How Trustworthy is AI?

As artificial intelligence (AI) begins to underline the potential it holds for enhancing business success, we're observing an increasingly diverse array of businesses—from small startups and brick-and-mortar stores to freelancers and large enterprises—adopting AI tools. These tools not only set them up for future success as AI evolves but also offer immediate benefits, such as time savings today through the use of generative and analytical AI tools.

However, we've also witnessed some glaring missteps in AI's performance when it's not properly monitored or prompted, such as chatbots glitching or image generators scrambling text. This has understandably led to some hesitancy among business owners to begin digesting the technology, opting to wait until it's deemed more reliable and efficient.

Here’s why that’s a bad idea: By the time AI is universally acknowledged as "reliable and efficient" and becomes a staple in business operations, the opportunity to stand out by leveraging this technology will have passed. The best moment to adopt any innovation is at the outset—not just to differentiate your business but also to become familiar with the technology before it's the standard. Expertise in AI tools is projected to become one of the most sought-after skills in the job market over the upcoming years. There's no doubt that AI will transform every industry, but your business can start reaping the benefits of this transformation today, and increase both efficiency and profitability. Once AI becomes a standard in business operations, the opportunity to distinguish your business early on with notable efficiency will be gone.

Currently, two types of AI tools are particularly accessible for integration into business operations: generative AI and analytical tools powered by AI algorithms. Generative AI, including Large Language Models (LLMs) and tools for creating unique images and videos, include some of the most commonly known AI tools such as Chat GPT, Google Gemini, and Bing Image Creator. Although incredibly promising, it's also the most susceptible to producing lower-quality content, as well as "hallucinating" (generating unintended or inaccurate content). Many of us at Polarity like to say that generative AI tools—like chatbots and image generators—can achieve roughly 80% of your goal; however, human oversight is crucial for refining and monitoring the output to cover the remaining 20% to achieve your intended output.

Analytical AI tools, on the other hand, swiftly process and organize vast data sets with remarkable accuracy. These tools are invaluable for business applications, including marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), sales, and accounting, all with minimal risk of misinformation since they primarily analyze data. Our resource library offers a wealth of examples of analytical AI tools that have proven their success, and can be trusted to handle a wide range of analytical tasks based on their current performance.

All of that said, the best thing a business owner can do right now is to begin the process of becoming acquainted with AI - in any capacity. Begin using LLMs such as Chat GPT or Google Gemini to answer your questions, whether it be business or personal. Test them out. Monitor the answers, fact-check them. Provide sample data that you are familiar with for AI tools to analyze, and critique the output. Complete your own due diligence to determine the extent to which these tools could be used to scale your business. It is no question that we, as a society, will grow to incorporate and rely on AI increasingly over time. We have all collectively just begun that process, and such a big societal change requires a learning period. If you have not already, begin that learning process yourself. Knowledge of this new realm is the most valuable asset you can begin to formulate right now to position you and your business for sustainable growth and success.

If you need advice along the way, every member of our team is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and businesses succeed. Each of us either owns, oversees, or consults with small and medium-sized businesses daily. We pride ourselves on utilizing AI to drive business success - and provide coursework, workshops, and personal consulting sessions that explain how AI can be leveraged to provide value for businesses through simple solutions and save time.