What Does AI Really Mean For Your Business?

As of late, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a buzz word in the tech industry. Whenever I hear the term, I think back to the days of watching the movie Smart House on the Disney Channel. Now, I’m having nightmares that a robot is going to try to control my life. Before my dreams turn into the sequel of iRobot, let’s get clear on what “AI” really is and what it can do for small businesses. 

The definition of artificial intelligence is “the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.” So, can AI help my friends and I decide where to go to dinner? It actually can.  

1. Recommending services that meet the needs of your clients

AI can utilize knowledge that a consumer doesn’t have access to help them make educated decisions. For example, I am a new client at your studio with a high level of fitness and I love rap music. As a business owner, you know that your instructor Kaity loves rap music and teaches a challenging 60-minute cycling class. You’d recommend that class to this client if you were speaking with them live. 

But, how often do you get to have a conversation with a new client before they book? While online booking is powerful, it puts the effort on the consumer to make the right decision for themselves, when they might not have all the information they need to come to the best option for them.

2. Freedom to structure your business your way 

Think about the technology you use in your daily life. On a scale of 1-5, how much effort does it require from you to make it work? How many times have you had to change how you run your business or the language you use to match the software? I don’t know about you, but I have to rephrase my requests to my voice-controlled devices multiple times before it understands. 

True artificial intelligence is smart and better capable of flexing to your consumers' and businesses' unique needs. It learns over time and has the ability to determine intent. People drive the conversation vs. having to follow a ridge structure. That means less, “Ugh...why isn’t this easier?” and more “Thank you—that was fast!”

3. Allow people to be more human 

Technology is powerful but distracting.  We spend so much of our days looking down, checking our phones, trying to find answers.  As a society, we tend to be task-focused—we're always "doing" something. We work in an industry that drives connections, encourages us to be present, but as business owners, we don’t have the tools that allow us to do that. 

We can leverage AI technology to reduce routine tasks. Doing less means more space to be alone with our thoughts, to see what we can create, to build stronger connections, to make an impact, to live out our greater purpose. Ask yourself, what could you be capable of if you weren’t distracted by the noise and busy-work that is currently expected of you? What would you do with the freedom of time?