Phil Portman is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Textdrip — a small business SMS marketing tool to automate SMS campaigns.
Right now, AI is everywhere. You see it in headlines, pitch decks and boardroom meetings. Executives are asking their teams, “What is our AI strategy?” and startups are adding “AI-powered” to their product descriptions overnight.
However, the real question here is: Is all this rushing toward AI really worth it?
AI has huge potential. It can automate tasks, increase productivity and give in-depth insights to businesses that they never had before. However, just like every shiny new technology, AI can also distract leaders from what actually matters the most. It is creating value for customers and staying true to their brand.
Let’s look at both sides of the story in this article.
The Shiny Object Problem
One of the biggest challenges with AI right now is the shiny object problem.
Think about what happened with blockchain a few years ago. Suddenly, every company, from beverage brands to furniture stores, was trying to add blockchain to its business. And the result was clear. Many of those brands went nowhere. It is because they were not solving real problems; they were just riding the trend.
In fact, AI right now is going through the same phase. Many businesses are rushing to “implement AI” so they can say they are using AI.
But what’s the end result of all of this? It’s hard to know for sure, but I believe it will include:
- Teams wasting time and money building tools nobody really needs.
- Leaders checking a box that says we have AI, but in reality, they don’t see real improvements in revenue, customer experience or efficiency.
- Employees getting confused about why the company is making these changes in the first place.
In short, AI should not be used just for the sake of using AI. It should solve a real business problem. For example, using AI to analyze thousands of customer feedback forms and summarize them into key themes. It will save hours of manual work. On the flip side, using AI to rewrite all your marketing content just because it is easy to write might hurt your business more than it helps.
Losing Your Brand Voice
Another problem with AI is losing your identity.
There is no doubt that AI can easily produce content at scale, and it can do so within a matter of seconds. However, if you rely heavily on it, your brand can start sounding robotic. Remember, your brand voice is what makes you unique. It is the personality behind your emails, the style in your social media posts and the seriousness or humor in your product copy. When you use AI to write everything slowly, your voice can disappear.
Therefore, it is not just a marketing problem but a business risk. Customers trust brands that feel human. Therefore, if your communication starts sounding generic, you lose your customers’ trust and your brand uniqueness. Consequently, you should balance the use of AI.
You can use the AI as your helpful assistant, but it should not be a replacement for your creativity. Let your team edit, refine and add personality to whatever AI generates. When you do so, you get the productivity boost without sacrificing your unique voice.
When AI Works Well
Of course, AI has many risks. Even so, it is incredible if you use it thoughtfully.
For example, recently I started using a small wearable called a Plaud Note. It is a piece of AI hardware that records conversations and uploads them to Notebook LLM. So now I don’t have to worry about missing key points from meetings. I get daily recaps of my conversations, which saves time. Besides, I can quickly follow up with colleagues and employees on action items.
AI is great at handling mundane things that make life easier. It solves a specific pain point by remembering and acting on conversations.
Other significant use cases include customer support, data analysis and workflow automation. When AI is implemented for a clear reason, it can boost efficiency, improve accuracy and make teams more productive.
Questions Every Business Leader Should Ask Before Using AI
Before you rush to implement AI in your business, you should ask these questions:
- How will AI help me improve operations and enhance the customer experience?
- Will AI save time or create more work?
- How will implementing AI impact our brand?
- Do we have a plan for AI training and adoption?
- What does success look like?
If you cannot clearly explain how AI will help you save time, improve operations and maintain your brand voice, then take a moment to pause instead of rushing to implement it. Understand that AI is only effective if you and your team know how to utilize it effectively. Therefore, it’s important to ask these questions first to avoid wasting resources and prevent you and your team from focusing on high-impact opportunities.
The Future Of AI In Business
AI is not going anywhere. We are still in the early stages, and over time, AI will become an integral part of how we work. However, that does not mean businesses should implement AI blindly. AI should be your strategy supporter, not a replacer.
The companies that win in the AI era will be those that use AI to solve real and specific problems. Keep your brand identity strong. Train your teams to work alongside AI, not just rely on it.
In short, you should see AI as a tool, not as a magic solution.
The Way Forward
Undoubtedly, AI is exciting, powerful and can transform how we work. However, it is not suitable for every business in every situation. Therefore, if you just chase AI because it is a hot trend, you risk wasting time, losing your unique voice and confusing your team. On the flip side, if you use AI thoughtfully, you can unlock new levels of productivity and focus on what matters most: growing your business.
Therefore, before you rush to implement AI, slow down and ask yourself: Is this really worth it for us right now?
Remember, sometimes the smartest move is not to be first but to be right.
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