Ready To Use A.I.?

I asked an A.I. tool to write an article about A.I. As it turns out... A.I. likes itself - a lot!  Shocker.

Here are some of the zingers it came up with:

 -- Are you ready to ride the wave, or will you be left scrambling in the wake of this technological force?

 -- Imagine having a business oracle that never sleeps - That’s A.I.

 -- Something about being "the seasoned archer" of customer engagement (It was so goofy, I already deleted  it. I might paste it in after I find my notes again.)

However, A.I. does offer some quantifiable benefits - from automating mundane tasks to uncovering insights through data analysis.

If you’re not already implementing A.I. in your strategy, the numbers show you might be missing out.

Nobody starts an online business dreaming of endless data-entry or repetitive tasks. 

A.I. can automate some of these activities, freeing up more time for you to grow your business.

Imagine A.I.-powered chatbots handling customer inquiries 24/7, as they learn and improve with each interaction. Businesses using A.I. report a meaningful reduction in customer service costs.

For humans, with data pouring in from every digital corner, understanding trends can be like solving a jigsaw puzzle.

A.I. peels away the mystery, revealing consumer habits and predicting future behaviors. 

Businesses employing predictive analytics using A.I. have seen an increase in sales accuracy.

However, it isn't always perfectly accurate. One thing to be aware of, is that for a small business owner, A.I. is like having a virtual assistant... one that occasionally "hallucinates," as they call it. Sometimes it even returns information that sounds good on first read, but can end up not being true. Some early adopters found out the hard way when they got into hot water for directly quoting information provided by A.I. without doing any fact checking first.

But that's no reason to avoid it; it's just something to be aware of. With A.I. as your assistant, you could ask it to provide a list of chapter titles for a book, for example. It's very good at things like this, and that's just one example. It's like an idea generation machine, and that's how it can be such a great help. It can give you a great outline to work from. Then you fill in the gaps, remove any parts that aren't accurate, and tweak the output using your own voice.

You could think of it as your co-creator, adding efficiency while you focus on the other parts of your business. It can provide suggestions which you would never have thought of in such a short time on your own.

Gone are the days of blindly throwing marketing dollars at the wall and hoping something sticks. A.I. is transforming digital marketing into more of a science.

With A.I.'s ability to analyze patterns, online businesses can target ads with more precision.

So, next time you scroll and wonder how the ad on Facebook knew exactly what you wanted -remember it’s not magic; it’s A.I.!

You might not think about it while placing an order, but A.I. has turned shipping logistics into a smart operation, from predicting demand to optimizing delivery routes.

The landscape ahead is not just owned by big brands; it's wide open for your A.I.-supported creative ventures.

While it's not entirely perfect, A.I. can ensure your customers are never waiting too long for a response.

Think of it as the tireless backup every support desk needs.

"The addition of OpenAl will provide businesses with a unique solution to enhance their customer experience and scale to levels that were previously unattainable," according to Zendesk (View full article).

But what about when it goes awry?

A.I. systems require quality input. Flawed data can lead to biased results. The notorious Google Photos incident miscategorizing images serves as a reminder.

Regulatory compliance and ethical considerations also demand vigilance as A.I. grows into decision-making roles previously held by humans.

Another thing to remember is that, each time you use an A.I. tool like ChatGPT, you're adding to its library of data as your entries are not private or proprietary, from what I've gathered. Seems like something to just keep in mind.

Thinking about diving into the A.I. pool? Here’s your survival guide:​

 -- Beware: Always remember to check the output. A.I. is a great idea generator, but it needs your    help to turn things into an appealing, finished product.

 -- Strategize: Identify tasks or processes in your business that are ripe for A.I. integration.

 -- Jump in: Take a test drive. It's free to create a basic account with ChatGPT, for example, and    test out some prompts. You might even be surprised by the results!

A.I. holds real value - from automating tasks and crafting great customer experiences... to helping writers of all kinds create more interesting content.

It’s time to start your A.I. journey!

​

-Duncan

April 10, 2025

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