Columnist

Artificial intelligence's value is the time it gives back  

Generative AI is quickly becoming part of a lot of people’s everyday working life, but what is crucial for business leaders is how they choose to use it and implement it within working practices. 

Treated simply as a shortcut, it can become a crutch and create more work through errors, inaccuracies and poor-quality output. 

Used well, however, AI can take some of the more repetitive tasks off a team’s plate and give people valuable time back. 

The opportunity for businesses isn’t to automate everything they can, but to identify where AI can genuinely improve efficiency and use the time saved for the things that benefit from human interaction, whether that's speaking to clients, collaborating as a team or developing people.

If a business is serious about introducing AI, it needs to approach it in the same way it would any other investment. 

There are countless platforms available, but what works for one organisation will not necessarily work for another. 

Businesses should first understand what they want AI to help with, research the options available and invest in technology that meets those needs. 

The investment isn't purely financial, either; teams need time to learn to use the technology effectively and to understand where it can genuinely make a difference.

Using AI ‘cold’ and expecting consistently useful results is unlikely to work. 

It needs context, whether that's relevant background information about the business, examples of your tone of voice and writing style, or clear instructions about the task at hand. 

Learning how to prompt effectively is a skill in itself, and businesses should be prepared to spend time experimenting and refining how they use these tools. 

The better the input and context, the more useful the output is likely to be.

Giving AI the right context also comes with a responsibility to think carefully about the information being shared. 

Businesses handling client data, commercially sensitive information or confidential material need clear boundaries around what can and cannot be entered into AI platforms. 

Understanding how the technology handles and stores information should be part of choosing the right tool, not an afterthought once it is already in use.

Efficiency should never come at the expense of judgement. AI can produce something that sounds convincing yet is inaccurate, inappropriate, or simply wrong for the situation. 

Human oversight therefore remains essential, particularly when the output is being used externally or could influence a client decision. 

AI should support people's judgement rather than replace it, with outputs reviewed, facts checked, and assumptions challenged rather than automatically accepted.

Perhaps one of the biggest opportunities is what businesses choose to do with the time AI gives back. 

If technology can reduce the hours spent drafting routine emails, completing repetitive administrative tasks, or carrying out other lower-value tasks, that time can instead be spent speaking with clients, collaborating with colleagues, and solving more meaningful problems. 

Greater use of technology doesn't necessarily have to mean less human interaction. Done properly, it can create more of it.

Take emails as an example: AI can now read and reply to emails in your own tone of voice; however, assumptions are often made, which could damage client relationships if no human intervention occurs. 

One way to make this easier is to build checks into the way AI is prompted. 

Asking it to challenge its own interpretation and label information as ‘certain’, ‘likely’ or ‘guessing’ can make those gaps much easier to identify. 

If something is only ‘likely’ or based on a guess, it can then be checked against the original conversation or verified before being relied upon.

AI could also change how people develop early in their careers. 

Traditionally, apprentices and junior team members may have spent significant time on administrative tasks. 

As more of that work becomes automated, businesses have an opportunity to rethink how that time is used. 

Rather than simply replacing those tasks with other menial work, the aim should be to replace them with better opportunities that can support the development of commercial awareness, learning from experienced colleagues, building relationships and gaining greater exposure to clients.

Ultimately, the success of AI in the workplace shouldn't be measured by how much work it can automate. 

Choosing the right technology, investing time in learning how to use it and maintaining human oversight can create genuine efficiencies, but the more important question is what businesses do with the time they gain. 

If those efficiencies translate into stronger client relationships, better collaboration and more meaningful development for employees, that is where the real benefit lies.

AI is unlikely to remove the need for human interaction in successful businesses. Used properly, it should create more time for it.

Steven Robinson is chief financial officer and chief growth officer of North Shields, Newcastle and London-based accountancy and business advisory firm Blu Sky

Want your business, product or service to be seen regionally and nationally? Bdaily helps you get your story in front of the right audience, every day. Find out how Bdaily can help →

Join more than 55,000 subscribers by signing up to our daily bulletin each morning here.