Why you should use AI tools as a co-pilot, not a decision-maker, in 2024

Today, we have GPS and Google Maps to guide us, but in the past, planning a road trip was a lot more uncertain.

Even if you knew where you were headed, finding the best route wasn’t always straightforward.

Back then, we had to rely on those static, old paper maps.

Remember that? I do. Not very fondly, though.

The GPS apps we have nowadays have changed our lives.

They suggest the fastest route, alert us about traffic jams, and even recommend some pit stops along the way.

But ultimately, you’re the one behind the wheel, making the final decisions.

This is how businesses should view artificial intelligence (AI): as a helpful co-pilot on their journey to success, not as the driver.

If you’re into technology like I am, all you’re hearing about these days is AI.

From chatbots to data analysis tools, AI is changing the way we work, no doubt.

But as the CEO of a design subscription company, I’ve learned that while AI can be incredibly powerful, it’s really most effective when used to support human decision-making rather than replace it.

I’ve been speaking to lots of friends and colleagues about it, so let me share how different businesses can use AI as a co-pilot in their day-to-day operations:

Design services automatically enhancing designs with AI

At Deer Designer, we use AI to speed up the design process. Especially with the improvements in generative AI, a lot of design tasks are now simplified.

It helps the team remove backgrounds from images, create abstract patterns, enhance photo quality, recognize fonts, improve contrast, and much more.

Instead of spending hours on time-consuming, detailed work, it can be done with just a prompt and a few clicks!

This allows our human designers to focus on the creative aspects that require a personal touch.

The results? Faster delivery of high-quality designs to our clients.

That’s the best AI result for me!

Web agencies using AI tools for web optimization

Web agencies working on web development can use AI-powered tools to optimize website performance.

For instance, AI can analyze user behavior and suggest layout improvements or content changes.

It can also help with A/B testing by predicting which version of a webpage has a better impact on users and is likely to perform better.

However, the final decision on implementing these changes should always rest with the human team.

Marketing agencies using AI-powered analytics

AI can be a game-changer for marketing agencies as it can analyze different databases to identify trends and customer preferences.

That information can guide campaign strategies and content creation.

AI can also help with personalization, tailoring messages to individual customers, and recommending impactful keywords.

But again, the creative spark and emotional intelligence needed for truly impactful marketing still come from humans.

Content creators using AI to brainstorm and edit

For content creators, AI can be a really valuable brainstorming partner.

It can generate topic ideas, suggest headlines, and even help with research by quickly summarizing large amounts of information.

There are AI applications that can automatically put together your videos, images, and audio into engaging video content through convenient templates.

That’s hours’ worth of work off of your editor’s to-do list!

All you’ll have to do is tweak it a bit before pressing upload.

Mind you, the unique voice and perspective that make content engaging still need to come from a real person.

Writers generating article ideas through AI

Whether you are an author for a living or simply writing blog posts to improve your site’s SEO, there are various AI tools to help speed up your writing process and increase your output quality and quantity.

As a researcher, you can use AI to transcribe PDFs or even video and audio content into a convenient, easy-to-quote transcript.

You can also use AI to automatically collect all the relevant research papers and related articles you need and even provide a summary of all the important information they contain.

While you are writing, AI can correct typos, offer synonyms to words, and even recommend phrases for better clarity.

When you’re proofreading, AI tools can help make sure your articles are grammatically correct and easy to understand.

You can even get a score on how well your article will rank with search engines.

They will offer alternative titles or keywords to improve your ranking.

What a way to accelerate the entire writing process!

But at the end of the day, all of this AI-generated content will need a human touch to piece it together into a meaningful book or article.

Small businesses using AI chatbots for customer support

A small business can use an AI-powered chatbot to handle customer inquiries 24/7, freeing up time for more complex tasks.

You don’t have to hire an extra hand to handle inquiries and complaints.

Just let AI do it!

AI can also help with inventory management by predicting demand and suggesting reorder points.

No more manually going through your long list of items and figuring out which ones are running low on stocks!

For social media management, AI tools can suggest the best times to post and even generate content ideas.

It’s a big time-saver to keep your social media accounts updated.

Churches using productivity tools

I’ve also seen churches and religious institutions benefit from using AI as a co-pilot in their day-to-day activities.

AI has been helping them streamline their administrative tasks, allowing the church staff to focus more on their spiritual and community roles.

AI tools can help organize church events by suggesting optimal dates based on member availability and past attendance data.

Chatbots can handle routine inquiries such as service times, events,  or general information, freeing up staff for more personal interactions.

AI tools can take notes during meetings or events that can be used for social media or website updates.

AI can even suggest relevant Bible verses or topics based on current events or the church calendar. It’s incredible!

However, even though AI can support all of these functions, the heart of a church community lies in human connection and spiritual guidance.

AI should be used to enhance, not replace, the personal touch that makes a church community special.

AI assistants to enhance, not replace

The key in all these scenarios is to use AI as a tool to enhance our human capabilities, not replace them.

AI excels at processing large amounts of data and identifying patterns.

But it lacks the creativity, empathy, and complex decision-making skills that we, as humans, possess.

Make no mistake, though… AI has many limitations.

For example, in our experience, AI struggles with understanding human emotions accurately. It can analyze language cues, but it can’t truly understand the nuances of human interaction.

This is why it’s important to have human oversight in customer-facing roles.

We haven’t replaced any of our people for those things.

Another important thing to consider is transparency.

When we use AI in our processes, we always let our clients know.

This builds trust and allows for open discussions about the role of AI in our work.

As we all move forward, the businesses that will thrive are those that find the right balance between AI capabilities and human skills.

They’ll use AI to handle repetitive tasks, process data, and provide insights while relying on human creativity, empathy, and judgment for high-level decision-making.

In the end, AI is not about replacing humans, but about empowering them to do more, faster, and smarter (if that’s what we/they really decide).

For me personally, it’s about freeing up time for more meaningful work, providing insights for better decisions, and enhancing our capabilities.

When we treat AI as a co-pilot rather than a decision-maker, we can harness its power and still maintain the human touch that’s essential for true success.

Key takeaways

• AI tools like ChatGPT should be viewed as helpful co-pilots in business, not the main decision-makers.
• AI can speed up processes in design, web development, marketing, content creation, and small business operations.
• AI excels at data processing and pattern recognition but lacks human creativity and empathy.
• Transparency about AI use is important for building trust with clients.
• The most successful businesses will balance AI capabilities with human skills.
• AI’s role is to empower humans, not replace them.
• Using AI as a co-pilot allows businesses to harness its power while maintaining the essential human touch.