DO GOOD X Podcast

Ep. 41 AI for Good: Tools, Tips, and Ethical Insights

• Kimberly Daniel & Stephen Lewis • Episode 41

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Welcome to the DO GOOD X podcast, your go-to resource for insights and inspiration on building impactful businesses! This episode, hosted by Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis, explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in business. From the immense opportunities AI presents to the challenges it poses, Kimberly and Stephen unpack practical tips to help you integrate AI into your operations. Whether you want to enhance efficiency, improve customer experiences, or navigate ethical concerns, this episode is packed with valuable insights. Stay tuned as we discuss leveraging AI to support your business, starting small with practical tools and tapping into resources available in the DO GOOD X  community.

IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:31) Leveraging AI to support your business 

(03:31) AI offers efficiency and scalability, enhances decision-making making and improves customer experience

(06:04) Other avenues where AI is effective and discussion of various concerns about AI 

(11:56) AI lacks human connectedness and the personal touch

(14:51) Choosing areas of AI to support your business and starting small

(17:55 Find tools to assist in starting a business in the DO GOOD X Community

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

  • AI and automation offers immense potential for businesses, especially small teams and underrepresented founders, by providing efficiency, enhancing decision-making through data analysis, and improving customer experiences through personalization.
  • Concerns such as biases in AI models, environmental impacts, accessibility gaps, and data privacy must be addressed. When black and brown users employ the tool, AI learns from it. Using AI ethically and inclusively is critical for ensuring it serves communities equitably.
  • Start by identifying one or two areas where AI tools can reduce repetitive tasks—marketing, financial management, or customer relationship management. Focus on affordable tools within your budget to experiment and assess their impact.

RESOURCES: 

DO GOOD X - Website

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DO GOOD X - YouTube

DO GOOD X - Spotify

DO GOOD X -  Instagram

Ep. 2 - Relieving the Financial Burden on Families at the End of Life Through Tech

Kimberly R. Daniel catalyzes entrepreneurs and organizations to do good. She is co-founder and project director of DO GOOD X, a community that provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive change. With over 15 years of experience developing and leading communications efforts, she is committed to producing effective processes and creating authentic, “sticky” brands that are community-centered. She co-authored A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).

Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and the creator and co-founder of DO GOOD X. This community provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive change. Stephen co-authored Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose (2020) and A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).

DO GOOD X - Episode 41

Narrator: [00:00:00] Welcome to the do good X podcast, a sanctuary from the entrepreneur grind host Kimberly, Danielle, and Stephen Lewis advocates for impactful entrepreneurship guide you on the path where purpose meets business. Join us to slow down, reconnect, and explore the challenges of under resourced entrepreneurs, uncovering the unique journey of building businesses that make a difference.

Now you're hosts.

Stephen Lewis: Welcome to our do good X podcast. Podcast. My name is Stephen Lewis, and I am a catalyst for positive change in communities and businesses. Now for over two decades, I've inspired leaders and entrepreneurs to live and work on purpose with intention, faith, and a commitment to their wellbeing. And I'm delighted to be joined by my co hosts.

Kimberly, it's good to see you. [00:01:00] 

Kimberly R. Daniel: Hey, Steven. Good to see you as well. Good to be with you. Thank you to those of you who are tuning in today, whether this is your first time, or you've been listening to this podcast for a while, we appreciate you being here. I am Kimberly Danielle, and I am a communication strategist, a coach and community builder who comes from generations of faith driven entrepreneurs and leaders who believe that our purpose should drive us to contribute to the common good.

And today in this episode, we want to talk about something that is not new. It's only going to be growing. The conversations are only going to continue, um, as the, in the years ahead. And that's really, it's really about. AI and automation. Um, there are many businesses that start with a sole founder or a small team, especially when we talk about underrepresented founders and with the growth of [00:02:00] tools using AI and automation.

We really want to talk about, well, how are you leveraging these tools to support your business for good? And it's operations you, you might be a one person team right now, one and a half, um, or you might just have a small team and really you can lean into the use of AI and automation tools to really support your business and it can amplify your, your business.

Efficiency, your reach and your potential impact. So today at a high level, we'll chat about a few things. One is around the opportunities for your business and using these tools. Two is about the challenges and concerns raised by AI, because, you know, realistically speaking, there are a lot of folks who have some, who are hesitant about it, who are scared of it, um, and who are challenged by even trying it out.

And so we don't we want to talk about some of those challenges and concerns. And then [00:03:00] lastly is around practical tips for integrating AI into your business. If you so choose to do it, which we encourage you to explore. Doing that. And if you are interested in knowing just a little bit more, there are some tips that Martha Scylla Underwood shares in episode two.

So it was very, very early in this season. She's the founder of prism and she shares some thoughts and tips about AI in that episode. So if you're interested, go back in and check that out. 

Stephen Lewis: All right. Well, we want to talk a little bit about what AI and automation means. AI, um, And machine simulating human intelligence and automation, which is technology streamlining tasks without manual input.

And part of this is really thinking about the opportunities that AI and automation brings. So there's three of them. One is they can offer efficiency and [00:04:00] scalability helps us to kind of streamline and automate repetitive tasks. The other is that they can enhance decision making. They provide collective and analysis of data.

Data can help founders understand trends, how best to use resources and actually make better informed decisions, um, in their business. And then three to improve customer experience, um, really in terms of the personalization and new ways to engage with customers. So just a couple of examples of. AI and automation, um, particularly when I think about kind of, uh, an enhanced decision making, um, what you see is how AI can help you with scenario planning.

If you were to go in this particular strategic direction, you can think about different scenarios and it can help create kind of predictive analytics. In terms of making the kinds of decisions that you need, or maybe you're trying to think about what's the best kind of marketing, [00:05:00] um, advertisement that I want to do.

And so you see types of different marketing, AB testing that you can actually test out different kinds of messages that you want to send to your customer. In terms of improving customer experience, uh, you can look at things like. For example, your Amazon app, when you are purchasing something, you know, if it's things you've been looking at or things you put in your actual, uh, basket, you know, it can actually customize your experience about the things you've been looking at.

Or a reminder of the things that you've looked at in terms of actually your purchasing. Or think about, for instance, you know, your doctor's health care portal, a dashboard, where it gathers your records, your forms, maybe reminds you of your appointments or medications, and the results from your doctor's visit on that particular dashboard.

So those are just a couple of examples of [00:06:00] those, um, Wait opportunities, the three different opportunities that I've mentioned. But when I think about, you know, um, other examples in terms of where AI is, you know, been used well, or an experience where, you know, it's been leveraged for social impact. I think of kind of, you know, um, AI powered speech tools are becoming increasingly beneficial for addressing language barriers.

Um, you see this in speech pathology. You see this when people travel to another country where they have apps, they help some kind of navigate those different types of language barriers. And then the other thing I'm thinking about is there's a AI tool called cardio dot AI, and it is a social enterprise that's focused on providing deep learning technology.

To real life products for health care. So cardio that AI office service and software hardware complexes that uses artificial intelligence for remote diagnosis of [00:07:00] arrhythmias and other abnormalities of cardiovascular systems. So that's just one, you know, example of how AI is being used in the health care industry for social impact or social good.

Kimberly R. Daniel: Yeah, that's good. I mean, I've been thinking, I think about ways that that I use it for automation, um, and how it's supportive in my own work. And I've mentioned, I promise y'all, I am not a promoter of wave. I know I mentioned it in several episodes in our, uh, in this season, but what it does, wave, I use wave for invoicing and, um, And receipts and accounting and all of that.

And one of the ways that that is a tool is that it learns where to categorize certain charges and receipts. And so that I don't have to do that. And it just makes it so much easier on the on the other side of things. [00:08:00] Or even I think about if you if I'm posting something on social media or if there is like a video using these tools to Google.

Chop up one video to be short little videos that can be used so that you're not spending hours trying to edit or, you know, find the right clip, uh, that works for your social media platform. Those are just two basic examples, but really, you know, in any examples that You named Steven or I just named is it's really about identifying where are these places that it can best support you around repetitive redundant tasks so that you can really, you and, or your team can focus on the other needs at hand.

Now, I know, especially for folks who are socially conscious and underrepresented founders, we know that there are some challenges and concerns when it comes to AI and. Some of those [00:09:00] might be, you know, the biases and AI models, their concerns about the model speaking to underrepresented or, or the inability to speak well to underrepresented or marginalized communities.

And, There has been resistance from folks, including black and brown communities, for very understandable reasons of using AI because of biases. Again, if you go back to listen to Martha episode two, she says the only way that AI is going to be inclusive and learn how to speak to our communities. Is to teach it and we are the best people to teach it.

And so in order for us to be able to leverage and use it. Well, we have to use it. Um, another concern is around the environmental impact. I remember. Maybe about a year ago, reading an article about how much [00:10:00] AI has an impact on the environment. I, it wasn't even something that I thought about, um, when, you know, these conversations really began to emerge, but it does increase energy and water use, and it is a potential strain on electricity grids and in certain places where water is.

You know, lacking it. It's a it's a concern. It is a concern. And so just want to name that. That is something that we I know it's a conversation. I think what's important is to be aware. Um, and as we find out more, use it in ethical ways. And to increase other people's awareness so that they do know. Other concerns may include accessibility for some populations.

I mean, that's still a conversation about just basic accessibility to technology, let alone AI, um, as a piece of technology, [00:11:00] in addition to data privacy, job placement and misuse, but ultimately like with any tool or piece of technology, it's important to consider how you use it for you. Good and that you reflect on how it can impact positively or negatively your business and those you serve and to make an ethical decision based on that.

That's really it. So knowing that your decision to use it and how you will use it, how you are using it is ethical and supporting your business to do good and to positively impact people. That's what's important. It's also important to note that I, so I, I think the thing that AI will never be able to do when we talk about job displacement or the growth of AI and people, you know, being scared, the thing that AI will never be able to do is replace [00:12:00] human connected connectedness, that human face to face connectedness.

There's nothing like it. So that's not, it's not going to be able to replace that. So while you explore ways to use AI and automation in your business, be intentional about where human connectedness, those touch points, and that management is necessary is necessary. To see people, to hear people for building your community because we are human and we don't just need to talk to machines.

We need to talk to the actual people. I can't look, I can get into a whole rant that is not related to this about how. I get so frustrated calling companies that I need to talk to about challenges or things that I need to change, you know, and just day to day life and I cannot get a person on the phone.

I just want to talk to a person. I don't want to talk to a machine, [00:13:00] so just think about that in your business to 

Stephen Lewis: zero customer service. No, customer service. Yeah, no, I hear you. And so, you know, Kimberly, as I think about all this is good, which is saying, and I think in the end, it really is about how the tool is in service to our own humanity and the work that helps us do a lot, you know, hopefully high level work of engagement and community building and relationship building, you're not become kind of a replacement for.

Those types of things. And so when I think about kind of practical tips for integrating it into your business, I think it's important to remember to start small. So consider one, maybe two areas of your business that you could leverage AI and automation tools to support your work to free yourself up from kind of mundane, manual, uh, Day to [00:14:00] day kinds of activities.

So you can do the kind of human connectedness or the people building aspect of your work or that your work may entail. So it may be, you know, with regards to, you know, the area of operations. So how can AI and automation help with the supply chain management, your inventory, or maybe even your distribution?

Or maybe you want to focus on marketing and look at kind of A B testing, geofencing, marketing, or content creation, how AI can support you up and free you up in that way. Or maybe you want to focus in terms of your financial management. How can AI help with some of the rote things you have to do with regards to account payables?

And invoicing. Or maybe you want to think about your CRM, your customer relationship management tool. Um, how can AI help with database, customer relationship management and analysis to help you think [00:15:00] about who you should talk to, um, when you should talk to them, who'd you last talk to, those types of things.

But the point really is, is to start small and just think about one thing or two things. That you may want to focus in your area of business. And the invitation is not to get overwhelmed by the amount of tools that are available. Take the opportunity just to explore one or two tools that fall within your budget.

That you can test and to use it over time and see what gains you get as a result of using that tool. And so after a period of time, you can assess the tool and whether or not it's been beneficial. And so there's a, you know, a number of different tools that you can use, whether it's, you know, Slack or Asana, um, Google suites, all those things are incorporating automations and [00:16:00] AI And your everyday day to day business around communication and how you get your work done.

So those are just some of the things that we want to offer. Uh, Kim, any final thoughts? 

Kimberly R. Daniel: I would just say, you know, this conversation may be, um, basic to some folks out there who are already very much in tune to, you know, technology and, and tools, AI tools. Um, but for. A lot of folks that I've talked to who are in the midst of like, they are head down, just focused on, you know, running their business and their business isn't tech based.

This is something new, especially for small business owners. And so, Just, you know, I encourage you to not get overwhelmed by this, um, and to not see this as a barrier, but to see these tools as something that can support you. And like Steven said, what, think about the one to two thing. [00:17:00] Look at one to two tools that fall in your budget.

There are even some tools out there that are free that have a free, you know, level that you can try out to see if you want to keep on using it and upgrade to, you know, uh, more robust level or tier of the subscription. But just, I just encourage you to explore it because it can really support you and your business and provide you the opportunity to focus your efforts on really.

Running your business, doing the good work that you're trying to do, building your products and services versus being stuck in, you know, the redundant tasks that Steven previously named. So if today's conversation, you know, it has you thinking about. The role of AI in your own work or automation. We'd love to hear from you.

You can go to do get x. org, join our LinkedIn community of entrepreneurs and share with us there. Let us know [00:18:00] what tools you're exploring or using, or some of the challenges that you're having or questions that you have, and also don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review. If you. Enjoying the content.

Uh, we'd love, we'd love to have your support in that way. But until next time, take care of yourself. Be well and do good.

Narrator: Thank you for listening to the Do Good X podcast. To continue the conversation or access our resources, visit www.dogoodx.org. Join us again for conversations that will nourish your soul, ignite your dreams. and empower you to build an impactful business one intentional step at a time. Until then, keep striving, thriving, and doing good.