Dos and Don’ts of AI
The age of AI is upon us and those who are embracing it are running at a faster pace than we ever imagined. It’s a great tool for brainstorming and holding a mirror back at you in some ways. I’ve seen people use it as a therapist, coach, brand strategist, and more.
AI is an excellent source of information and a tool to expedite efficiencies in many ways. But we’re also seeing a stark decline in creativity and originality. It’s quickly becoming a crutch that many businesses and “thought leaders” are relying heavily upon.
I see it all the time on LinkedIn because when I’m stuck and ask AI to help me generate ideas for a month’s worth of posts, it’s the same recycled content that I see other people post. Some add their own flair or stories to the messaging, and others post it as-is, completely content with the unoriginality of passing on an idea that isn’t their own.
Ineffective Business Use Cases
What’s worse, though, is how I’ve seen businesses and sales teams begin to use it. I had a sales call recently where the team was knowledgeable about their area of expertise, but I wasn’t quite ready to bite. My supporting systems weren’t where they needed to be at the value point beyond the free trial — no one’s fault but my own — so I knew the ROI would be less than ideal. At the end of the call, they generously offered to send me a free business development plan, which I was intrigued by. The sales rep hung back and asked me a few additional questions and then I received an email a little while later with some recommendations for my business.
That is a cool sales tactic. After all, who isn’t looking for help to grow their business strategy? The problem was in the execution of the idea. It was evident that the entire strategy was AI. My website was run through an AI model and the “original” ideas were misses for who I was actually targeting (clearly stated on my website). It wasn’t even formatted uniquely; it was a straight copy and paste from an AI generator.
Another similar but different story is that I worked with a business coach. I listed out my problems, sharing where I knew there were gaps in my business plan and asking for help. We talked and toed around the subject. When I followed up later to see if they had feedback on my business plan, as they had more time to review it (as they said they would), they replied with, ‘I’ve run it through a few different AI models and this is the feedback.’ Would you be surprised to know that it echoed the same issues and gaps that I had asked for help with?
I’m not the only one with stories like this. We are running on leaner strategies and less-equipped teams and expecting AI to fill in the gap.
If we’re not careful, we’re headed for a breakdown of trust and authority in our businesses by becoming too dependent on AI and less authentic in what we truly offer as a value to clients.
So here is a list of my personal dos and don’ts when it comes to using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“Dos” of Using AI:
Set up automations.
These will help you run the processes behind the scenes and free your team up to do the work that really moves the needle. Tap into the unique brilliance and strengths of your team and free them up to focus on those areas rather than tedious tasks.
Use tools like Zapier to connect systems and streamline your processes.
For instance, connect your point of sale system with your email automations to launch a contact into an onboarding process, regardless of the time of day. This keeps the momentum while the client is available and taking care of business.
Connect your project management system to your CRM to keep track of movement through the pipeline and automatically assign follow-up tasks and deadlines to team members.
Leverage it to write SOPs.
You can get a good skeleton SOP from AI. Then include specifics, roles and responsibilities, and screenshots of your specific workflows. This saves time and helps you think through a variety of steps.
Tailor your blogs, SEO, and copy to be captured by AI.
With the AI snapshots at the top of Google, now referenced as GEO, most people aren’t scrolling through websites and trying to discern the best sources anymore.
If you’re not ranking in AI searches, you’re missing a great opportunity. This isn’t the easiest to navigate since it’s always changing. I’d recommend following my friend Leslee Owen for tips on this front.
Generate ideas.
It’s a great tool for asking questions and letting it help you generate ideas or content. But, in our opinion, it shouldn’t be your main source of content, rather inspiration for ideas.
Find ways to use the inspiration to drive unique and tailored content from your own expertise and client experiences. Please don’t copy and paste what everyone is sharing too.
Which segways to our don’ts category.
The “Don’ts” of Using AI:
Don’t Copy and Paste Directly.
Please don’t copy and paste content in any way, shape, or form without at least adapting it to fit your unique brand voice/message and format. If you’re not convinced about this, check out the situations above as to why we believe this is a compelling case for business integrity. We can safely say that we’ve not used these companies again.
In this episode of The Emboldened Entrepreneur, my friend Nick Garofalo shares that we don’t actually have short attention spans — we’ll give our attention to any number of things for an extended period of time — rather, we have high standards.
We don’t scroll and read posts like we used to. Why? Because it’s all the same. The push for authentic, organic, and raw content is gone. Now it’s peddling the same phrases and content across multiple platforms and differing accounts. If you want something to stand out, be willing to set aside time and do it yourself.
Don’t Substitute Quality Work.
As one of my coaching clients would tell you: "Please don’t ask AI to write complex code."
AI can do many things. It can create photos and replicate voices and so many other unique tools that we’ve never had access to in the past. Tools like Canva allow us to flex creative muscles that used to require immense training and degrees to navigate.
But it still has limitations. For complex details, it is still best practice to hire a human for their expertise.
Don’t Ignore It.
Don’t bury your head in the sand and pretend like it doesn’t exist. We made a nod to GEO above, but the truth is, AI is becoming a tool we don’t know how to live without.
It synthesizes information more quickly than we can and I don’t know about you, but I’m guilty of reading the AI summaries on things rather than scrolling through endless content to find a solution. The quickest way to become obsolete is to ignore at least understanding the tools that others are relying upon.
Don’t Take it All at Face Value or as Fact.
Like all algorithms, it’s intended to feed you what it thinks you want to know. The model learns your patterns and filters content through that lens. If you want challenging or creative thought, it’s still best to connect with humans and ask them questions.
The models are machines, not beings. And statistics are beginning to show a decline in creativity as we become more dependent on the use of these AI models. In a world that makes it so readily available to take the easy way out, flex your creativity and expand your capabilities. Sure, leverage AI, but don’t stop learning, exploring, and flexing your unique expertise and purpose.
At the end of the day, we still need human expertise and connection. Don’t sacrifice growth for ease, but also don’t ignore the great capabilities it affords to create efficiencies that can help you scale and do more with intention. The greatest potential gap is how you choose to use it and build with it as a tool in your toolbox or the tool.
The beautiful thing about the future is that you get to decide how to build it — build it wisely.
If you need help building a sustainable business model, we’d love to facilitate our 7Ps Framework™ to help you gain clarity on how to build an aligned future. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.
