š Thought bubble: AI and small businessā¦
Itās pretty trendy, and wildly touted , that AI is a godsend for small business. š¤āØ
As a small business owner who also works in the creative industries, Iāve been doing a little testing and measuring of my own. And Iām starting to form a view.
Used as a tool, AI is incredibly useful.
š Reading and formatting long contracts and agreements
šļø Helping with admin
š» Coding
āļø Checking spelling and work
ā±ļø Taking some of the grind out of time-consuming jobs
Absolutely. It can save a huge amount of time.
When Iām working on spreadsheets and accounts, though, the job hasnāt changed that much. And actually, I quite like the hands-on approach. The numbers are the heart of the company, and I want to know whatās going where.
I also like dealing with people. š„
I enjoy the interaction. In a negotiation, you often need to understand far more than what somebody is actually saying. What are they thinking? What do they consider reasonable? Where is the room to move?
AI can process the words. It canāt really read the room.
And when it comes to innovation and creative ideas, Iām even less convinced. šØš”
Sometimes Iām already overflowing with ideas and AI pops up with another suggestion. Rather than helping, it feels a bit like swatting away a fly. šŖ°
But the biggest thing for me is actually something much simpler:
As a customer, I like dealing with people.
People can listen. They can understand context. They can bend a little when the situation calls for it.
I deal directly with two companies in the US, and having an actual relationship with the people there makes doing business with them so much easier.
And hereās the big oneā¦ āļø
When I speak to a good customer service representative on the phone, the reason I called is usually sorted there and then. And generally, we get to a good result.
Recently I had an issue with a media platform Iād advertised on. There was back-and-forth, followed by being told to contact customer service and start another process.
I gave up.
And I wonāt use that platform again.
Why? My time is precious.
So while AI may be a brilliant tool for small businesses, Iām not convinced itās a brilliant replacement for the people who make those businesses work.
Use AI to remove the drudgery. Use it to make your people more productive. Use it to give them more time to do the things humans are actually good at.
But replacing real live people? š¤
I think businesses may discover thereās a much bigger cost to that than the saving on the payroll.
After all, your company is only as good as the people you keep. š„ā¤ļø
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