3 Artificial Intelligence-Driven Small Business Automation Hacks You Can Use Today
AI Series Part 1
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has ignited excitement and speculation across industries, and the plant medicine space is no different. However, amidst the hype and promises, it’s crucial for small businesses to approach AI with sensibility.
In this series, we discuss the potential implications of artificial intelligence in the plant-medicine industry and small businesses at large.
The proverbial gold rush is on in full force, and those who sell picks and shovels to the proverbial gold miners are already making a profit– mainly from the “idea” of artificial intelligence more so than any useful or practical small business application.
This series will deliver on its promise and provide three “artificial intelligence-driven” tools we use to simplify our business today, but first, a call to sensibility.
The Illusion of AI-Driven Tools
I will start this article with a serious warning for business leaders who have payroll to make and executive teams who have goals to reach. A warning related to the distraction that Chapt GPT, Large Language Models (LLMs), and so-called “artificial intelligence” driven tools represent.
Over time, this statement will eventually render itself invalid. But as of now, most small business-oriented tools related to this topic are snake oil and distraction. A novelty at best.
While new frontiers and fortunes await those who navigate the AI landscape successfully, the game is still in its early stages.
If you go to Youtube right now and search “artificial intelligence business tools,” you’ll find all sorts of YouTubers (people who make entertaining videos for a living) singing praises about all the amazing things the new LLM-driven chat interfaces promise for small businesses.
Once again, yes, it’s true to a small and increasing degree, but here are a few major issues and warnings you should be aware of the next time a team member comes to the meeting all punch-drunk over the latest bot’s “capabilities.”
Major Issue 1: Verification and Validation
One key challenge with AI-driven tools, such as Chat GPT and emerging chat interfaces, is that they can only perform tasks that you (or an experienced individual) already know how to do.
In other words, you must verify and validate anything it creates.
The problem is, unless you are an experienced content strategist, you might read the article and say, “It sounds good enough.”
But now what? Is that a qualified opinion?
For instance, using a chatbot to create SEO blog articles for search engine algorithms may seem appealing, but without an experienced content strategist’s guidance, the resulting content might lack credibility and fail to position your brand as an expert in your niche.
The very thing that lends credibility to an article (a real-life expert’s point of view) is, ironically, the main missing thing.
Major Issue 2: Intellectual Property Rights
Another critical concern revolves around ownership of the intellectual property (IP) created by AI bots. Did you ensure that the bot provides references and citations? Are you prepared to fact-check those citations?
These questions become pivotal when determining the ownership rights of the written content. Lawsuits concerning IP ownership have already emerged, highlighting the legal complexities associated with AI-generated content.
Major Issue 3: Coding and Programming Tests
Additionally, while AI can assist with programming and coding tasks, the code it generates must still undergo rigorous testing, validation and verification against best practices to avoid introducing more bugs than it resolves.
Can it shorten an experienced programmer’s path to some productive frameworks and counterintuitive answers? Probably.
With all due respect to the software teams working diligently in their zone of focused genius to bring about the next generation of web tools, keep going!
For the rest of us– it’s advisable to stay within our areas of expertise and focus on progressing in our respective fields. You’ll make more money and have a better time.
Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Silver Linings
It’s often the blind leading the blind when it comes to the AI hype. While AI-driven tools have the potential to revolutionize operations, they are not yet the miracle workers many of the hype-bros make them out to be.
Careful verification, validation and consideration of intellectual property rights are necessary when utilizing AI-generated content. It’s funny how if you get enough people running in a circle, it can falsely feel like progress.
In part 2 of this series, we will dive deeper into the red flags surrounding AI in small businesses while also exploring potential silver linings.
Is Inner Circle Right For You?
Kyle Dammann
Kyle Dammann is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, team builder, and automation expert. After a family member fell into a life-threatening addiction to prescription medication and his own experiences with plant medicine, he decided to dedicate his time and skills to legitimizing and accelerating the birth of the plant medicine industry. Kyle believes that access to nature’s pharmacy is a fundamental human right and that all adults should have safe, reliable access to these proven and safe compounds.
