Switchboard Connect

Every other week, I curate a few relevant pieces of AI & Automation content to help SMB execs, operators, and teams navigate these new waters.

Let’s dive in.

This site has a fascinating look at the headlines from every decade talking about technology taking jobs dating back to the 1920’s.

I highly suggest checking out the link but here’s the takeaways:

• The big picture: Fears about automation taking jobs have been around for over a century, but innovation has consistently created more opportunities than it's eliminated.

• By the numbers: Despite recurring concerns since the 1920s, employment has continued to grow and evolve.

• Why it matters: While AI will change the job landscape, history suggests it's likely to create exciting new roles we can't yet imagine.

• 💡 Our take: Instead of fearing AI, businesses can gain an edge by embracing it early and creatively.

The New York Times spoke to a bunch of small businesses about how they’re using AI and the NYT is seeing a lot of what we’re seeing.

Here’s the summary:

The big thing: Small businesses are very much just starting to dip their toes into AI, but the ones that do, are going all in.

• Only about 5% of companies nationwide are using AI tech, according to a Census Bureau survey.

• Economists predict AI will have a very visible impact in under 5 years.

The details:

• Some small biz owners are using ChatGPT for basic tasks like drafting emails and analyzing data.

• Barriers to adoption include cybersecurity concerns, lack of use cases for certain industries, and the need for more infrastructure.

• Marketing is one of the most common uses of AI for small businesses.

What they're saying:

• "We have to get in the habit of actually using the tool," says Allison Giddens, co-president of a 41-employee aerospace manufacturing company.

• "As a business, I need to stay afloat, because competition is real," says Chris Jones, founder of an education and tutoring business incorporating AI.

The bottom line: Small businesses that figure out how to leverage AI effectively will gain a competitive edge. As one business leader put it, "If you live in the fear of it, I think you're going to be left out."

Read the full article here.

I chatted with Harry at StepChange Labs about all things automation, AI, and Ops.

We also ran through a couple real world examples of automations we’ve built with my favorite being a team we built a ton of automations for that reduced a lot of admin time but more importantly, helped improve retention.

Just like many facets in life, first impressions are everything and new employees tend to stick around longer when it’s apparent the company they just signed an offer letter with has their s#*t together in their onboarding.

• 🎥 Check out the full interview here.

• 🔗 Freebie resource: Get the free Miro board to replicate this workflow here. Copy it, remix it, use it as you see fit.

• The challenge: Prompt engineering is crucial for AI effectiveness, but creating the right prompts can be difficult and time-consuming.

• What Snack Prompt is: They’ve got it all: a website, a desktop app, and a Chrome extension. They provide instant access to a curated library of top-quality AI prompts, crafted by experts and vetted by the community.

• Why it's useful: It saves time, improves AI outputs, and helps users unlock the full potential of ChatGPT without needing to become prompt engineering experts themselves.

Check out SnackPrompts.

Okay, that’s all for this week.

I hope you find the HR workflow resource useful. I’d love to hear from you so reply to this and let me know what other departments you’re looking for automation and Ops resources in as we’re working on some cool stuff to share soon and want to tailor it to what you’re looking for.