Technology is a Tool. People Use Tools.

I’ve been fond of the old phrase, “If you own a hammer, it doesn’t make you a carpenter.” If you own a paint brush, it doesn’t make you an artist and if you have an iPhone with a 48 MegaPixel sensor, it doesn’t make you a photographer. The same can be said for someone using an AI tool.

For example, I’m not a designer. I have no artistic ability. I created an image of a Cheesy Western using an AI image generator in Canva. It’s awful:

More than a decade ago, I was giving presentations about the convergence of media and technology. I spoke to business groups, Rotary clubs, Chamber of Commerce events, and conferences. I gave examples of what a future would look like where “robots” were the norm — like a frightening Hollywood fantasy, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Terminator movies. I also advised businesses to adapt marketing and sales channels in this brave, new yet increasingly impersonal world.

Spoiler Alert: I was right. The advice I gave back then is as relevant today as it was in 2010. 

Technology’s purpose is “to meet a human need or solve a human problem.” Whatever new technology you employ in your operation, whether it’s the latest greatest AI tool or a robot that is used to perform a human’s job, be sure to think about the customer. Because your customer is a human being and technology is there to meet their needs and solve their problems, not frustrate them or, worse yet, replace them.

Big box retailers, grocery stores, drug stores, and even your neighborhood McDonald’s have been rapidly cutting staff and employing robots for more than a decade. The decision of replacing people with robots was short-sighted.

Recently Wegmans, a brand known for its friendly customer service, announced it is pulling out self-service checkouts. Other national brands like Costco, Walgreens, ShopRite, 5Below, Dollar General and Target are following suit. As it turns out, customers hate robots.

And despite articles in the last year hailing the advent of AI technology and warnings that ChaptGPT will replace writers and other AI tools will replace photographers and graphic designers, I’m here to tell you that they will not. No matter how intelligent Artificial Intelligence is, it will remain Almost Intelligent without a human being behind the scenes who knows how to use the tool.

Our partners at Maxx Potential know what tools to use and how to use them. We are working with them to “meet human needs and solve their problems.” Learn more about this great team of IT Consultants and Experts at maxxpotential.com