As small business owners, we don’t have a choice of whether we want to engage or not with AI

How can a small business be expected to be able to learn about AI, understand how it can positively impact its business and invest the resources (time, money and people) implementing a “solution” that will positively impact the top (and/or bottom) line? 

The key word in this statement is “small” as in “act small” while keeping your eyes open to the “art of the possible."

All this talk AI may seem brand new but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  AI has been used in business for decades though it feels like it just exploded on us in November of 2022 with the launch of ChatGPT.  In the early 1980’s the financial and oil sectors were using AI to do credit risk assessments and decision-making in regard to exploration.  The emergence of the internet in the 1990s generated incredible amounts of data that would be used to create algorithms that have evolved to generate recommendations we now see on e-commerce sites like Amazon. These advancements led to being able to handle complex tasks like image and speech recognition and are part of almost every industry sector in our economy. As small business owners, we don’t have a choice of whether we want to engage or not - we already do.  The question is, will you maximize your engagement based on what you and your business needs and resources allow to deliver the most to your customers, prospective customers, employees and you.  

So, how can you get started? I’d suggest finding a place and an activity that meets you where you’re currently at and going forward from there. You don’t need to hire a consultant or go back to school.  Plenty of no cost/low-cost opportunities to learn exist and with a little bit of effort, you’ll find yourself talking about machine learning, neural networks and generativ. AI!  Below are just two ideas that have been incredibly helpful to me.

Download a free version of a generative AI tool and have fun

In early 2023, I went on the ChatGPT site and signed up - it was a little scary (though I’ve worked with and for AI startups previously), this felt different.  I was actually going to be creating something “new”.  So, I asked my very first question (also known as a “prompt”).

“Write a short story about a 9-year-old girl named Sydney, written as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy." 

I thought if I was going to do this, I was going to be entertained and I thought it would be cool to show this to my daughter!  I received a five-paragraph story telling the tale of my daughter joining the Guardians (we’re a Marvel family!), recognized for her intelligence and bravery.  As the story progressed, she played an integral part in stopping Thanos and retrieving the Infinity Stones - saving the world and gaining the admiration of the universe!  

She loved it and I began to see the “art of the possible”.  Could I take my own thoughts and ideas, works that I have created and ask a question that could provide the framework for me to go deeper and broader than I had before?  The answer was “YES” and I’m still learning to this day. 

Attend an AI-focused event and take notes

There are opportunities to engage with groups right here in Northeast Ohio to learn more about artificial intelligence.  Too often, because we’re busy running a business and trying to take care of (or get more) customers and we feel like we don't have time to do something that doesn’t affect our business today.   Newsflash - AI affects your business today!  In addition to the events and learning opportunities at the Greater Cleveland Partnership, there are other organizations that will provide access to business leaders, government officials, software developers, marketing gurus, educators, consultants and MUCH MORE who are more than happy to share with you what they know.  Organizations such as JumpStart, OhioX and Cleveland AI MeetUp are just a few places that list events on a regular basis - make “checking for AI events” part of your weekly “to do” list. 

You don’t have to be an expert - be vulnerable, be coachable and go to learn.  Write down or record everything you hear even if you don’t understand it.  You’ll hear things that will pique your interest and will prod you to learn more.  There is SO MUCH to learn - you can’t do it all.  But, you can find things that are interesting and applicable to where you and your business is today.

At last year’s OhioX AI Summit at John Carroll University, a panelist said that in the last 12 months AI technology has never evolved and changed so quickly AND those changes and its continued evolution will never move this slowly again. There is no perfect time to lean in - that time would have been yesterday; the next best time is today. So, jump in and have fun.

Dana Allender founded SUN (as in, “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles) to specifically help SMB owners and founders sell their stuff while building their own skills along the way. He’s a member and ambassador of OhioX, working to fulfill the mission of making Ohio into a tech hub.  He also serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at JumpStart, supporting the region’s early-stage tech community.   

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