Doesn’t it seem like we’ve been hearing a lot more about Artificial Intelligence in recent months? I mean, not that it’s coming, like we’ve been hearing for years—but that it’s actually HERE, NOW.
I recently attended a presentation on AI given by a 37-year technology veteran and local business owner, Joe Goldstein, who is also the best-selling co-author of “Tech Up or Lose out: How To Use Technology As A Competitive Advantage In Your Business.”
Goldstein explained what AI actually is. “In a nutshell, AI is machine learning, word processing and other technologies. It is a tool for automating your business processes, also a tool to help you in your day-to-day with marketing and other tasks.”
Goldstein described where AI development is today “The utilization and how it’s processing information is the fastest we’ve ever seen in the history of technology.”
And, he says it’s just beginning. “We’re rubbing sticks together, folks. We’re cavemen sitting next to a square that will one day be a wheel.”
He then attempted to define the impact of AI on jobs. “What it’s not — it’s not coming for your job — yet ... It’s not a replacement for human workers — well, not entirely, maybe some ... AI is not going to replace you — but the person who knows how to use AI — may.”
He shared what AI offers business owners. “As a business leader it is definitely something that you should understand and not fear it. Because if you learn how to leverage this, you are going to be ahead in your field.”
Goldstein noted that AI can help with marketing and advertising, image creation and more. “Automation of repetitive tasks, it is amazing with that and it can also help improve customer service in lots of different ways. That’s the common stuff. More advanced? Data analytics to create a huge spreadsheet to help you spit out charts in seconds instead of taking you days to put all those formulas together. Predictive analytics, fraud detection, legal review.”
Goldstein explained how AI actually works. “Prompting is key, and what I mean by prompting is how you ask the question. How you ask the question to AI is going to directly impact the response that you get...So it’s not just a search, it’s actual conversation, and prompting is how you get it to give you the information that you want out of it.”
But he said it’s not perfect. “AI is often wrong. You have to fact-check it.”
Finally Goldstein predicted where is AI headed.
“In 12 months, 18 months from now, completely different world. And that’s why I say it’s important to get on board now because as a business owner, because if you learn it now, you’re gonna be way ahead. If you start 6 months from now, 12 months from now, you are going to be behind.”
Moore about Business is a co-production with Karen Moore, publisher of "Southwest Florida Business Today" and WGCU Public Media.
