When people talk about AI, the conversation often swings between hype and fear.For business owners, the reality is much more practical. This isn’t about futuri…
NZ Herald ·
Yeah nah, most tradies I know barely have time to eat lunch let alone figure out AI. Who's actually gonna teach 'em?
My partner's a sparky and he's already using AI to do quotes. Says it saves him hours. It's real, just gotta get over the hump.
Great another buzzword for consultants to milk money out of small businesses 😒 Most SMEs just need decent broadband and a working website first.
on. I've seen vendors promise the moon and deliver a spreadsheet. Wait till the hype cycle ends.
I've been in IT for 20 years. The 'confidence gap' is actually just common sense – most of this AI stuff is half-baked and hyped by vendors. Wait till the bubble pops.
tbh I tried ChatGPT to write a menu for my cafe and it was utter crap. Maybe I'm using it wrong but feels like a solution looking for a problem.
Log in to leave a comment.
you're already using it wrong. It's a tool not a magic wand. Gotta give it good prompts.
classic, 'just give it good prompts' – like that's gonna help the average bakery owner. Delusional.
What about the data privacy aspect though? All these free AI tools hoover up your business info. No thanks.
nah, you're right about the privacy thing. That's why we only use offline models for sensitive stuff.
My aunt runs a small accounting firm and she's using AI to process receipts. Game changer for her. But she's also tech savvy so ymmv.
It's not about hype or fear, it's about bloody time we gave small businesses proper support to adopt this stuff. The govt needs to step up.
stepped in? They can't even fix the potholes, let alone this. We're on our own.
I work in logistics and AI route planning has saved us thousands. But implementing it was a nightmare. The gap is real but worth it if you can afford the headache.
point, upfront cost is rough. But long term it pays off. Just gotta be smart about it.
how much did that nightmare cost? Most SMEs are running on thin margins. Not everyone has the buffer.
