Where Does AI Belong in Your Business (and Where Doesn’t It)?

Your value is not in the output. It's in the input that speaks to looking at AI as a thought partner that can support you in getting to where you want to go, rather than looking at it as an all knowing resource that knows the answer that's going to create, quote, unquote, correct things.

Welcome to the next evolution of the podcast entrepreneur school in the AI era. We are here to figure out how to integrate AI into the business you've worked so hard to build in a way that still feels like you. I'm your host, Kelly Sinclair, award winning marketer, turned AI platform co founder, AI has fundamentally changed how I thought about work systems and what's actually possible. This show is about navigating that new reality together. It's going to be a wild ride, my friend, but I truly believe there's a way to leverage AI in a way that's intentional, human, centered and aligned. It's an ongoing evolution. So let's explore, because AI may just be the unlock you need to achieve the life first business you truly desire.

All right, welcome to one of our first episodes on entrepreneur school in the AI era. I am bringing you this very timely conversation because I just got off of a panel discussion about AI for experts who don't want to sound like robots, right? There's a lot of discussion out there about when is a good time to use AI, versus when should I not be using it in my business? My opinion, definitely, is that there needs to be a human in the loop on all uses of AI. I draw the line personally at anything that is automated, that is developed by AI, that is delivered to somebody that is connected to your brand that you didn't actually see. I'm not there yet. I know that's where the world is going, but I'm not there yet. So the purpose of having this conversation is really to dig into that question, where should I use AI in my business, and where should I not? Because there's definitely a lot of things AI can do, right? It can draft, organize, summarize, speed things up, but ultimately, it cannot replace you. It cannot bring your lived experience, your discernment, your ability to read between the lines. So today I'm going to walk you through some questions that you can ask yourself to figure out exactly where it feels good for you to fit AI into your business, and where you might want to create your own lines in the sand.

So let's dig in. So let's start with the first question that you can ask yourself when you're thinking about using AI to do some kind of task, and that's, does this task require my unique lens, or is it a supporting function? So if the task is a supporting function, it's drafting an outline, pulling together some research, doing something administrative, organizing information. AI can probably handle that right. If it requires your lens, your experience, your strategic thinking, your ability to connect the dots, then that's where you want to keep it human. I have definitely found I have this concept called redeployment of capacity. So instead of thinking about AI taking away from what you're doing by using it, it's now actually just giving you space to do more of the human nuance, the customization, that element of things. I've talked about this on the podcast before, but even when I've been doing like strategies for clients, I could create that so much faster and then be able to have a more deep conversation, because they're already further along. They know they know more when they come together in the call. And I'm further along, I have more capacity left over to be able to have that kind of conversation with them. So I think this is a really smart way and a really good way of looking at human first AI adoption. It really means redeploying your capacity to be able to enhance the human element of what you do.

The second question that you can ask yourself is, does this require emotional intelligence, context, or reading between the lines, like, really, AI does not have emotional intelligence, and I'm gonna put a big asterisk beside that yet, because, you know, it's definitely developing some capabilities that are a little bit crazy. But anyways, it can't read the tone or. Subtext or pick up on what's not being said in the same way that a human could or perceive right? So that's a really important depending on what you do as well. That can be a really important layer that you bring to the table when you're reviewing something or considering the impact of that piece of content or that strategy or the idea and what else is going on in the world. Like there's a lot of layers to consider that are not necessarily happening in the kind of one dimensional view that can sometimes come from what's being produced by an AI tool. So that's definitely a consideration if your task is requiring empathy or intuition, or the ability to respond to what's happening in real time, like make sure there's the human element that continues in that job, right?

The next question for you to ask yourself is, am I using AI to free up capacity for higher value work, or am I using it to replace the work that makes me valuable? So this is a big one, and it's certainly, definitely along the lines of what I was saying about redeploying your capacity. And I think this is also the resistance that a lot of us have. Was definitely part of the conversation on the panel I was just on with respect to we've spent so long honing our expertise in whatever it is that we do, so to think that a robot could come along and produce something in moments that would take us hours or days, and that we have spent years learning how to do that like feels offensive and it feels A little scary, and it feels threatening a little bit. And so maybe that's where some of the resistance is for you, too, in thinking about how you're going to actually bring AI on board in a way that still feels like your value is what you're giving. So it's really kind of a nuanced thought process to think about, how do I allow AI to support the things that are not necessarily what I look at as my value, and allow me to still bring that lens. And I think in the end, whatever kind of output that you are getting from Ai still goes through that lens of your expertise, right? You know how to validate whether or not that's actually of good quality, a good strategy, a good piece of content, good writing. You know that, because of what you know, as an expert like I can definitely validate whether something sounds like you know, is a good piece of content, is a good press release, even, because I have that expertise, I cannot validate whether something is a good outline for a legal contract. I do not have that expertise. So that's kind of how you can ensure that what you're delivering with AI is actually valuable, because you still have that layer of your expertise reviewing it. I think there's a lot of debate in the service provider industry about this, like

particularly when we were billing hourly for services. That is just going to have to change moving forward is essentially my prediction that it's not about how long things take, and it's not about whether or not you're using AI. It's whether you're using the human lens to discern and add that nuance and validation at the end of the day. So a few more examples of the concept of redeploying your capacity if you use AI for scheduling admin, and then you're able to spend that time having deeper, more strategic client conversations or creating something more personalized and customized. Then you're absolutely getting more value as a result of using AI in your process, right?

And then the last question that I want you to ask yourself is, am I using AI intentionally, or am I using it because I feel like I should? I've stated straight up that we are past the point of AI being optional. This is why I care so much about having a role to play in helping shape the way that people use it, and that the platform that we're building is very much built on the foundations of helping humans enhance their human abilities using AI and not taking away from or replacing humans. Because there's definitely a shadow side of this technology taking off, and that is jobs being reduced and replaced. And some people and some companies will definitely look at that as an advantage, cost savings, all of that, and I want to be part of the movement that helps people be even better people. Because. As we are now, just leveraging a tool that can help enhance what we do as humans even more. So that's just where I come from.

And so thinking about the intentional use of that, it's not you need to use it because you need to use it. You need to use it, but also review through these lenses, through these like conversations that we're just having here on this show, through your experience, through seeing what's working and what's not working, experimenting all of that, because there is like pressure to use it, but not every tool is going to be right for your business, and not every use case or application either. So really thinking about how it can help you work better, rather than just adding complexity. And that's not just about like tech adoption and trying to understand how to use tools that are maybe new to you. And if it should be intuitive, it should come to you easily. If you need help with that, please reach out Absolutely. I'm here for for supporting that adoption. But ultimately, if it's not making your life easier or freeing up your capacity for higher value work, then maybe that's a no. Maybe that goes on the no list. This is not the way that I need to use AI, because it's not really adding more value to me or to the work that I do.

So example, you're spending more time trying to get AI to sound like you than you would have spent trying to write it yourself. That's not a good use of your time. You need a tool like brand calibrator, and that'll fix that absolutely as well. But here's the bottom line of this whole conversation, and I'm going to credit my AI for coming up with this line, because I thought it was so powerful and just proof that there's really good use cases and ways to enhance what I'm saying. Like, I don't have mic drop moments all by myself when I just get on here and start, like, having a going down a rabbit hole and having, like a soapbox discussion with you. I need AI to help me with stuff like this, so your value is not in the output, it's in the input. So again, I think that speaks to looking at AI as a thought partner that can support you in getting to where you want to go, rather than looking at it as an all knowing resource that knows the answer that's going to create quote, unquote, correct things. So what you put in is the context your expertise, your level of direction. One of the people in the panel I was just on was speaking to AI, is like your employee. It takes direction from you. It needs to understand how you want things to be done. It's not supposed to be the tool that you lean on to tell you how to do certain things. Clients are not just looking for a deliverable. They are looking for your thinking, your experience and your ability to connect the dots that they can't see.

So AI can support you, and it can speed things up, but it can handle that time consuming stuff, but it's not replacing this human layer, and that's truly where your value lives. So when you're figuring out where AI fits into your business, ask yourself the questions that we talked about, and let me just recap them. Does this require my unique lens? Does this require emotional intelligence or context? Am I using AI to free up capacity for higher value work, and am I using AI intentionally or because I feel like I should? So if you answer those questions, I feel like you're going to get so much closer to understanding where AI belongs for you and where it doesn't. And I also just want to acknowledge too, this is an entirely subjective conversation. Your answer is different than other people's answers, and it's right for you. This is like something where you put on your blinders and you set your own lines in the sand and create your own boundaries. And that's really important. It's not just like, Okay, we're going all in on AI now, and I guess I just let it do everything for me. It's about testing that and walking it at your own comfort level. So I hope you feel really supported by that conversation. And here's what I want you to do now, is pick one area of your business, and run it through those questions. See what clarity comes up. See where AI could free up some of your time, where you need to stay front and center and know that it's not going to replace you. You just never can. But the entrepreneurs who figure out how to use it strategically, those are the ones who are going to have the RE. Edge as we move into this next era of what our world looks like and what entrepreneurship looks like now. And if you want to talk through what that could look like in your business in a way that feels intentional, is values aligned and totally in service of your expertise, then I would love to have that conversation with you. Feel free to book an AI strategy chat in the

show notes below, and we can talk about where you're at, what's possible and how to move forward without compromising what makes you valuable. Thank you for being here. I will see you next week.

Thank you for listening. If this episode got you thinking about how AI is impacting your business and what it might look like to integrate it in a way that actually fits. I'd love to help you think that through you can book an AI strategy chat using the link in the show notes. It's a space to talk about where you are, what's shifting, and how to move forward with intention. And if this episode was helpful. Please share it with another business owner who's navigating this evolution too, and make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss what's coming next.