What is AI Small Business and should you be using it?
What is AI and should your small business be using it? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic and it is getting hotter. Small business owners need to sit up straight in their chairs and pay attention. We are living in a modern world. There is nothing to fear with AI, it is all good news! What is AI? AI is a branch of computer science that focuses on the creation of intelligent machines that can work and learn like humans. It includes a range of techniques, such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, which allow computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. Natural Language Processing Software such as ChatGPT, Jasper and Writesonic are all natural language processing AI tools using the power of AI. Effectively, they are AI Writers and this is where a lot of the buzz has been around in recent times. What is AI writing? AI Writing is one of the most exciting applications of AI technology. It refers to the use of AI algorithms to generate written content, such as news articles, social media posts, product descriptions and even creative writing such as children’s books or novels. AI writing has become increasingly popular due to its ability to produce high-quality content at scale and with minimal human involvement. How can Small businesses leverage AI Writing in everyday tasks? Small businesses have a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of powerful tools to increase their efficiency and productivity. The benefits of AI, potentially allows them to do more with less, saving time and reducing costs. The AI writing software can help produce marketing content, write emails, social media captions, improve content, write blog posts, product descriptions and more. Other uses of AI Companies of all sizes are using AI to achieve success in their business operations. For example, big companies across different industries are already adapting their business processs. Amazon uses AI to recommend products to customers, while Netflix uses AI to personalize their recommendations to each user. In the healthcare industry, IBM’s Watson uses AI to assist doctors in diagnosing and treating patients. The list of companies using AI to improve their operations is growing rapidly. Using Chat-bots to provide Customer Service One of the first ways that it will impact small business – and already has to a large extent – is with the introduction of chat-bots on company websites that have been trained to answer frequently asked questions of potential customers online. This allows an immediate response to customers and is great for smaller businesses that might not have the human resources to respond in person. This can help qualify your target audience, create instant customer engagement, provide customer support, ensure that you consistently follow your business processes and help you land new customers all without lifting a finger. Are there any risks with AI Yes. The technology is new-ish and evolving. There is evidence that the writing output is not always accurate. There are also concerns that Google and other search engines will penalise websites (with a lower ranking) that use AI written content. How do you avoid these risks? You must fact check your content. You must rewrite your content to a certain extent to ensure that the tone and message you are conveying is genuine to your brand. NEVER take 100% AI generated content and use without editing. The content tends to be a little verbose and bloated and often is not that great to read without a tight edit. Your content must be interesting, relevant and informative to your audience or your will lose them. What should you be doing right now with AI as a business owner? Open up ChatGPT and try entering some commands. This software is powerful, but can also be confusing when a user is faced with a blank command box for the first time. It is for this reason, I recommend that AI newbies take a look at the more user-friendly interface of Jasper. Jasper comes with templates and prompts that make generating content a lot more intuitive and less daunting for an skill level. Jasper allows you to interact as conversational AI and in my opinion, perfect for small companies or digital agencies. The future is AI – now is the right time, adopt now or lag behind later AI is a powerful set of technologies that will revolutionise the internet and business. When the calculator arrived many years ago, it was seen as a disruptor. Now the world cannot cope without automated calculations. Get on board with AI as an early adopter in some small way, and sooner rather than later. The earlier you get on board with this new technology the better. Those that wait years to adopt it, will be caught in a laggard rip. This will leave them getting left behind and struggling to pay catch-up. Adopt now, even in a small way, harness the value of AI and don’t get caught out as a dinosaur.
