The Pros and Cons of Using AI for Business

It’s no surprise that AI is being implemented in droves in the business world. While it has all kinds of benefits, it also presents considerable risks that must be managed to benefit from it effectively. Today, we’re exploring how AI can improve your business’ operations.

AI Has Never Been More Relevant

Thanks to AI, computers are now capable of human-like intelligence and learning, reasoning, and correcting themselves. Artificial intelligence tools are great for automating certain types of tasks, like the ones that no one wants to do, and if it’s used to its strengths, you might find that you can reap considerable rewards from it.

Small Businesses and Artificial Intelligence

Regardless of the industry, SMBs have plenty of ways to implement AI. Any monotonous tasks that employees dislike can be automated, freeing them up to work on more interesting and rewarding work. AI is also incredibly valuable for data analysis and futurecasting, allowing organizations to use insights to predict what’s in store for them in the near future.

Here are just a few ways that SMBs are leveraging AI in their day-to-day operations:

• Boosting customer service through chatbots
• Improving marketing efforts with data analysis
• Streamlining operations with automation tools
• Enhancing decision-making with informed predictive analytics
• Adjusting workflows with project management

AI will only become more useful over time, and as new opportunities are discovered, you can expect even more interesting ones to surface.

The Pros of AI for Small Businesses

If you implement AI, you could benefit in the following ways:

Kickstart Efficiency and Productivity

Employees who would normally be stuck with rote tasks can suddenly be granted more time in the workday to complete more meaningful and beneficial tasks. 

Innovate Your Customer Service with Personalization

You can use AI to power chatbots for more effective and instantaneous customer support. Furthermore, you can use data collected by AI to provide even better customer experiences through personalized recommendations based on their shopping history or engagement with your company.

Grow and Scale with Creative Implementation

AI offers SMBs insights and efficiencies that large organizations thrive with. This can let your business grow and scale even under circumstances that you might not think possible.

Drawbacks of AI for Small Businesses

It’s not all positive for AI. Here are some of the biggest challenges that it presents:

Job Cuts and Skill Gaps

If you rely too much on AI, you might be risking your employees' jobs simply because their skills are no longer necessary. Similarly, an overreliance on AI on a broad scale could create a skills deficit in your business.

Up-front Expenses and Integration

The up-front costs of AI implementation could potentially be prohibitive to your goals—at least financially.

Ethics and Security Challenges

AI has been known to make questionable decisions from time to time. If you use it with your data, you’ll have to ensure it knows better than considering biases during analysis. Of course, security is always a challenge, particularly for solutions that have access to large sums of data like AI. Securing these solutions is of the utmost importance.

You Can Make Great Use of AI through Balance

If you think AI could benefit your business, consider the following questions:

How Can You Implement AI with Minimal Risk?

You can start small with AI through small projects that present lesser risk factors compared to larger, more grand-scale implementations. Consider how you can use AI with your current tools and the benefits of training your team on their effective use.

How Are You Measuring the Success of Your Implementation?

If you want to measure the value of your AI, then it’s up to you to determine key metrics for success. Look at factors like efficiency, customer service, decision-making, employee satisfaction, and customer feedback for easier success metrics.

Your business can leverage AI, but will you? If you’re interested in getting started, call us today to learn more at (978) 482-2020.