Time will tell whether or not this is the most important blog post I ever write. As of writing it, I believe this to be the case.
As many of you reading are probably aware (and many of you probably are not), we are standing at the precipice of a revolution in the way we do business and life.
It’s not even been a year since ChatGPT was launched, and the AI conversation has escalated to such a point that key figures in the instantiation of it of signed both safety statements and pause petitions.
This is good news.
It tells me — and the rest of the world — that there is a conscious effort on the part of very important people to maintain a high level of safety as we enter in a new era.
Personally, as a Christian, a family man, and a technology-forward business owner, I have both excitement and great optimism for the future with AI in it. I also have the same fears and feelings of caution as many others.
We should have a healthy respect for AI. We should also not live in fear of it. It will change the world.
Just like the personal computer. And just like the Internet. Only to an exponential degree.
I write this letter to current and future clients. I think you should know where our company stands with the use of AI tools and the steps we’re taking within our power to mitigate any risks.
In addition, and first things first, I want to explain the reasoning behind our decision to take an AI-forward approach to the work we do.
We Are AI-Forward, but Human-Powered
At this point in history, the binary (yes/no) question of AI has already been answered. In spite of calls for a pause by key figures, we know this is impossible given the current state of the world.
Intuitively, you’ve heard—and probably felt the effects of—the notion that “once it’s on the Internet, it’s there forever.” This is our aphoristic way of saying something like, “The Internet is too powerful to let go of information it has already consumed.”
This is no less true with AI. It will continue. In ten years, there likely won’t be companies that use AI and companies that don’t. There will be companies. They will use AI. The others will cease to exist.
I’m not doomsaying here. Simply trying to stay radically honest and realistic about what the future holds. There will be very few companies standing that do not take advantage of AI. There are many reasons for this that go well beyond the scope of this statement.
My point is simple: Since we want to be a part of the future, we have decided to adopt and leverage AI.
AI, like a computer, is a tool. Tools are used by humans. Sometimes, humans create tools that use other tools. This is known as leverage. AI is a tool that helps humans use leverage to accomplish hard tasks faster, better, and/or easier.
For example, I can use my Alexa device to create a routine that automatically runs my robot vacuum cleaner at certain times of the day. Theoretically, with the right tools and settings, I could even make sure it was set to do so only when no one was in the home so it did not interrupt us.
In the past, I would have had to clear time on my own schedule, plug in my vacuum cleaner, and spend about an hour meticulously vacuuming every square inch of the house. These tools make it happen automatically, saving me untold amounts of time—arguably the most precious, non-renewable resource I have.
This is an extremely rudimentary example of the type of leverage the normalization of AI will afford.
I follow Jesus of Nazareth. The Bible teaches that man is made in the image of God, and is the apex of creation and creativity. Therefore, I am theologically constrained—and of a rational mind, fully believe—that humanity is not going to be wiped out, replaced, or irredeemably integrated into AI.
In other words, AI — properly speaking — is part of our future, but it cannot and will not be the whole of the universal future. Humanity has a God-given place in the cosmos which I do not feel is threatened by AI.
This, also, is good news.
It means we approach the future with cautious hope that AI, like fire, electricity, or the personal computer can become a great tool to propel humanity forward, despite the danger(s) it may present.
We are AI-forward. It doesn’t (ultimately) scare us, though we recognize its power. And we are human-powered. There will be many human workers that AI tools replace. This is inevitable.
But there will always be a need for human creativity and ingenuity. It is from that place of peace and freedom that we boldly go into a future where AI improves the human experience, rather than robbing us of humanity.
And though we are a small company, we will do our part and make our contribution to that end.
The Potential for AI as a Marketing Tool
As little as one year ago, if you wanted a website, marketing copy, social media posts, emails, or instructions on how to create any of the above, you had to spend time learning from others how to do it and then executing on what you’ve learned, or pay expensive experts to do it for you.
Today, there are not only general AI tools (like ChatGPT) that can accomplish many of those items for you, there are specific applications developed to accomplish only those results.
And for the most part, they’re pretty good. If you have someone that knows what they’re doing with an AI tool, you would be very surprised to find all that can be accomplished.
A natural question arises for a company like ours: What do we really sell?
Because you see, as marketers, if we sell websites, emails, or social media posts, we are replaceable. By machines. And fast.
As of today’s date these tools might not be perfect, but they’re literally getting better every single day.
Now—on a personal note, our company is differentiated in the marketplace. We’re doing just fine and we have a unique business model and deliverable that will probably secure our position in the marketplace for another few years interrupted.
Our concern is not just survival, although we are concerned with that. Our concern is making sure that we—within the context of what we actually do, which is help you get and keep more customers—are leveraging the resources available to us to do the best job possible for you.
You see, if we’re in the web design business, we’re gone in a few years, tops. If we’re in the “help you get and keep more customers” business—regardless of what that looks like technically speaking—we’ll be around to serve you for a very, very long time.
We feel as though there is a world of opportunity for AI to aid in delivering an incredible product and service for our customers.
Marketing is one of the chief uses of AI, but from our experience with it so far, we have formed the following opinion. It will be a long time before the average entrepreneur is using AI to such a degree that it will be able to create the same results that experienced marketers create.
There’s a reason for that. No matter how prevalent AI becomes, humans spark economy. Economy is about human-to-human exchange of value. Humans are the buyers and sellers. And humans are infinitely complex, and make most of their decisions based on emotional impulses.
Thus, it is the experienced marketers who leverage AI that will win with it in the coming few years. And the business owners who place their trust in those people will win as well. At least, that is my prediction.
How We Use AI Tools and Services
With all of that in mind, I want to make clear how we currently use AI tools in our business. We have decided to organize our philosophy around the acronym SPARK — to remind us that no matter how sophisticated the tools we use, the conscious spark of humanity given to us by our Almighty Creator lies at the heart of our every endeavor.
Streamling
We use AI to help us streamline business operations and reserve tasks that only humans can or should do for humans. We are not opposed to allowing AI to do a job once performed by humans.
In fact, we actively look for that scenario, as a responsible business, to ensure our time and money—and therefore your time and money—are being spent in the most sound way possible.
Production
Although limited, we use AI-assisted production tools to enable faster, easier, and more accurate work. For example, an AI-powered tool is used to transcribe all podcasts and videos we create.
A second AI tool is invoked to take the transcript, correct errors, and create a summary version to be posted as a description or a blog post. That description and blog post will then be tweaked and enhanced by a human.
The human element is not simply in the words that are said, but the ideas conveyed. If a human has spent an hour dispensing ideas on a podcast, why should another human sit through that same hour of content combing through words to create a transcript if a tool can do it in a fraction of the time?
The same human could still be employed, but spend about 1/4 of the time, since she would only need to copy/paste the transcript as necessary and add final touches.
Arithmetic
Some AI models are very bad at math. Others are much better at it. AI models can be used to help us run complex equations and optimize dollars during important campaigns.
In once instance, our marketing knowledge combined with AI-assisted maths allowed us to simulate and tweak a theoretical ad campaign. It would have taken a long time to run those calculations and find what dials to turn, but the AI was able to help us adjust multiple numbers (and show its work) in a fraction of the time.
Think of a calculator, but able to explain what it did, why it did it, and work with multiple compounding figures at once.
Research
This is one of the most powerful applications of AI tools. At present, we are able to, in a conversational format, research solutions for ourselves and for clients that would have taken hours of manual research on Google.
Just as Google meant you no longer had to visit your local library or dust off your encyclopedias, you can now stop combing through pages of Google results to find the answer you want.
The AI will give you the answer if it’s within its ability to do.
Kickstart
In business and in marketing, speed is a key driver of success or failure. Many businesses win on speed. AI tools have the power to kickstart campaigns faster than ever.
Imagine working with an AI expert and tool to craft a marketing campaign, complete with branding assets, marketing angles, and even the marketing copy in a single morning (or maybe faster).
Marketers understand that the only opinion that matters is the one of the customer—the person who pulls out their wallet and makes a conscious decision to actually purchase their offer.
The faster you can create—and test—the better, and AI tools take that possibility to new heights.
Conclusion
NorthMac Services is committed to the ethical, assistive use of AI tools and technologies. We do not currently or intend to in the future use AI as a means for the unregulated generation of content.
We believe that creativity is a fundamentally human endeavor. And while AI tools can help us generate and act on ideas, bring them to market faster, and do so in a way with incredible precision and efficiency, we are just as actively interested in placing our fellow man in positions where they can thrive.
So we are not scared of AI. Neither do we bow at its feet. We appreciate those who have created it and simultaneously pray for wisdom in their endeavors.
If we can help your company get and keep customers—with or without the use of AI tools, we’re here to serve you. Just contact us anytime. Thank you.
Steve Schramm
Founder
NorthMac Services
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