Why entrepreneurs are giving up on using AI
Founders are using AI in their businesses, and it’s only getting more popular. Over half of companies plan to incorporate AI into their processes in 2024. They’re learning how to implement it, testing tools, and hiring consultants to help them. But even though over 77% of companies are currently using or considering using AI, some aren’t sure if it’s right for them.
Some experts have opted out of AI altogether for a variety of reasons: Ask any successful founder or business leader why they don’t want to use AI in their work, and you might be surprised by their answers.
Meet founders and business leaders who aren’t using AI tools in their business
Lack of quality
Lianna Patch, founder of Punchline Copy, describes herself as a “conversion copywriter who specializes in funny copy” and says, “Right now, there’s still a pretty big gap between what I can create and what AI tools can create.” She doesn’t appreciate the jokes made by AI tool ChatGPT, saying, “AI jokes aren’t technically jokes. They’re writing in joke form.” No laughing matter.
Mina Lisanin, founder of New York-based ML Interiors, stopped using AI tools altogether because she found the results to be less than impressive. “Midjourney seemed really cool at first in terms of creating images with AI, but most of the time the images were not realistic and sometimes had errors like a fifth leg on a chair,” she explains. Clearly a problem for interior design firms.
Business consultant Samantha Kelly doesn’t like the style of AI-generated content: “I’m amazed at how many people are using AI to write articles and posts for LinkedIn,” she says, and thinks AI is a false economy. “Nothing beats human warmth, empathy, knowledge and enthusiasm,” at least for now.
Ethical concerns
These founders also question the quality of AI-generated content, but their concerns also have an ethical dimension. Professional writer and editor Rebecca Bennison believes that “people are paying for my work and experience, not a learning model,” and doesn’t use AI personally or professionally. “Sometimes I’m asked to edit AI content, but it really needs human insight and fact-checking,” she explained.
Another professional writer, Ross Jenkins of DigitalME, only uses AI “if a client specifically asks for it.” For him, it’s about integrity: Jenkins wants “clients to know that the work has been done by a human” who he “has used and worked with before” and can trust its quality.
Copyright issues
“AI is taking other people’s content and giving it back to them,” says Richard Michie, founder of Marketing Optimist. “Not using AI is our competitive advantage,” he says, especially at a time when “there are so many people in the marketing industry who are using AI to be faster and cheaper, without any regard for creativity or quality.”Some marketing pros value originality.
Kristen Wiltse, a professional writer at KW Communications, also has “serious plagiarism concerns” and doesn’t use any AI writing tools for her business because “the language is so common and sanitized.”
Barney Durrant, founder of Bluebell Marketing and ex-Googler, knows that large language models trained on billions of words can produce some pretty dull ideas. His suggestion is to still use AI, but “let ChatGPT create your ad campaign strategy, assume it’s the most average, bland option, and choose the opposite. That’s how you truly reach your customers.”
AI isn’t for everyone: Founders deny
Contrary to what you might think, not everyone is on board with the AI ​​craze. Not every entrepreneur is training ChatGPT to write like them, using AI tools to make a bigger impact in less time, or monetizing their expertise. Those who are moving away from AI are citing a lack of quality, ethical concerns, privacy issues, and more.
Will the demand for cheaper, faster results outweigh the need for human labor? These founders are confident that they (and humanity) will be at the forefront of an ever-evolving array of AI tools.
