IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Welcome to another episode of the “Professionals in Enterprise ” podcast hosted by John Tulac. This week, John’s featured guest is Lou Desmond, who is a marketing and public relations specialist at Desmond & Louis. His core specialty is crisis communication, which involves managing public perception, handling tough journalistic inquiries, and preparing clients to speak effectively during high-stakes business crises.
In the broader context of technological understanding, there is an acknowledgment of a non-technical aptitude for technology, treating it akin to household utilities where simple functionality is the primary expectation. The initial foray into AI came through basic automation tools like Grammarly and simplistic CRM contact triggers.
Reflecting on lessons from the early web era, an important role was served at a master plan development company, managing websites and navigating the complexities of vendor vetting processes in a flooded market of self-proclaimed SEO and web development experts. The need for demonstrable results was established through an internal vetting protocol requiring prospective vendors to provide references from current clients showing verified outcomes. However, none were able to do so, illustrating widespread exaggeration in the tech industry.
When it comes to programming AI, the experiences with high-net-worth clients seeking to integrate AI yielded similar frustrations with a lack of credible expertise among potential candidates. Desmond differentiates between dishonest brokers and actual custom programmers, noting the market disruption faced by simple SaaS applications as the industry shifts towards specialized AI tools. The phenomenon of prompt engineering is stressed, with a call for end-users to learn precise prompt formulation to overcome output inefficiencies.
Several case studies illustrate the practical applications of AI scraping techniques across various sectors. In the first case, custom AI programming enabled the extraction of critical data in aviation during a significant transaction period. The second case involved the distribution of an educational program across thousands of schools in the U.S., significantly undercutting traditional costs associated with offshore call centers. Through agile programming adaptations, focus shifted to leverage data trends for better outreach.
The last case study examined the operational needs of a consumer product incubator, targeting companies operating in a specialized niche, showing the adaptability of AI solutions in identifying potential leads.
Desmond also highlights the structural limitations of AI, acknowledging its strengths in repetitive tasks while underscoring its inability to replicate human empathy or genuine creativity. The idea of AI hallucinations, or the generation of false data points in responses, is noted alongside a historical analysis of predictive analytics’ limitations when applied to real-world human systems. In the legal landscape, the use of specialized AI systems for document analysis is outlined, contrasting low-cost alternatives that may yield sub-par results due to a lack of contextual understanding. The issue of data sourcing regulations underlines the legal boundaries surrounding the use of commercial contact lists while affirming the legality of developing in-house AI tools for scraping public data.
The PIE podcast aims to showcase Inland Empire professional talent, foster local economic development, and highlight the Provisors networking community. Catch the full show on YouTube @ProfessionalsofInlandEmpire.
