‘Playing’ with AI Can Help Boost Business Productivity
COLUMBIANA, Ohio – Using artificial intelligence for business can be just as simple as “playing” with it, according to Jonathan Altfeld, one of the speakers at Embracing the AI Evolution, part of the new Advancing at The CAT business series in Columbiana.
“You just can’t break it,” Altfeld said, suggesting picking an AI tool to play around with each month to start seeing how AI can help productivity.
Altfeld said he believes in incorporating AI into problem-solving, and then comparing the result with what the user would have done. He believes as time goes on, AI will continue to improve and do it better.
It’s important to keep the human in the project and double check what AI does, Altfeld said, adding that it’s important to ethically check AI and provide feedback so that it continues to grow and improve.
“Don’t trust it, but use it to speed you up,” Altfeld said. “It is faster to edit than to create new … so always edit.”
Dani Edgerton, owner of A Place for Paws in Columbiana, began using AI in her small business about a year and a half ago.
Edgerton, who often talks to ChatGPT while driving, uses it to generate answers for all of her business’s reviews. Instead of stewing over a bad review or just thanking someone for a good one, she asks AI to respond in an informative way to the reviewer and everyone else reading it.
She also uses AI to create a calendar for a month of social media posts based on what events and national holidays are happening. She also plans her business meetings, assigns tasks to employees best suited to accomplish them and brainstorms marketing events. She then checks what AI suggests and tailors it to her style and shop.
Edgerton said AI can create email newsletters, as well as help manage inventory and price points for both products and services. It also can be used to further personalize client services. For instance, identifying a customer as a dog owner allows the business to focus its advertising on dog products.
Devyn Bellamy, a HubSpot expert, showed how a business owner can create a custom website with AI in minutes instead of the days or hours it once took.
Bellamy showed a video he created while sitting in his vehicle with his phone hooked to a coffee shop’s Wi-Fi and created a quick website for the event.
“I’m taking what’s in my mind and I’m making it real,” said Bellamy, who has been designing and creating marketing materials for nearly 30 years. “You have all the tools to do it now. If you want to create a website, tell [AI] you want a website. If you want to write blog posts, feed it ideas of what you want in that content and then edit it so it sounds like you and not a robot.”
Greg Smith, chairman of Compco, believes in human interaction. But he also believes that embracing AI will keep humans from being left behind.
Smith suggested ways of stacking the different components of AI together to create amazing things. For instance, by using various AI programs, business owners can create jingles, songs and videos.
The speakers said AI will also change health care and education. Smith said students are embracing technology faster than their teachers, and teaching will be forced to evolve.
Friday’s event was sponsored by The Business Journal, along with Compco, Humtown and the Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Advancing at The CAT symposium series will continue on Oct. 25 with Live 2 Lead – 10-second Elevator Pitch, a leadership and personal development event hosted by the Maxwell Leadership Team.
Pictured at top: Greg Smith, chairman of Compco.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
