‘we need to get AI in our business’
AI is everywhere today. Every piece of software you use has jumped aboard the AI train and now offers an AI service, whether that’s a chatbot assistant (most common), AI-powered navigation, writing suggestions, meeting recordings and more. AI being forced down our throats by the software we use. it’s got to the point that the majority of businesses are looking to integrate it in their business, literally for the only reason that they want to keep up with the crowd.
So is it a good idea to get AI in your business, and what’s the best way of going about it?
I’ll start with a disclaimer - I hate two things:
AI-powered services being forced on me. I’d like to pick and choose which ones I want to use. Generally, it’s too underdeveloped to hold any use for me. It’s like that one drunk dude at the party who laughs too loud and keeps telling the same story (not taking high ground, I’ve been that). They think they are adding value but really they are just shredding any credibility/aura.
People bandwaggoning to get AI in their business. It’s new and shiny and the future and everybody is getting it and what if I miss out? They don’t know what they want it to do, they just want to get it.
In saying that, it’s incredibly powerful when used correctly. If you’re using chatGPT or Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok or Claude (the list goes on) as an SME (subject matter expert), you’re using it correctly. If you’re using your AI chat to ask what to eat for lunch or to write a bunch of code, you’re using it correctly. If you’re asking it for the meaning of life or to proof-read an email, you’re using it correctly. These are all examples of how AI can make your life a hell of a lot easier. Personally, it’s most impactful for me when it’s writing code or telling me which earbuds to buy (Shokz). It regularly saves me literal days on identifying bugs in lines of code or telling me where to find a setting toggle for a function that has been rage baiting me.
In my experience with providing automation services for businesses, people want AI but they don’t know what they want it for. When they identify a workflow to automate, they’ll ask me how can they use AI to automate it. Here’s some news: AI isn’t the answer 90% of the time. AI is unpredictable, unhinged and unfiltered. It’s slow, time-consuming and extremely expensive compared to hard-coded programming or middleware.
I’ll make it make sense in a badly formatted pivot table I made (it takes too long to format):
| Thing | Human | AI | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | Decent | Decent | Lightning quick |
| Reliability | Good | Really good | Perfect |
| Availability | Okay | Really good | Perfect |
| Versatility | Great | Perfect | Terrible |
| Consistency | Bad | Almost perfect | Perfect |
| Takes sick days | On occasion | Never | Never |
| Can you mess with it | Of course | No | No |
| Cost | Enormous | Big | Tiny |
This post is dragging on a little, but tl/dr: don’t assume you need AI in your business. Sure, it can automate your workflows. But 90% of the time, there are better options.
-Fred