If you’re trying to figure out how to use AI in your business and are being tossed around by the constant industry whiplash, you aren’t alone.
I feel it too.
In the three months since I started publishing The AI Optimist, the landscape has shifted so many times I’ve lost count.
The only thing we really know about AI is that it’s quickly evolving.
What works one week might not work the next. What is encouraged and useful today might be flagged, removed, and ridiculed tomorrow.
Let’s consider some recent changes.
What Has Changed?
Just in the past few weeks:
- LinkedIn reversed course on AI writing. The platform used to offer an AI tool to help you draft posts. Now that feature is gone, replaced with a proofreading tool, and there’s a new “Seems like AI slop” button so users can flag posts they think were generated by AI.
- Reddit stopped being the ChatGPT citation cheat code. Getting mentioned on Reddit was touted as a sure-fire way to show up in ChatGPT answers. Then Reddit citations abruptly dropped, and brands that built entire Reddit strategies are back to the drawing board.
- AI detectors are making mistakes. Users are reporting that social platforms are flagging content that used almost no AI (like when a background remover tool was used) while missing posts that are clearly 100% generated.
- Anthropic (the maker of Claude) started watermarking output. Every Claude model released after August 2 embeds an invisible watermark into generated text. It’s still somewhat unclear how this shows up after text has been edited and what it means for SEO and AI flagging.
It’s hard to keep up with these system changes and perception shifts.
AI is like a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth between being a benefit and a disruption for your small business.
In the past few weeks, I’ve had conflicting feelings too. It’s difficult to know where to invest time in learning, optimizing, and setting up systems when things are changing so quickly and so frequently.
But there is one way that AI consistently shows up for me and other small business owners I’ve spoken to.
What Is Still Working with AI?
Lately, I’ve seen small business clients getting the best use out of AI by using it as a consulting partner.
They are using it to talk through problems, identify inefficiencies, and produce better output.
Here are some examples I’ve seen.
- Getting a second opinion on ads. Sharing Google or Facebook ad data and asking for specific optimization angles.
- Pressure-testing landing pages. Asking AI what a skeptical first-time visitor would question and what information is missing.
- Turning customer pain into content ideas. Describing objections heard on sales calls and asking AI to draft LinkedIn post angles that address them.
- Asking for an editorial eye. Uploading final drafts and asking AI to look for errors, inaccuracies, and suggestions for improvements.
- Drafting responses to difficult client communications. Explaining the situation and asking for advice in drafting responses and finding solutions.
- Editing photos. Uploading original photos and asking for flaws to be removed and quality to be improved. (This is especially useful when you take your own photos for your website and need them to look more polished and professional.)
I’ve said it again and again, AI isn’t a replacement for a person.
It’s a tool to help you question, rethink, and analyze.
It might not give you the exact best way to move forward from a problem (never take AI advice as absolute), but it can help guide you through a thought process that will.
It’s especially useful when it is trained on your business and the task at hand.
AI configurations make AI better equipped to answer questions and provide more specific feedback. AI that knows your brand and the skills of a specific role (such as an ad strategist, copywriter, communications expert, etc.) will provide the best, most accurate and useful advice. If you need help building an AI Assistant trained on your unique brand, let’s talk.
The state of AI is pretty messy right now, but I don’t think it’s time to call it quits.
I think there is still a reason to be optimistic about how this technology can help small businesses.
How are you using AI to get value right now?
I’d love to hear about it. Respond to this email and let me know how the tumultuous state of AI is impacting you?
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