AI in Business – From Sci-Fi to Everyday Strategy

When I first started working in an office (back when you had to queue for the photocopier and fax machines were the height of sophistication), I couldn’t have imagined a world where artificial intelligence would become a business tool. If you'd told me then that one day I’d be asking ChatGPT to help draft emails or watching automated systems inspect manufacturing parts with more accuracy than the human eye, I’d have laughed and poured another coffee from the giant communal urn.

And yet here we are.

AI – once the stuff of sci-fi novels and dystopian telly dramas – has quietly embedded itself into the fabric of business life. Whether we notice it or not, it’s powering up the efficiency of everything from customer service chatbots to smart inventory tracking, and even workplace wellbeing tools. I’ve always been a bit tech-curious (decades of blogging will do that to you), but even I’ve had to up my game lately to keep pace with what’s going on.

One of the more fascinating uses I’ve come across recently is how AI is being used in visual inspection systems across various industries. Companies like Industrial Vision Systems are developing machine vision tools that quite literally ‘see’ what the human eye might miss – spotting flaws, defects, or deviations in products with a consistency that humans, frankly, just can’t maintain all day. It’s clever, clever stuff and a real game-changer for sectors like pharmaceuticals, electronics and food manufacturing, where precision really matters. And what’s more, it’s creating opportunities for businesses to work smarter, not harder.

Of course, with all of this innovation, there are concerns. “Will AI take our jobs?” is a question that comes up time and again. But from where I’m sitting – with my decades of typing, troubleshooting, and tea-making behind me – it looks more like AI is here to help, not hinder. It can take over the repetitive stuff, free up human brains for the big-picture thinking, and even reduce the margin for error in high-stakes environments.

I suppose the trick is not to be scared of it, but to find ways to make it work for us. I’ve always believed that curiosity and adaptability are two of the most underrated skills in business – especially for women who are often balancing 100 different spinning plates. We don’t have to know everything, but knowing who (or what) can help? That’s where the magic happens.

So whether you’re running a small Etsy shop, managing a team, or just trying to get your head around what on earth your workplace’s new AI dashboard actually does, know this: you’re not alone. We’re all learning. And if this 53-year-old can get her head around machine learning, vision systems, and chatbots, so can you.

Right – time for a brew, and maybe a chat with my other favourite AI assistant. (No offence, Alexa.)