Like many of my colleagues, as an owner/operator in running specialty I wanted to learn how Generative AI could be integrated into our business. Along the way, I gained a deeper understanding of how it will impact us all. 

I’m not part of the tech world. Like most of you, my day-to-day revolves around the age-old practice of specialty retail, which, according to Claude (one of the Chat Bots I use) “likely dates back thousands of years to ancient civilizations.”  

I’m no Luddite, but with an iPhone 12 and a modestly powered Windows laptop, nobody will confuse me for a technophile, which makes me an unlikely candidate to share my perspective on the journey I’ve taken the past 18 months with Generative AI.  But it also makes me an ideal candidate as I offer a very relatable perspective and am proof that a lot can be gained with just a little intellectual curiosity. 

As an unlikely candidate to be drawn into this world, I should provide a little context. I’m fascinated by science and, several years ago, was captivated by the world of AI through the wonder of the podcast. Until last year. It was in 2023 that AI became “real,” and I had the opportunity to be more than an outside observer. 

Was I going to experiment with these new tools? Absolutely. 

The journey has been everything one would expect —  exhilarating, frustrating, confusing and satisfying. And, yes, I’ve picked up some new skills, but, mostly, I have better clarity as to how we will need to adapt in the age of AI.  

If I were to lump this clarity into one overarching statement it would be that, for most of us, effectively using these tools will require a different approach to problem solving. 

But first a little more detail might be a lot more useful, so here are my three biggest takeaways from my journey so far.

1. Acquiring Skills Does Not Make Us Qualified to Use Them

Whether we realize it or not, Generative AI has given most of us a huge new skill set. Need to communicate more effectively? Analyze the results from a social media campaign? Interpret the legalese of a lease? Present POS data in a more useful manner? Develop novel ideas for store events? Or even write code to automate recurring reporting processes (English, after all, is “the hottest new coding language”)? What was once beyond reach may now be within reach.

But acquiring these skills overnight does not mean I know what to do with them. I may no longer need to learn the skill, but I need to learn how to apply it. This should not be underestimated.

2. The Right Questions Get the Right Answers

AI can be human-like in this way. Ask a vanilla question and you’ll get a vanilla answer. But if you really want the best answers or if you’re trying to unravel a complex task, asking precise and creative questions, or even having a Chat Bot suggest which questions to ask (an oddly circular, but effective approach), is necessary.  

And adding a sense of importance or appeal to emotion can help too. While demonstrating a use case for Generative AI I posed a question to a Chat Bot and included in my question that it was a live presentation and I wanted it to “show everyone how smart you are.” It gave a much better answer with this additional appeal than it had originally given without the appeal (research has shown this approach to be effective). 

Cracking the code to get the best answers out of AI is a skill to be learned.

3. Today’s Struggle Can Be Tomorrow’s Solution

The speed at which these tools are progressing is impressive.   Ideas and use cases that seem impossible today may become reality soon. These tools are new and even their creators are still exploring their full capabilities and limitations.

And it occurs to me that, as an industry, we have the opportunity to accelerate our collective learning curve through collaboration. The progress we make as individuals is nothing compared to the progress we can make collectively. This opportunity beckons and it is my hope to help enable us, as an industry, to make the most of it.

Plotting AI’s Future

So, what does all this mean? As I see it, most of us are under-equipped for the world that awaits. To bridge this gap requires practice. And whether or not you have a strong interest or reason to begin using Generative AI, this is the most compelling argument for starting to experiment with it.  

Many Generative AI tools are free to use and don’t require any skill beyond curiosity and patience. Start with something small (perhaps a poem celebrating the joys of running?), scale as you desire and, most importantly, enjoy the journey. It’s an amazing time to be alive.

About The Author

Steve DeMoss is the owner/operator of Big Peach Alpharetta and East Cobb. He has worked in running specialty for nearly 20 years and is currently the GM of Big Peach Running Co.’s East Cobb store (among other roles). He’s also the Small Business Thought Leader on the AI Insiders Discord Server.