gurus like AI in Business founder Katie King & Nudge podcaster Phill Agnew speak, it struck me – we should treat AI like a virtual addition to your team, and then how we look at it changes completely.
Let’s first address the elephant in the room – fear, the collective worry seems to stem from loss of jobs, lack of quality, and it fully taking over whole parts of your business, totally unchecked. Now, after many successful projects, I would say this is in part true, but it doesn’t have to be, and I will now demonstrate how.
So what are the positives (of which there are many)? These include aiding decision-making, getting wide-reaching data in milliseconds, unlocking automated processes, replacing inefficient and sometimes lengthy processing, and being a cost-effective way to add capacity to your team.
Can we rewire negative associations in one simple tweak – is it that easy?
Well, in essence, we think so. Simply thinking of AI as a new virtual co-worker changes the game. Why shouldn’t you then apply the same induction as you do with any new hire – like helping them learn your business, guiding and supporting them and regular reviews of their progress and output. Why shouldn’t we apply this to new technology too?
Did you know, for example, that many AI tools actually encourage you to induct their technology as it learns your business best when you take time to train it. As with any induction, you reduce risk by giving responsibility in stages, with people to review and support as it settles in. A good example of this is in a new generation of AI support tools called Claude – this offers more value the more time you put into it. Yes, it can do basic tasks that others would have done, but this frees up staff to do other things, make more informed decisions and grow the team capability without breaking the bank.
So what’s the first step in any AI deployment?
Well, it’s still finding a use case for it that makes sense to your business – this could be improving efficiency, freeing up staff capacity or ensuring you are one step ahead of your competition. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean you need to be in a rush to harness it. Recognising it as a channel (alongside others) that can help deliver future objectives is far better.
Much modern AI learns as it goes (aka Generative), so it’s best warmed up before you use it, and for this purpose, I advise many clients to create a test environment (aka Sandbox) in which you can safely test concepts, new ideas and alternate ways of working using AI. Some have even created an AI readiness matrix, which is a great way to start.
In summary
So don’t fear AI; see it as another virtual team member, with the same rules as any other person in your business, but handle it with care and have a reason for hiring.
Any further queries, just ask.
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