Welcome back to Elevated. I am your host Brandy Lawson, and in this episode we're discussing something that's both creating excitement and anxiety in the kitchen and bath industry, artificial intelligence. There's so much noise about AI right now. It's like, ha, trying to have a conversation in a construction zone. While the industry is a buzz about AI for design, visualization and renderings, which has its place, the real game changer is happening on the business side. Yet that's exactly where it seems to be the most resistance and confusion. Here's what's actually working. Cabinet dealers are experiencing remarkable success using AI note takers. Particularly tools like fireflies.ai. They're recording both in person and online client meetings to capture every detail, which allows them to be fully present and in design mode. During conversations, the AI generates meeting summaries that reduce project management time and improve client communication. Then they're using these recordings for business insights analysis and improvements like quickly creating standard operating procedures from actual client interactions. And then these same firms are using AI as a collaborator for email writing, creating checklists and documentation, providing a second set of eyes on orders and design specifications, and increasing efficiency when dealing with contracts and reports. Notice the pattern here. It's all about collaboration, not replacement. AI tools can be incredibly powerful collaborators for business tasks, but they're not replacements for designers, nor are they great rendering tools. Yet, the pace of development is staggering, and that opinion might be outdated by the time you listen to this episode. To give you a sense of how rapidly this space is, expanding the website, there's an AI for that.com currently lists 39,000 138 AI applications. It's increased by 587 apps from just a few weeks ago. This explosion of options makes building the skill of evaluating software more crucial than ever. As more and more tools become available, partly driven by AI capabilities, your ability to systematically assess what's worth your time and money will pay dividends for your business. When it comes to assessing AI software and tools, the first two steps of our fiery effects framework are the most critical first problem definition becomes even more important with AI tools. The most common mistake I see is businesses trying to use AI to replace their core service of their business. Here's the reality. It's not actually artificial intelligence. It's more like assistive or collaborative intelligence. Think of it this way, giving me a chisel and a block of marble will never produce Michelangelo's pieta because I'm no Michelangelo. I can draw a decent bugs bunny, though even the best tools can't wield themselves, they require skill to achieve the desired outcome. So before you get dazzled by AI capabilities, you need real clarity on what specific business problem you are trying to solve. The most promising AI applications I'm seeing involve handling large data sets, meeting recordings, contracts, reports, information from your CRM cabinet Dealers can more quickly and easily extract relevant information and put it in a format or system where it can serve them. AI also excels as an impartial third party for helping with, uh, client communications, team communications, and even teaching you new approaches. But step two solution fit becomes equally crucial. AI tools often promise capabilities that sound revolutionary, but MM may not integrate well with your existing workflow. Unlike traditional software where features are relatively static, AI functionality can be unpredictable. What works brilliantly for one type of task might fail completely for another. Consider how AI meeting tools actually fit into your process. Recording client meetings is a solid start. But how will you use those transcripts? Where does your team need those AI generated summaries to use them? Can the insights integrate with your project management system? Does the tool handle the specific terminology and technical language common in kitchen and bath design? The most successful AI implementations focus on augmenting human capabilities rather than trying to replace them. The cabinet dealers seeing the best results use AI to handle data processing. Pattern recognition and routine documentation, freeing up their expertise for creative problem solving and client relationships. The landscape is evolving so rapidly that cultivating a culture of embracing change and resilience is a key to survival. Software and systems will continue changing quickly, and client expectations will shift as a result of AI permeating our culture. Here's a few questions to get you started. If you were to examine your current business processes through an AI lens, what might you discover? Where do you spend time on routine data processing that could be automated? What insights are buried in your client communications that AI could help surface which repetitive tasks consume creative energy that could be redirected towards design excellence? The framework worksheet@fireeffects.com slash choose can help you approach AI evaluation systematically. Focus, especially on those first two steps, clearly defining what problem you're solving and honestly assessing whether the AI solution fits your actual workflow and not just your wishful thinking. AI is here to stay and it's only getting started. Upend traditional approaches and thinking the question isn't whether AI will impact your business. It's whether you'll be strategic about how you evaluate and implement those rapidly evolving tools. Next week we'll wrap up our software selection series by looking forward to the future, how to build your evaluation skills so you can more easily navigate the unknowns and the changes of what comes next. This AI exploration might help you think differently about where collaborative intelligence could enhance your business. The systematic approach that's helping other cabinet dealers navigate this landscape successfully could illuminate opportunities you hadn't considered.