AI or Artificial Intelligence is all the rage these days. You can’t run away from it or try to hide from it. It is being woven into all kinds of technologies that touch our businesses and personal lives every day. We many times don’t even realize it is there. Some polls ask people whether they use AI in their work and/or business, and they show about 50% use it, and 50% don’t. The challenge with some of the polls is: what real question is being asked? If they are asking if a person directly invokes an AI tool, agent, etc., that is one very specific use of AI. On the other hand, a simple internet search and subsequent prompts to dig deeper trigger an AI agent to provide more data, but it is still using the tool set behind the scenes.
First of all, JKL Associates is not an AI expert, but we use the toolset to enhance our ability to deliver value to our clients. It would be similar to not using email or a word processor in business and still relying on snail mail, pen/pencil, and paper. These tools, which have now been around for decades, have greatly enhanced the business world in many ways – speed and clarity of communication, to name a couple.
From our perspective, using AI is not a choice. You are not given the choice to use email or write a communication on a piece of paper and hand-deliver it to a colleague in the building or to a client down the street. The business case of handwritten communication versus electronic communication does not even have to be made. (There are very specific uses of a handwritten note to a colleague that is not only appropriate but necessary to enhance a solid relationship)
The questions become: where does AI strategically and tactically fit into your business? Where does the company need to craft policies and establish procedures to benefit the organization without placing it in harm’s way? What investment is to be made into staff development on the proper and effective use of the toolset? And the list goes on ……….
Much like our reference to word processing, the original tools did not write communication content or context for you. It took the pen out of your hand and directed your fingertips to the keyboard to type your content. Today, AI can, in fact, craft content flavored with context, etc. AI can literally create the recipe and define the best ways to cook it. This is where AI currently weakens and still needs human interaction, personality, emotion, etc. AI does not have Emotional Intelligence to the degree humans can possess it, understand it, appreciate it, and elect to use it in various communications or interactions. AI can bake the cake, but does not know how it turns out or what it tastes like. AI does not know if it satisfied the person eating it.
At JKL Associates, we encourage our clients and colleagues to embrace AI as another tool within their business systems. It does remarkable things by capturing data and organizing it in amazing ways, saving time, money, and stress, among other benefits. It takes time to get used to using it. There are different flavors, agents, and toolsets from various providers, and some are very targeted for specific use cases, so you need to choose a toolset that delivers value to your business needs. Much like using an Apple-enabled device, a Microsoft-enabled device, or a Google-enabled device, choice is a good thing. Investigate and get informed. Make strategic decisions about your use of AI rather than letting it haphazardly enter your business without a framework.
This week, take the time to see where AI is already filtered into your organization. Just like some unsuspecting staff member brings cookies into the lunchroom for everyone that has peanuts in them and not knowing a fellow staff member is deathly allergic to peanuts, AI could, in the most unsuspecting way, come into your business and cause harm. A relationship with a Promise Guide is about looking beyond tomorrow, so you prepare today to grow your business in the future. Reach out to JKL Associates at MI (313) 527-7945 or FL (407) 984-7246.
Journey On!
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Celebrating 30 years of Delivering on “Promises”
