Transforming AI from an opportunity to a business booster

By Emma Peterson. 

The importance of research, data security and intentional implementation when adopting AI-powered tools. 

In a new episode of Operational Clarity, Lynsey Hull and Heidi J. Ellsworth discuss how contractors can properly leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in a way that boosts their business and avoids common mistakes. This type of technological integration is something that Lynsey has a lot of experience in as the CEO of Tyelus, a strategic process consultant. He explained, “We help companies solve their problems. And it really doesn't matter what that problem is. We have experience helping everyone from manufacturers to contractors and beyond.”  

And in their recent work, Lynsey and the Tyelus team have helped a lot of their clients figure out how to handle the rise of AI. Artificial intelligence represents a huge opportunity for many teams in terms of efficiency, but it is not a magical fix-all. Lynsey elaborated, “There are a lot of tools out there for contractors that use AI and there are two main responses to these new options. One, you have the people who are really diving headfirst without any other thoughts. Two, you have the people who take the time to do the research it and learn it, both benefits and pitfalls.” 

At the end of the day, Lynsey argues that the latter method, taking that time to deeply understand how each AI tool or system works before implementing, is far more effective at building long-term growth and success. As he put it, “What you need to do is make sure that when you start employing these tools, you have some background.” Why is this so important? Lynsey shared an example:  

A lot of people got excited about AI and just started using the free versions immediately. What they didn’t realize is that if you are using a free version, odds are you're contributing to what's called global learning. In other words, everything they input is getting thrown into a huge pool of data that everyone using that free program can access. And there have been massive corporations that have had highly sensitive data, financial data, trade secrets, put into these public versions that are now out there in the world. And it's now there forever. So, by doing some research, you can find a paid version of the AI tool that doesn’t let anyone at your info. 

It’s scenarios like this that really showcase the importance of taking that latter, more methodical approach to incorporating AI. Because when you do that, you can transform AI from an opportunity to a business booster. As Lynsey summed up, “It can be the most amazing tool to help you do your job. But at the end of the day it’s a software, it’s a tool, and you have to do the research first and understand what you’re looking at for it to be amazing.”  

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to learn more about effectively leveraging AI in your business.