Beyond the AI marketing hype: Small business reality check

AI is being marketed brilliantly. The OpenAIs and Microsofts of the world are selling you on how these tools will transform your business and simplify your life. Ironically, they're using exceptional marketing to convince you that you might not need marketers anymore.

What they're not conveying clearly is just how much time and effort is required to use these tools effectively. This creates a dangerous disconnect for small business owners who are already stretched thin.

The fundamental misconception is viewing AI as a replacement rather than an enhancement. Think about technological evolutions we've already witnessed: word processing replacing typewriters, digital photography replacing film, Photoshop revolutionizing image editing. None of these advancements eliminated the need for the human element—the writer behind the keyboard or the photographer behind the camera.

AI is no different. It's a suite of tools that can help realize the vision in your head and communicate it effectively. But without marketing savvy and experience driving those tools, you're missing the critical human component that makes marketing effective.