5 Ways to Actually Use Generative AI in Your Business

By Jordan Hauge — Published February 12, 2025 — Category: AI Strategy, Business Leadership, Digital Transformation

Generative AI offers significant potential for boosting business productivity through various "modes," from automating routine tasks with AI assistants and agents to enhancing human capabilities with AI collaborators and providing specialized knowledge with domain experts. Successful implementation requires a strong data strategy, skilled talent, ethical considerations, and a measured approach, starting small and iterating for optimal results.

Every business leader I talk to asks the same three questions about AI. Here they are, and here's what you actually need to know.Let's cut through the technical jargon and focus on what you, as a business leader, really need to know:What can AI actually do for my business?How can I be sure it will deliver real results?How can I even begin to learn about this with everything else on my plate?While AI is a vast field, we'll focus specifically on Generative AI for this discussion.The core message is this: AI has enormous potential to improve your business and boost productivity. It's becoming increasingly user-friendly, and integrating Generative AI into existing systems is often more achievable than you might think.Strategic First Steps: Launching Your Generative AI JourneyWith so many implementation possibilities, all producing different outcomes, deciding where to begin is a strategic business decision. Think of it like any other important investment:What's the estimated cost?When can we expect an ROI?How will this impact the business?Will it support existing initiatives or introduce new challenges?Is the timeline for one approach more urgent than another?To answer these questions, we need to understand the most effective ways Generative AI can be used. Let's explore some key "modes," or methods in which Generative AI has been successfully implemented in growing organizations. Keep in mind — these modes can, and are often blend together in real-world applications:1. The Inbox ManagerStreamlining Operations Across Your TeamsWhat it does:An AI assistant acts like a human administrative or executive assistant. It handles routine tasks, schedules appointments, manages communications, and organizes information.Think about it as your low cost, highly efficient business partner — an always-available support system for you and your team.Practical Implementation:Imagine an AI assistant managing your email inbox or ticketing system. It filters emails, prioritizes urgent requests, drafts relevant responses to frequently asked questions, and even schedules follow-up calls. This frees up your team to focus on more complex issues and personalized customer interactions.Key Metrics (KPIs):Time saved on routine tasks (e.g., email, scheduling), improved customer response times, increased customer satisfaction scores, reduced administrative costs. Remember, these KPIs should be tailored to your specific business use case. For example, instead of "improved customer response times," which is too generic to be measurable, "reduce average ticket resolution response time by 20% within the next 3 months." This suggested goal structure is actionable, measurable, and specific.2. The AutopilotAutomating and Optimizing Repetitive, Necessary TasksWhat it does:An AI agent takes a more proactive role, automating processes, making rule-based decisions, and initiating actions autonomously to achieve specific goals.Practical Implementation:An AI agent managing your social media marketing. It schedules posts, identifies trending topics, engages with followers, and runs targeted ad campaigns, maintaining your presence without constant manual effort.Key Metrics (KPIs):Increased social media engagement (likes, shares, comments), growth in followers, improved website traffic from social media, increased lead generation.3. The Co-PilotEnhancing Human Capabilities at a Fraction of the CostWhat it does:An AI collaborator works with your team, augmenting their skills and providing valuable insights.It can analyze data, generate creative content, and suggest workflow improvements—a thinking partner for greater team achievement.Practical Implementation:An AI collaborator assisting your product development team. It analyzes market trends, customer feedback, and competitor products to generate new product ideas and prioritize features, enabling data-driven decisions and more successful products.Key Metrics (KPIs):Increased innovation and new product development, improved product quality and customer satisfaction, faster time-to-market, increased efficiency in development processes.4. The Fortune TellerGuiding Strategic Decisions that ElevateWhat it does:An AI predictive advisor analyzes historical data and uses machine learning to forecast future outcomes.It identifies trends, predicts customer behavior, and offers insights for strategic decisions.Practical Implementation:An AI advisor supporting your sales team. It analyzes sales data, customer demographics, and market trends to predict high-potential leads, allowing your team to focus on the most promising opportunities and improve close rates.Key Metrics (KPIs):Improved sales conversion rates, increased revenue, more accurate sales forecasting, reduced customer churn.5. The SpecialistProviding Specialized Knowledge Where Your Team Needs MostWhat it does:An AI domain expert is trained on a specific body of knowledge, providing specialized advice and answering complex questions within that domain.It acts as a consultant or subject matter expert, offering valuable insights and recommendations.Practical Implementation:An AI expert in financial regulations assisting your compliance team. It analyzes new regulations, identifies potential risks, and recommends steps for compliance, helping your team stay ahead of changes and avoid penalties.Key Metrics (KPIs):Reduced compliance risks, improved adherence to regulations, increased efficiency in compliance processes, reduced compliance costs.Vital Factors for Generative AI Success: What Every Leader Must KnowData is Key: AI, especially Generative AI, is reliant on high-quality data. You'll need a solid data strategy, including how you collect, store, process, and manage your data. The quality and quantity of your data will directly impact the cost, timeline to implementation, and caliber of your AI initiatives.Skills and Talent: Implementing AI requires a variety of specialized skills, ranging from highly-technical, to simple in practice. Consider how you will acquire or develop the necessary team members, whether through upskilling existing employees or bringing in a team of experts, such as the JAM Creative team to develop a sound AI strategy, implement the solution, and train your internal team.Ethical Implications: AI is not neutral. Just like humans, AI can face challenges with bias in responses. It's crucial to consider the ethical implications of using AI, including potential partiality in data, job displacement, and the responsible use of generated content.Change Management: Introducing AI can significantly impact your team. Systems will be more efficient, affecting how employees perform best their roles. As with any large process shift, it's important to bring the team along for the ride, rather than confused and frustrated. Plan for change management to ensure a smooth transition and address any concerns from your employees to retain a performant culture.Start Small, Iterate: Don't try to do everything at once (my personal biggest challenge). Begin with a specific, focused idea for a project to dip your toe in the water. Always learn from each experience, and build your AI initiatives gradually. AI transformation, as with any Digital Transformation initiative should be handled strategically and systematically.Understanding these Generative AI "modes" is a first step in identifying creative ways to begin experimenting with AI in your business. Carefully evaluate the costs, potential ROI, and possible challenges before making any decisions. Remember, successful AI implementation is a journey, not a destination.