Small Businesses Leverage AI to Tackle Mundane Tasks
With the rise of AI systems in recent years, workers worldwide have expressed growing concern. Some describe tools like ChatGPT as harbingers of job loss due to their impressive efficiency. For many, AI feels like a threat to job security.
Stevie Fox, of Rain Marketers, speculates that fear of change underlies AI anxiety. “If someone has been working for a corporation for twenty years,” he said, “and then, all of a sudden, there becomes less demand for their position, that would definitely scare them.”
Global policymakers are beginning to address the potential consequences of AI, including mass layoffs. However, the U.S. remains in the early stages of this technological shift. The future is still uncertain.
Rain Marketers, among other small businesses, refuse to wait on the sidelines of the unknown. Since the beginning, AI has held an imperative place in their workflow. “We like to use AI for things that are less creative,” Fox said. AI handles monotonous jobs, leaving more intellectually demanding tasks for his team. That way, their work is not only more efficient, but also stimulating.
Tasks such as email sorting, sending follow-ups, and managing newsletters are now automated. “Things that just drain our energy and time,” Fox said. In the wake of AI’s productivity, the Rain Marketing team focuses almost exclusively on creative tasks.
Their use of AI has grown exponentially since the beginning. Fox’s initial reaction to AI systems, like ChatGPT, was optimism. “It’s perspective-based,” he said, describing the function of AI in the broad workforce. His approach was proactive, quickly educating himself on the uses of AI, rather than potential downfalls.
According to Fox, one can approach AI in two ways: avoidance or adaptation. The latter, for him, reaps innumerable benefits.
Lou Pereyra, owner of Tiny Mountain Houses, also uses AI to streamline operations. Over the past year, AI has taken over customer quotes, a task that once consumed valuable team hours.
“I think it just came out of necessity,” Lou said, reflecting on his decision to incorporate AI. “The conversation wasn’t about AI, but about making things easier for our buyers.” AI seamlessly integrated into the workflow of Tiny Mountain Houses.
Both Fox and Pereyra argue that education and awareness could alleviate AI-related fears. Understanding AI’s benefits can help people embrace its potential. Trepidation, for them, stands in the way of innovation.
Business owners and employees have a right to feel intimidated by AI. Many questions have no answers. Will people start losing their jobs to these AI systems? If so, when? And is placing restrictions on AI usage a necessary safeguard?
While concerns about job loss and ethical implications remain valid, Fox emphasizes a proactive mindset: “How can I leverage AI to my benefit?” Perhaps industries should adopt this carpe diem approach, leveraging AI’s ability to tackle menial tasks.
And yet, wisdom lies in caution. A path exists where the American worker may adopt AI’s usefulness in its current state while remaining skeptical about the unknown future. Perhaps in this historical moment, a balanced approach is most warranted.