Your AI-powered custom GPT strategic advisor is here!

We’re thrilled to launch Thinking Business GPT — the distilled essence of over a decade of insight from the Thinking Business, now at your fingertips 24/7.

This isn’t just another AI. It’s a strategic ally that merges real-world business acumen with breakthrough tools like the 15-Minute Business Blueprint. Whether you’re crafting your company vision, executing strategic plans, or navigating leadership challenges, Thinking Business GPT delivers actionable, concise, and proven advice—fast.

We have written about the importance of AI in a number of posts in the past but now we have our own tool! Built for entrepreneurs, executives, and team leaders, this GPT transforms complexity into clarity and aligns your business with purpose, performance, and profit.

Give it a try now using this link.

Remember, business success isn’t accidental. It’s intentional. And now it’s AI-assisted!

_{Note that this AI tool was created using the content of the website as it’s data. Essentially, it is a supercharged way to search and compile information on a specific topic that is covered in blog posts or book reviews. So, when you ask your questions, be sure to ask the tool to provide source references so you can dive deeper by reviewing the specific blog posts that the AI tool is using in it’s response. Also note that any decisions made based on the advice provided are the sole responsibility of the user. This tool, the website, its content, and authors are not liable for any outcomes.}

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1. Learn my writing style from years of blog posts
2. Read Lockeland’s book
3. Use DALL-E to generate a graphic depicting AI in an office
4. Write a book review in a blog type format using the style learned in (1) above and tying it to a post I had written in 2018 entitled “How to Leverage Artificial Intelligence in Your Business.”

What follows is the result of this exercise!

How Generative AI is Revolutionizing Business and Creativity in 2024

The generative AI revolution is reshaping how we work, create, and live. Since 2018, when artificial intelligence first started to gain momentum, its capabilities and applications have exploded. Generative AI, a subset of artificial intelligence that creates original content like text, images, code, and music, has become one of the most empowering tools of our time.

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI works by using systems such as Large Language Models (LLMs) trained on massive datasets. These models enable tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and DALL-E to generate human-like text, unique visuals, and other creative outputs. Far more advanced than traditional AI tools that relied on pattern recognition, generative AI actively creates entirely new solutions tailored to specific needs 

In 2024, generative AI is not just an afterthought—it’s integrated into businesses, healthcare, education, and the arts. Major companies like Amazon (AWS) and Microsoft are utilizing this technology to drive innovation, making it a must-have resource for industries worldwide 

Applications Across Industries

The impact of this AI revolution spans various fields:

1. Healthcare Transformation:
   AI accelerates drug discovery, enhances diagnostics, and delivers personalized treatment plans. For instance, it analyzes data from millions of health records to predict risks and recommend preventative measures like diet and exercise.
2. Customer Service Evolution:
   AI-powered chatbots provide 24/7 support, resolving issues instantly and personalizing customer interactions. This improves satisfaction rates while freeing human team members to work on complex challenges.
3. Marketing and Content Creation:
   Creative professionals use tools like ChatGPT for writing ad copy, producing tailored marketing strategies, and designing unique content quickly. Platforms like DALL-E create visuals based on simple prompts, making high-quality designs accessible to everyone.
4. Art and Creative Fields:
   Artists integrate AI into their processes, combining it with photography, illustration, or even music composition for hybrid works. Tools like MidJourney and Google Gemini are democratizing creativity, making it accessible to more people than ever before.

Why Embracing Generative AI is Crucial

Generative AI isn’t here to replace human creativity—it’s here to amplify it. By turning repetitive tasks into automated processes or enabling humans to generate innovative solutions faster, AI serves as a collaborative partner. Businesses leveraging generative AI report greater efficiency, faster innovation, and enhanced customer engagement. 

Moreover, ethical considerations around its responsible use are at the forefront. With the massive data sets that fuel AI, ensuring unbiased, inclusive applications remains critical. As technology grows, so does our need for ongoing education and skill-building.

Getting Started with Generative AI

For those looking to adopt generative AI, here’s how to begin:

• Identify Impact Areas: Analyze workflows and determine where AI can make a difference—whether in creativity, automation, or decision-making.
• Experiment with Tools: Start small by integrating tools like ChatGPT, Strategy.ai or Microsoft Copilot into projects or daily tasks.
• Reskill and Learn: Stay updated on AI trends, ethical considerations, and the latest tools shaping your industry.

Take Action

From healthcare to education, content creation to customer experience, generative AI is transforming how we operate. Its ability to create, collaborate, and automate is driving value across industries, promising a brighter, more productive future. For businesses and individuals alike, the message is clear: adopt generative AI today—or risk missing out on the innovations shaping tomorrow.

Afterword

I would like to thank Steve Lockeland for the opportunity to review “How to Spell AI.” This was an interesting and informative book and the process for writing the review was a great learning experience for me as well!

Finally, read Lockeland’s How to Spell AI and leave some comments on this post and how you and your business are using AI.

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There is no future in the status quo . . . Just ask Sears, Blockbuster, Novatel, Blackberry, Nokia, and the list goes on and on!

There is no future in doing things the way we have always done them! Status quo always ends in irrelevance and obsolescence!

As business leaders we need to continuously challenge ourselves and our organizations to innovate and improve. We need to shake up our industries and stop doing things because we have always done them that way. Rather, we need to start doing the right things smarter, more cost effective, more rapid, and error free!

For example, in the project engineering world, projects have continuously escalated in cost over the years. We have all heard of projects that started at $X billion and ended up costing 2 or 3 times $X billion! Now there are many reasons for this (refer to my mega-project article) but one of the major reasons is that we are simply not challenging the status quo. Instead, we doing things the way we have always done them . . . it seems more comfortable that way because change is uncomfortable!

Although an engineering project today has basically the same objectives as an engineering project 20 years ago, how we get from start to finish needs to be fundamentally changed! Engineering companies need to step back and re-evaluate their businesses to remove legacy mindsets, legacy tools, and outdated processes while implementing new and relevant ones.

Take the automation engineering world as an example. It is undergoing dramatic change because of technologies like:

• Virtualization
• IoT
• OT
• Cloud technology
• Pervasive sensing technology
• Wireless technology
• Electronic marshalling
• Open Process Automation
• Mobile Platforms
• Cyber security
• Blockchain
• Auto configuration
• Late binding
• Auto commissioning
• Computing power and speed
• Software as a Service
• Proliferation of data
• Data analytics and business intelligence
• Artificial intelligence

As a result, the automation engineering businesses must adjust their mindsets, processes, and tools to leverage these changes.

Failure to stay on top of these industry changes will result in irrelevance and obsolescence!

So what can engineering business leaders do today to stay relevant in the marketplace?

Six Areas to Innovate in Project Engineering

There are probably an infinite number of things that can be done to stay relevant in today’s engineering marketplace. To kick off the conversation, I have outlined six broad categories below.

1. Reduce project schedules – Reducing design and construction time not only reduces costs but gets the project producing its product and making money faster. This is a massive win-win!
2. Optimize engineering processes – Optimizing engineering processes reduces schedule, reduces cost, and reduces rework due to errors.
3. Automate repetitive tasks – Repetitive tasks typically don’t need to be done by humans. There was a move to send these tasks to the “back-office” or to a “low-cost center” but we should either eliminate these tasks completely or automate them. This reduces the cost of the work itself but also eliminates rework due to human errors.
4. Use AI and programming to reduce errors and rework – AI and programming can be an effective tool to eliminate or automate portions of work that were traditionally labor intensive.
5. Automatically identify and track changes in design documents – On projects where more than one engineering discipline is involved or where more than one company is involved, always results in multiple revisions of design drawings or deliverables. Build a tool to automatically review these revisions and highlight changes rather than wasting time doing this manually.
6. Think outside the current technology and engineering practice paradigms – Don’t get stuck in your existing paradigm. What are others doing in other industries. Challenge the existing thought patterns and practices and come up with new and innovative solutions that save, time and money while maintaining or improving quality, reliability and safety.

Essentially, challenge the status quo in every area! No work process, mindset, scope of work, or tool should be considered off limits!

Innovation Example

As an example of this innovation mindset, I recently came across a company called Pro Automation Tools. They are innovating the automation engineering space. They provide a suite of tools to the automation engineering world that help engineering companies and facility owners reduce automation costs between 40% to 50%.

Full disclosure – At the time of this writing, I am not an owner or investor in Pro Automation Tools but I have been working with them at BettsM Controls to see how and where we can leverage their software tools.

The list below highlights several features of their tools that dramatically impact the six project engineering areas I identified above:

1. P&ID Scanning – The tool scans AutoCAD P&ID files and creates an instrument index. This instrument index is then used for revision control, graphics, and configuration. This is a great tool for automation companies and end users who don’t have an existing instrument index but have the P&IDs available to them in AutoCAD format.
2. P&ID and Instrument Index Revision Control – When an automation company engages in a project, it is common for them to get multiple revisions of design documents. Reviewing these revisions can waste a lot of manpower but this tool scans all incoming P&ID revisions and identifies changes in seconds.
3. Create a SD Key – The tool also allows the rapid creation of a shutdown key or cause and effects matrix which can then automatically convert into ControlLogix ladder logic.
4. Wiring – Furthermore, the tool allows the user to take the instrument index information and rapidly design a Rockwell PLC architecture, complete with wiring diagrams from the Rockwell I/O cards to the end devices.
5. VTSCADA Database and Graphics – Use the information in features (1) to (3) above to automatically create a VTSCADA database and graphics.
6. Reverse Engineer a PLC5 or SLC PLC Program – Their tool allows the user to take a download from a PLC5 or SLC and automatically generate the complete C&E diagram in minutes. This is typically done manually and takes man weeks of work. It is prone to human error and results in prolonged schedules.
7. Checking of C&E Matrix – Their tool will compare the design set of C&E diagrams against the actual PLC program to identify errors and discrepancies.

You can find out more about this tool at www.BettsM.com

Take Action

Take some time this week to determine how and where your business needs to challenge the status quo. Then build a list of three to six areas where your business needs to innovate to meet this challenge. Finally, define three to six actions that you will take over the next year to dramatically move your business towards these targets.

Also, review these articles for more information:

• Would You Rather Choose the Path of Preservation of Innovation
• Growth and Change Are the Only Options
• How to Be Relentlessly Committed to Self-Disruption
• The Cost of No Change
• 5 Simple Steps to Kill a Stupid Rule and Boost Your Business 
• Why You Need to Kill Your Company

“Change is not merely necessary to life. It is life.” Alvin Toffler

 

We work with leaders to identify and focus on the number one thing that will grow their business!

Call or email us today for more information or to book your free business assessment: 

587-227-5179

info@thinkingbusinessblog.com 

Be sure to download a free copy of my new Ebook: 12 Steps to Business Transformation and to sign up at www.thinkingbusinessblog.com for weekly blog updates delivered to your inbox.

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By now, most of us have heard about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Once the exclusive domain of science fiction and futuristic movies, it is now becoming prolific in many aspects of our society!

But do you understand what it is? Are you and your business prepared for AI and how are you leveraging it in your business today?

AI has been around and evolving since about 1956 and it is now advancing at a speed that is almost incomprehensible!

According to Ray Kurzweil, the speed of advancement of society today is accelerating exponentially. Furthermore, he asserts that the entire progress of the 20th century would have been achieved in only 20 years at the rate of advancement we saw in the year 2000. So, the rate of advancement in the year 2000 was 5 times as fast as the average in the entire previous century!

He believes that another 20th century’s worth of advancement happened between 2000 and 2014 and another will happen between 2014 and 2021! In a few decades after this, a 20th century’s worth of progress will take place multiple times in the same year and a decade later it will happen multiple times in the same month!

Basically, it boils down to the “Law of Accelerating Returns.” Kurzweil believes that the 21st century will see 1000 times the progress as the 20th century!

A big part of the changes and advancement that we will see will be both in Artificial Intelligence and made possible by Artificial Intelligence.

Current State

The diagram below comes from a webcast from Dr. Kai-Fu Lee and Peter Diamandis. They classify AI into “waves” and show the high-profile companies that are leveraging AI into the core of their business.

• 1 – Internet AI
• 2 – Business AI
• 3 – Perception AI
• 4 – Autonomous AI

It is easy to see that everyone of us has been impacted by waves 1 to 3. In many ways, we have already come to rely on these three waves and we take them for granted. Less of us have been impacted by Wave 4 but that is coming much quicker than most of us realize.

Categories of AI

According to Tim Urban (author of the blog Wait but Why), there are three major categories of AI that we need to be aware of:

• ANI – Artificial Narrow Intelligence: This is weak AI or artificial intelligence in one area only. These systems are in use all through our devices today. For example:
  • Your phone is full of ANI software – from your map apps to the weather apps to product suggestions on Amazon.
  • Your car has ANI systems like anti-lock brakes, fuel injection, car spacing assistance, etc.
  • Email spam filters
  • Google Translate
• AGI – Artificial General Intelligence: This refers to a computer that is as smart as a human in every way and on every dimension. These systems do not yet exist but it is expected (based on the current rate of technology acceleration) that they will be here by 2025!
• ASI – Artificial Superintelligence: AI thinker Nick Bostrom defines superintelligence as “an intellect that is much smarter than the best human brains in practically every field, including scientific creativity, general wisdom and social skills.” This is obviously not here yet but it could be here mind-blowing fast after AGI is reached. ASI will be achieved by leveraging AGI and this will accelerate the rate of technology acceleration even faster!

What Can We Do Today

As I mentioned in a past post, AI is not a wild-eyed, science fiction dream . . . the relentless advancement of technology and Artificial Intelligence is impacting and will impact every area of our lives. If you are not on top of your game, it will leave you and your business behind!

So what can your business do to prepare for and take advantage of AI? Here are some ideas to start you off:

1. Build a continuous learning culture in your organization by encouraging your staff to:
   • Stay abreast of technology changes in your market by working with your industry associations.
   • Read industry association periodicals in and outside of your areas of expertise.
   • Look outside your industry and your market at other industries. What advances are they using that you can leverage?
   • Subscribe to a general technology trend periodical (like those from Deloitte, Peter Diamandis, Wired or even Popular Science).
   • Regularly have your staff host learning forums where they share their knowledge with their peers.
   • Bring in industry leaders and specialists to speak with your staff and educate them.
2. Think strategically:
   • Set some time aside in your quarterly strategy sessions to brainstorm around how your business is using, could be using, or should be using AI.
   • Join a Mastermind group that contains people from different industries and backgrounds and drive the AI conversation within this group.
   • Collaborate with the businesses that are programming and enabling AI. What can they offer you today that can give you a competitive advantage?
3. Try pilot projects in your business using AI packages:
   • Look at AI technology that your business may be able to benefit from and run some small-scale projects to see if implementing the software is beneficial.
   • Form some AI technology forums within your industry groups and leverage the learnings from your industry peers and their successful AI programs.

Take Action

Firstly, set aside some time this week to do a deep dive into AI to understand it better. Then assess how you are leveraging it and how you could or should be leveraging it. Don’t shy away from AI or ignore it. Technology and the world is advancing exponentially faster every year and AI will impact your industry sooner or later. Do not be caught off guard!

Finally, review these articles for more information:

• 8 Ways to Prepare Your Business for Artificial Intelligence
• The Inevitable
• Artificial Intelligence Revolution
• 70% of Today’s Occupations with be Obsolete in 80 Years
• How to Use the Cloud to Empower Your Business
• AI Comes of Age

“Technology destroys the perfect and then it enables the impossible.” Seth Godin

We work with leaders to identify and focus on the number one thing that will grow their business!

Call or email us today for more information or to book your free business assessment: 

587-227-5179

info@thinkingbusinessblog.com 

Be sure to download a free copy of my new Ebook: 12 Steps to Business Transformation and to sign up at www.thinkingbusinessblog.com for weekly blog updates delivered to your inbox.

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According to Wikipedia, “An electromagnetic field (also EMF or EM field) is a physical field produced by electrically charged objects. It affects the behavior of charged objects in the vicinity of the field. The electromagnetic field extends indefinitely throughout space . . . It is one of the four fundamental forces of nature.”

Granted, EMFs are generally not a big topic in business related articles! However, they can have a dramatic impact on our health and, if our health is compromised, our business is compromised!

I first became aware of the health impacts of EMFs when I wrote a term paper at university in the 1980’s. Back then the big concern was EMF from high voltage power lines. Today, man-made EMF is more prolific than ever before and it is increasing. In fact, it is almost impossible to avoid in today’s society regardless of where you are on the planet! Some sources of man-made EMF are:

• Baby monitors
• Cordless phones
• Cell phones
• Cell phone towers
• Microwaves for communication
• Microwaves for heating food
• Wi-Fi routers
• Laptops
• Tablets
• Smart thermostats
• Satellite TV
• GPS
• Bluetooth devices

The potentially negative impact of electromagnetic fields have been a hot topic for years within the scientific and health community. It is a complex issue that is very difficult to study because of all the random factors that impact the end result. For example, it is almost impossible to control “the dose” of EMF due to the abundance of EMF forces surrounding us everyday. Add to this complexity the fact that our diets and epigenetics are factors that can either exacerbate or help mitigate the effects of EMF.

Because there are no “black and white” studies or conclusions there is a lot of back and forth between multiple sides of the debate – health advocates versus the business advocates (in case you never guessed . . . EMF technology is crucial to our economic development!)

So, the debate around the short term and long term impact of EMF on humans still rages on.

While this debate unfolds, it is important for us to understand what is known about the impact that high levels of EMF have on our bodies.

Before I Continue . . . Disclaimer

As you read this, please keep in mind that I am not a doctor or a biochemist and that each of us is unique genetically and physiologically. This means that we each need to consult a doctor to truly understand our current state of health.

Potential EMF Health Implications

To summarize the impact of the complex interaction between EMF and the human biology into just a few sentences is difficult but here it goes!

• EMF activates voltage gate calcium channels, VGCCs, in the cells in your body.
• The VGCCs are located in the membranes of your cells.
• Activation of the VGCCs allows a tremendous influx of calcium into the cell.
• This excess calcium kicks off a chain reaction which basically generates reactive free radicals which damage your cells.
• This damage impacts:
  • Mitochondrial function (the energy engines of your cells)
  • Cell membranes and cell proteins
  • DNA breaks
  • Rate of aging
  • Risk for chronic disease

So, what does this mean and what can we do about it?

8 Ways to Minimize Your EMF Exposure

In today’s wirelessly connected world we probably can never avoid all EMF exposure unless we wrap ourselves in a Faraday cage out in the desert somewhere like Chuck McGill from “Better Call Saul”!

However, there are some practical things that we can do. The most important aspect to understand is that the higher the strength of the EMF the more potential for cellular damage. So, as a minimum, we need to minimize high strength exposure by distancing ourselves from EMF sources or minimizing our exposure to EMF.

Here are eight practical ideas to get you started:

1. Don’t work next to (or sleep next to) your wi-fi router. You may even want to turn it off at night or when it is not in use.
2. Avoid talking with your cell phone pressed to your head – use the speaker phone option or a lower power option like a Bluetooth headset (keeping in mind that Bluetooth is still an EMF generating device).
3. Don’t carry your cell phone in a pocket next to your chest – there are studies linking EMF to heart arrhythmias and other heart malfunctions.
4. Avoid carrying your cell phone in the front pocket of your jeans – there are studies linking EMF to sperm mobility reduction.
5. Use a wired connection for your laptop rather than the wireless option.
6. Avoid using or standing close to your microwave oven. Yes, I know that industry says they are safe. But have you noticed that sometimes your wi-fi connection drops out when your microwave is on? That is because the microwave is generating EMF in the same frequency as your wi-fi and enough of it is escaping the microwave to interfere with your wi-fi signal!
7. Take a magnesium supplement because magnesium is a natural calcium channel blocker.
8. Activate your Nrf2 pathway by eating cruciferous vegetables and omega 3 fats. Nrf2 enables intercellular antioxidants which can help counteract the affects of the free radicals enabled by EMF.

Take Action

As per the disclaimer above, I am not a doctor or a biochemist. My intent with this post is to nudge you a little so you pay more attention to your health. You, your family, your business, and your employees will benefit!

Finally, review these articles for other health tips:

• How Elite Executives Beat Burnout
• Is Your Low Fat Diet Killing You?
• Brain Maker
• Tripping Over the Truth
• Reduce EMF Exposure
• Electromagnetic Fields Harmful Effects

“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to care for his tools.” Spanish Proverb

 

We work with leaders to identify and focus on the number one thing that will grow their business!

Call or email us today for more information or to book your free business assessment: 

587-227-5179

info@thinkingbusinessblog.com 

Be sure to download a free copy of my new Ebook: 12 Steps to Business Transformation and to sign up at www.thinkingbusinessblog.com for weekly blog updates delivered to your inbox.

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