Artificial intelligence is a source of both excitement and anxiety for many small businesses. One business in Michigan is currently showing what’s possible, while also leaving many unanswered questions about the future.
LaFleur Marketing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, first started using several AI tools last year. The goal, according to CEO Chip LaFleur, was to make the business more efficient and profitable. However, the team had concerns about potentially losing their jobs thanks to the technology.
Since then, the company implemented AI tools like Thoughtspot, ChatGPT, and CoPilot to perform various tasks like composing reports, analyzing data, and managing projects. LaFleur said that productivity levels have increased dramatically. And he hasn’t laid off any employees. However, he did acknowledge that these tools may reduce the need to hire moving forward.
In a conversation with Bridge Michigan, LaFleur said that small businesses “have the ability to punch above their weight by utilizing AI.”
Since small businesses often have fewer hoops to jump through in order to change processes or implement new procedures, LaFleur may have a point. Large companies certainly have the ability to benefit from AI as well. But small companies can be even more agile and able to adapt to new advancements or experiment with creative new ways to use the technology.
Of course, the anxiety about AI’s potential impact on jobs is very real. But many of today’s small businesses are already struggling to fill open positions with qualified workers. So AI may help some companies reduce the need to hire for these roles, or allow them to train existing employees to more efficiently handle different tasks.
AI is still evolving rapidly. And most industry experts agree that some legislation is needed to reign in certain elements of the technology. But small businesses across the world are already realizing benefits from implementing these tools. So companies that have yet to adopt any AI processes may benefit from considering how these tools could improve efficiency and profitability, ideally without harming their existing workforce.
Image: Envato
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