How Do You AI?

A recent study by Pew Research Center suggests that by February 2024, 20% of employed Americans had used ChatGPT at work, more than doubling the 8% who said they had in March of 2023. What about this study is most surprising? By February, only 1 in 5 had used the tool on the job! The businesses in which I’m involved literally could not function without our use of AI tools, including but far beyond ChatGPT, and I worry about what the future holds for the 80% of us who haven’t yet started using the most basic of AI tools.

The pressing question for many embarking on their AI journey is where to begin. Mike Dover serves as president and CEO of The Wagner Companies, an employee-owned Wisconsin manufacturing organization with extensive machining, fabrication and finishing capabilities. Dover relayed to me some terrific advice he gleaned from a presenter at a recent conference. For those who want to delve into AI and aren’t sure where to start, Dover suggests picking a single AI platform and making it their go-to.

This approach makes the process of getting started much less daunting, and once a company finds a simple starting point, the adoption of other AI platforms flourishes from there. In the case of our family of companies, we’re now using more than a dozen AI platforms to operate our businesses. While some like Data Factory and Azure are more advanced, perhaps one of the following offers AI newbies a launching point:

ChatGPT is the free and easy button and everyone in manufacturing should already be using it regularly for tasks including inspiring writing, drafting simple emails, creating rough drafts of work instructions and troubleshooting process issues. A simple download from the app store and you’re off and running.

 I like Perplexity even better and use it more often than ChatGPT for answering simple questions one might otherwise search on an internet browser. The best example to illustrate its value will resonate with anyone who has ever searched Google for a dinner recipe, Tuscan chicken for example, chosen a link from the options provided and then waded through 10 pages of the history of Tuscany, the history of chicken, the history of Tuscan chicken and the 20 best ways to prepare chicken before finally landing on the recipe. Perplexity takes you right to the recipe. I use this relatable example, but the platform readily answers business and manufacturing questions with the same precision and efficiency.

For those using Microsoft, Microsoft Copilot is a straightforward place to begin the use of AI. Think of Copilot a bit like using ChatGPT. Since Copilot might access the user’s own emails, calendar, documents and other user-specific data, it can offer responses and content catered more specifically to the individual organization. Todd Wanek, CEO of the world’s largest furniture manufacturer, Ashley Furniture Industries, joined me on the TechEd Podcast and shared how his organization is experimenting with this tool.

Ren Systems offers an easy entry point. We uploaded our entire contact database, 26,000 in all, and receive daily updates any time a contact or their company appears in any of 350,000 news sources. We know about things happening in our network long before anyone else and act accordingly. The company’s CEO, Canay Deniz, joined me on The TechEd Podcast to explain.

Speaking of the podcast, we cut our required backend show production time by more than half using Otter.ai. In our case, we use this voice transcription software to convert audio to text for much more efficient editing of raw audio to the finished product, but this platform also creates automated meeting notes and action items using AI. When it comes to producing our video content, Riverside is an invaluable AI-backed tool. Likewise, if you’ve ever wondered how TikTokers create text over their videos, Descript will show you the way.

These days, I’m delivering several keynotes each month on the topic of applied artificial intelligence, and Midjourney is becoming an indispensable tool for PowerPoint image creation. Using the social platform Discord, I simply write a text prompt of an image I want to use in a slide and Midjourney utilizes generative AI to create the desired image. The platform is in open beta stage so it’s not quite perfect, and writing prompts in a way that produces the right image takes some practice, but Midjourney is a phenomenal platform for creating original images using AI.

When it comes to graphic design, Canva is a free online AI tool that can be leveraged to create everything from social media content to videos to logos.

Ashley Furniture’s Wanek suggests performing an AI readiness survey when determining which departments or teams are most ready to begin their AI journey. In our case, our marketing team is leading the charge.

They regularly use the AI platform Grammarly to optimize written communication. This app rides along with the user when drafting emails, producing social media posts and completing other written tasks, making suggestions on grammar, spelling and style as you go.

There are myriad AI starting points available. The key is to start.

Five years from now, there will be two types of manufacturing companies, those who leverage AI across every element of their business and those who — strike that. Five years from now, there will only be one type of manufacturing company. The future of your business rests on its rapid adoption of AI and if you’re one of the 80% who hasn’t yet started, then the time is now.