Navigating AI in Business: Insights from a Conversation with Jenny Wade

There is a lot of noise around AI right now. There’s hype, fear, and confusion. If you’ve found yourself nodding along to that, this conversation is for you.

I sat down with Jenny Wade, Partner and Head of Commercial at Swinburne Maddison, to discuss AI in business. We approached it from a practical angle, not a technical one. Our goal was to share insights based on our conversations with business owners. We often hear the same questions, and we wanted to clarify what we’re actually seeing.

Between our marketing and legal perspectives, we cover significant ground. If you’ve got 40 minutes, the full recording is worth a listen. If you haven’t, here’s a summary of our discussion.

Using AI to Get More Value from Your Content

One of the biggest misconceptions is that using AI for content means letting it do all the work. This often leads to the soulless, copy-paste posts you see on LinkedIn.

I encourage my clients to use AI as a tool to enhance their existing content. This recording is a perfect example. Take a real conversation filled with genuine insight, extract the transcript, and provide AI with a clear, precise prompt. You can transform one piece of content into a blog post, social media content, or an email newsletter. The idea originates from you, and the value remains yours. AI simply helps you maximise it.

The keyword here is "precise." The quality of the output directly correlates with the quality of the input. Vague instructions yield vague results.

What to Be Careful About — Especially from a Legal Perspective

Jenny offers valuable insights on this topic. It’s crucial to understand that what you input matters significantly.

AI tools lack knowledge about your market, sector, jurisdiction, or confidential information unless you provide it. If you do share sensitive information, ensure you do so safely. Jenny shared an example of a client who used AI to review a contract. This client ended up with a document filled with recommendations based on UAE and US law. What should have been straightforward became complex and costly.

Her advice is not to avoid AI but to set the right parameters. Use reputable tools and treat AI like any other supplier. Conduct due diligence before sharing anything sensitive.

Start with the Problem, Not the Technology

“We need to use AI, or we’ll get left behind.”

Both Jenny and I hear this frequently. While enthusiasm is great, it’s not a strategy.

A better starting point is to ask: what actual problem am I trying to solve? Do I need more capacity? Better business intelligence? A more efficient content process? Start there and then work backwards. AI might be the solution, or it might not. At least you’re making a decision that’s right for your business, not just following the crowd.

We also discussed the importance of collaborating with the right partners. This could be a technology partner, a digital transformation specialist, or someone who can help you create an AI policy that aligns with your operations.

Understanding Bias in AI

We also touched on an often-overlooked topic: bias in AI. The data that trains these tools reflects the world as it has been, not necessarily as it should be. Through my work with Women in Tech North East, I see this manifest in real ways. For instance, recruitment tools may penalise women’s football team membership on CVs. Additionally, AI may assume a user is male during a career conversation and respond accordingly.

This isn’t a reason to avoid AI tools. However, it is a reason to stay engaged in the process. Always sense-check the outputs and don’t take anything at face value.

Conclusion

AI is a powerful tool, but it requires careful consideration. By understanding its potential and limitations, you can leverage it effectively. If any of this resonates with you, or if you have questions, I encourage you to listen to the full conversation above. We’d love to hear from you.