Brian Neilsen urges Murray Bridge businesses to embrace AI technology

An expert has encouraged small businesses to adopt AI, highlighting its efficiency in operations and customer engagement, while addressing concerns about job displacement.

Peri Strathearn

Jul 15, 2024 — 3 min read

“A male speaker at a business breakfast, with white hair and a short white beard, holding a microphone and wearing a shirt.” Image: Dall-E.

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When it comes to artificial intelligence, Brian Neilsen says, you’ve got two options.

You can be the steamroller or you can be the road.

Small business owners needed to start getting their heads around the technology and how it could benefit them, he told the 60 or so attendees at a Business Murray Bridge breakfast last Wednesday.

After all, publicly available chatbots like Chat GPT could already serve as:

Copywriters and editors
Research assistants
Graphic artists
Computer code checkers
Translators
Brainstormers

They could create content; automate tasks; or perform the same function as a call centre operator, facilitating a two-way conversation with a customer.

They could save a business time and money.

“Picture it as your assistant,” he said.

“It’s permanently there to help you whenever you want it … and it’s got average to good skills at most things.

Some real humans attend Business Murray Bridge’s breakfast at the Bridgeport Hotel last Wednesday. Photo: Peri Strathearn.

“It might be like a uni graduate: they’re not dumb, they’re pretty smart, but they might not understand the nuances of your particular business … and it does competent work that’s pretty reliable, mostly, not always; and it’s not likely to be as good as a human expert, but it’s pretty damn good.”

Still, he pushed back against the idea that AIs would put humans out of work.

“It’s not that many people are going to lose their jobs directly, for AI to do it,” he said.

“But people who are doing a job now, who don’t understand AI and learn to use it as a tool … you’re at risk of being replaced by somebody who does.”

Alright then, let’s give it a go

In the spirit of open-mindedness, you may have noticed that Murray Bridge News used an AI-generated image of Mr Neilsen at the top of this story.

The author is not sure why Dall-E put a headphone over one of his ears.

Here’s a photo of the real Mr Neilsen, below – how do they compare?

Brian Neilsen speaks at last week’s Business Murray Bridge breakfast. Photo: Peri Strathearn.

The headline and summary at the top of this story were written by Chat GPT, too, with minor edits.

Business Murray Bridge is on the comeback trail

Meanwhile, the breakfast event also featured an update from Business Murray Bridge committee member Darryl Webb.

While it had been the association’s first event in a year, more were on the way, he said:

Nibbles and networking: August 14, 5pm at the Murraylands Skills Centre
Breakfast: September 11, 7am at the Bridgeport Hotel
Nibbles and networking: October 9, 5pm at the 1924 Riverfront Steakhouse
AGM, nibbles and networking: November 13, 5pm at a venue TBA
Christmas breakfast: December 11, 7.30am at a venue TBA

In particular, the annual general meeting in November would give local business owners to get involved and keep their local business association focused and moving forward.

“We want to be about what businesses need, not what we think businesses need,” he said.

Mayor Wayne Thorley and council CEO Heather Barclay also gave a presentation about Murray Bridge’s plans for population growth, and the importance of the council’s relationship with local businesses.