When It Comes to Using Artificial Intelligence, don’t Be so Artificial About It

Does this sound familiar?

You: “I need to incorporate AI into my client outreach.”

B2B Clients: “Yes, AI is revolutionizing the way we all work.”

Also Them: “OMG this email is so ridiculous. It was obviously created using AI.”

So, what’s the sweet spot?

I’ve been in sales and sales leadership for a long time. But before I was in sales, I was in IT consulting. It was a time when companies were investing heavily in new, rapidly evolving technology to move business processes online. All my clients had the same sense of urgency to keep up – or catch up – with the competition. We were selling six figure e-commerce and workflow automation projects faster than we could deliver them. And while the design and scope of those projects varied widely, they all had one thing in common – the stakeholders rarely considered how this new technology would need to fit into their business processes, and/or failed to realize that business processes might need to change to maximize the ROI on their sexy new tech.

Today the mass adoption of Artificial Intelligence is experiencing some of the same challenges – especially at the individual level. AI comes with many promises (and concerns). To leverage it successfully, you need to always keep in mind that it is a tool. Yes, it’s a highly advanced and rapidly evolving tool - but a tool, nonetheless. And you can argue that it will replace jobs and it probably will. But it will never replace YOU as a person. It will never replace your personality, your relationships, your work ethic, and your experiences unless you let it. Those things are what define your success as a business professional.

I’m a huge advocate of AI when used properly. When you use AI to script an email, write a blog post, or summarize data, delegate those tasks to it but treat the output like a blueprint or starting point from a brainstorming session. You are still the CEO of your career. Don’t blindly delegate your client relationships or your brand messaging to this new AI intern without checking it’s work and making it your own. Because like a highly intelligent, highly efficient and motivated new employee, it will gladly produce whatever you ask it to. But also like that employee, it will make mistakes and it often lacks context. You need to supervise it, teach it, and be patient with it. Did you know that AI tools like ChatGPT learn from you, and their responses become more personalized for you over time? This is a huge advantage, but also why it’s so important for you to be mindful and intentional in your interactions with it.

You wouldn’t copy someone else’s resume or client deliverables and claim it as your own - don’t do that with AI either. Artificial Intelligence can help you analyze data, personalize outreach, and automate tedious tasks, but don’t forget that you are still in charge. If you get lazy with it, your clients will notice. And in our fast-paced world, clients still want better and faster, but they need to trust you first. Being your authentic self from the beginning is the only way to build that trust.