AI—The Wonderful Wizard of Ahhs
- Thomas Smugala
- Jun 19
- 3 min read
As an entrepreneur juggling my little venture—20 years later—I’m no stranger to chaos. Major deadlines, wonky vendors, a continual flow of updates, equipment becoming worthless, and me with a mountain of paperwork—I use every advantage possible. I used to think "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) was for tech bros in hoodies; my creative staff scuffed at AI as being underhanded, but using some new AI is slowly becoming part of our day-to-day business toolbox.
AI has become a super-smart sidekick who doesn’t snatch my stuff. Now, our AI tools churn through reader data, spotting trends faster than we ever could have before, enabling us to quickly respond to what our readers really, really want (sorry, that’s top secret:). And the new AI innovations in video creation have blown new life into my creative team, now dying to create content for our clients—a creative revolution!
573 Content Studio used AI in addition to tradional editing and special effects programs with digital narration, music for a new 573 Magaine spot. We love Wrack-Coons.
Today, ignore AI, and you’re toast—stale, like day-old toast doing business like a pilgrim. Competitors using AI will zoom past, leaving you looking like you’re still faxing orders. We at 573 Magazine want all our local businesses to be successful. So, forget all the tech jargon, and start dabbling in AI, and keep your hustle rocking forward.
New AI is a lifeline for small businesses, making them thrive without breaking the bank. AI-powered tools can automate inventory, chatbots can handle customer queries 24/7, and marketing platforms can craft snappy, personalized ads, boosting engagement on a budget. AI analytics can spot sales trends, scheduling apps can streamline staff shifts, and writing apps can even make your emails read better. These affordable and user-friendly tools let entrepreneurs focus on big ideas, not crudy work. By embracing AI, small businesses stay nimble, outshine competitors, and keep customers hooked in a fast-moving market.
In this spot created for The Tiny Houses of French Village, Team 573 used their event promo with both AI and traditonal apps with our writing to create an attention getting spot zoomed in on a targeted demographic.
Your customers expect to be served with the latest trends in modern business. Skip AI, and you’re the shop with a pager, wondering why nobody’s buzzing. Stay stubborn, and your business’ll be a dusty museum exhibit, labeled “What Not to Do.” Don't be an AI dinosaur asking what happened? It’s happening.
For this Show Me Younger spot, our team wanted to use humor to emmpisize the way Show Me Younger brings out the natural beauty for their clients. They used our writing, a mix of video, AI, traditional editing apps, music and digital voice over. Those are some purdy lips!
We have been using AI in many different ways. Lately, we have been using a combination of AI and traditional apps to create social content. We add a big dose of talent and experience, and mix in real footage, AI footage, music, sound effects, and my editor's crazy sense of humor to create engaging content for us and our clients. At times, it seems scary, but all new things are scary at first. AI is a tool that is not going away. You might as well learn it and use it.
Get Out There! Create something. Start that new business. Join the Army. Do something. Do anything. What one person can do, another can do. That sunken sofa will be fine without you.
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