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Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that many people already use in their everyday lives, from facial recognition and social media filters to voice assistants. AI is also extremely beneficial to businesses, as it can save a lot of time and money while improving overall business decisions.
Some AI-based business services can come at a high cost, but you don’t have to break the bank to use this ever-evolving technology to its full business potential. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share how small businesses with limited budgets can still leverage AI without hiring programmers or bothering with big data.
Rely on Open-Source Resources
Understand that AI is a utility, not a development task! It’s easy to think that adding an AI process or solution to your work requires a big software development team. But really, AI functionality is often an added resource from your big IT providers like Amazon or Google. Many AI engines are open source and only require training to deliver results. Reach out to your resources! – Bob Bonniol, MODE
Leverage the AI Being Used on You
Go to Amazon, Facebook, Google or TikTok and explore for a day. You will notice that the ads or content you see the next day are exactly tailored toward your previous day’s habits. Now think like a company or a customer you might want and explore for a day from that perspective. This should give you a good idea of how your competitors are marketing to your customers. – Adam Rumanek, Aux Mode Inc.
Learn Where AI Comes From
Artificial intelligence historically comes from the same places: consumer or individual trends, buying patterns, past behaviors and consumer interactions. Every business experiences this so-called AI at a certain level. Understanding what AI means, where it comes from and how it’s harvested is the beginning of leveraging the data. Cost is relevant to return on investment and time spent. – Wayne Bell, Really Big Coloring Books® Inc. | ColoringBook.com
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Invest in Practicality Over the ‘Cool’ Factor
Invest in simple and practical AI tools. For example, Grammarly is a basic form of AI that helps businesses write better. Read as much as you can about new AI applications geared toward smaller businesses and “test” them to find out which ones are really useful versus just cool. – Nancy A Shenker, theONswitch
Consider Leasing an AI Service
Leveraging AI as a small business without big data or programmers means using software that is already steady and self-sufficient. There are many types of AI that can be leased without needing to hire a programmer or messing with big data. Many times the software will already have people who are in charge of that stuff available and their service is included in the cost. – Christian Anderson (Trust’N), Lost Boy Entertainment LLC
Take Advantage of Free Trials
Don’t be blindsided by ever-changing technology. While it’s important to stay up to date, recognize that different businesses have different requirements. Software companies understand this, and you’ll often find cheaper software alternatives for small- to medium-sized businesses. Also, take advantage of free trials to ensure that the cost doesn’t outweigh the benefit for your smaller business. – Josh (JetSet) King Madrid, NFTMagazine.com | NFT Magazine
Start With Affordable AI Services
Track and measure your success with free or affordable AI tools to monitor your customer experience strategy and determine if it is working or needs to be adjusted. Metrics and KPIs offer valuable insight into if and how the public is receiving your message, and from this, you can identify areas for improvement and spot opportunities for the future. – Tim Haldorsson, Lunar Strategy
Look Into Pre-Existing AI Applications
Artificial intelligence is actually at every turn, but we only get to hear about the huge, impossible advancements. There are chatbots that take natural human language and imitate speech, and there is face-recognition software customers can use that is integrated into pre-existing applications. Most customer-related AI is affordable. – Jacob Mathison, Mathison Projects Inc.
