Symposium Will ‘Demystify’ AI for Business Owners

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The goal of an artificial intelligence seminar this month is to allay the anxiety business owners might have about the new technology and show how it can make their companies more efficient.

“Embracing the AI Evolution” will take place at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 and 9 a.m. Sept. 27 at Columbiana Arts Theatre.

It’s the first in what will be a monthly series of events for the business community at the venue formerly known as Main Street Theater, 5 N. Main St.

Compco, an industrial manufacturing company based in Columbiana, purchased the theater this summer and is sponsoring the series.

AI will eventually affect just about every business, and therefore it’s important to embrace it, the symposium’s principals said.

They will explore how AI is already transforming the business world and demonstrate ways to use it.

The host of the symposium will be Jonathan Altfeld of Columbiana, a longtime AI expert and former TEDx speaker. He will discuss the history of AI and its current state of evolution.

The symposium’s target audience is “any employee or manager or owner of a business who wants to get past the fears and concerns about using AI at work,” Altfeld said. “If you’re confused about where to start, or overwhelmed, we will demystify it and inspire a sense of exploration.”

Twenty years ago, the cost of implementing AI was prohibitive for most businesses. That’s no longer the case, Altfeld said.

With the cost barrier swept away, AI has an air of inevitability, and Altfeld wants to welcome businesspeople “to enter the sandbox.”

Another change in the AI industry in recent years is its shift in focus from decision making to “generative” applications, he said. In such applications, vast quantities of data and information on computers are used to “generate” new ideas, art, music or other things.

“ChatGPT is one type of generative application, but it’s not the only one,” Altfeld said.

Joining Altfeld will be three panelists who will each focus on a different topic.

They are:

• Greg Smith, chairman of Compco, a TEDx speaker and license holder, will give a presentation on “Sequencing Generative AI Tools.”
• Dani Edgerton, owner of A Place for Paws, will present on “Five Ways to Use AI in Your Retail Business Right Now.”
• Devyn Bellamy, senior marketing manager at Hubspot, a TEDx speaker and a former radio operations manager, will discuss “Using Generative AI in Marketing and Web Development.”

Altfeld and the three panelists will each speak for 10 to 15 minutes in the first half of the symposium, which will take about 50 minutes and be followed by a 20-minute break.

The second half will be a 50-minute panel discussion.

Audience members will be able to ask the panelists questions and will receive take-home sheets with key ideas from the seminar.

Small Business

Edgerton, who is also president of the Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce, has owned and operated A Place for Paws for 20 years.

The company makes dog and cat food out of locally sourced livestock at its Canfield factory. It sells pet food, pet treats and toys out of its Columbiana boutique, and also operates a dog wash in Cornersburg and a dog day care in Columbiana.

Its products are sold only at its boutique and direct to consumers through its website. A Place for Paws food is not distributed in retail outlets, Edgerton said.

She has been using ChatGPT, an AI app that writes communications, for about a year and claims it helps her work smarter and faster.

“Last March when ChatGPT came out, I said, ‘I’ve got to know this.’ I’ve been using it in every big and little way I can.”

She uses it in many ways, including:

• Answering a customer review.
• Inventory management.
• Blog posts and social media posts.
• Research.
• Creating meeting agendas and summaries.

“It can also be used to find out who your ideal customer is,” Edgerton said. “I can ask it what my customers like and what they don’t like.”

Although AI can be adapted to any aspect of business, Edgerton’s presentation will target retailers and small business owners.

“It’s been life changing,” she said of her use of AI. “In my 20-minute drive home, I can talk into ChatGPT, and it will [organize and clarify] what I’ve been thinking.”

As ChatGPT is used, it continuously “learns” and remembers information, building upon its knowledge of a person or a business.

The secret to getting the most out of it, Edgerton said, is asking it the right questions, giving it the right commands, correcting it when necessary and adding new commands to it in an incremental way.

Edgerton is mindful that many people are apprehensive of the new technology and will tailor her speech to them.

“I want to reach people who are not early adopters, who are saying, ‘Should I do this?’ I want small business owners to go home from the seminar and thoughtfully look for ways it could help them in an intelligent way,” she said.

The fee is $30 (future symposia will be $40; $30 for members of the Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce).

To register for the Sept. 26 symposium, click HERE. To register for the Sept. 27 symposium, click HERE.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.