Improving Access to AI Tools

𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟰% 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. Reflecting on the early 2000s dot-com boom, I saw large businesses embrace the internet while many small businesses, particularly minority-owned, were left grappling with uncertainty. Today, as I observe the rise of AI, it feels like history is repeating itself. Over the last two years, conversations with small business owners across Queens and Long Island reveal a common theme: a curiosity about AI coupled with uncertainty on where to begin. They see the headlines but lack a clear roadmap. This hesitation poses a risk, especially for minority-owned businesses already facing systemic barriers. If we do not act now, this gap will only grow, further marginalizing these communities in the AI revolution. As a tech CEO, I recognize the transformative potential of AI to enhance small business operations—from increasing productivity to elevating customer service. However, adoption is crucial. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗬𝗖’𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: NYC Department of Small Business Services Queens Chamber of Commerce Queens Economic Development Corporation Greater Jamaica Development Corporation → 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀: Educate small businesses—especially minority-owned ones—on how AI can directly enhance their operations and spur growth. → 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: Facilitate free or subsidized access to AI tools tailored to their needs. → 𝗜𝗻-𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Organize community sessions to demystify AI and provide hands-on support. → 𝗢𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Commit to monthly AI workshops across NYC for the next year to build momentum. AI is not just for Silicon Valley giants; it’s for local restaurants, beauty salons, and family-run shops in our neighborhoods. Without intentional action, we risk sidelining the very entrepreneurs who enrich our communities. Let’s strive for AI adoption that is equitable, accessible, and inclusive for everyone. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗽? 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. #AIForBusiness #SmallBusinessSupport #MinorityOwnedBusinesses #NYCBusiness #InclusiveInnovation

Throwing AI tools at your team without a plan is like giving them a Ferrari without driving lessons. AI only drives impact if your workforce knows how to use it effectively. After: 1-defining objectives 2-assessing readiness 3-piloting use cases with a tiger team Step 4 is about empowering the broader team to leverage AI confidently. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) research and Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model show that high-impact AI adoption is 80% about people, 20% about tech. Here’s how to make that happen: 1️⃣ Environmental Supports: Build the Framework for Success -Clear Guidance: Define AI’s role in specific tasks. If a tool like Momentum.io automates data entry, outline how it frees up time for strategic activities. -Accessible Tools: Ensure AI tools are easy to use and well-integrated. For tools like ChatGPT create a prompt library so employees don’t have to start from scratch. -Recognition: Acknowledge team members who make measurable improvements with AI, like reducing response times or boosting engagement. Recognition fuels adoption. 2️⃣ Empower with Tiger Team Champions -Use Tiger/Pilot Team Champions: Leverage your pilot team members as champions who share workflows and real-world results. Their successes give others confidence and practical insights. -Role-Specific Training: Focus on high-impact skills for each role. Sales might use prompts for lead scoring, while support teams focus on customer inquiries. Keep it relevant and simple. -Match Tools to Skill Levels: For non-technical roles, choose tools with low-code interfaces or embedded automation. Keep adoption smooth by aligning with current abilities. 3️⃣ Continuous Feedback and Real-Time Learning -Pilot Insights: Apply findings from the pilot phase to refine processes and address any gaps. Updates based on tiger team feedback benefit the entire workforce. -Knowledge Hub: Create an evolving resource library with top prompts, troubleshooting guides, and FAQs. Let it grow as employees share tips and adjustments. -Peer Learning: Champions from the tiger team can host peer-led sessions to show AI’s real impact, making it more approachable. 4️⃣ Just in Time Enablement -On-Demand Help Channels: Offer immediate support options, like a Slack channel or help desk, to address issues as they arise. -Use AI to enable AI: Create customGPT that are task or job specific to lighten workload or learning brain load. Leverage NotebookLLM. -Troubleshooting Guide: Provide a quick-reference guide for common AI issues, empowering employees to solve small challenges independently. AI’s true power lies in your team’s ability to use it well. Step 4 is about support, practical training, and peer learning led by tiger team champions. By building confidence and competence, you’re creating an AI-enabled workforce ready to drive real impact. Step 5 coming next ;) Ps my next podcast guest, we talk about what happens when AI does a lot of what humans used to do… Stay tuned.

Build AI applications right where you manage your code. With GitHub Models, now more than 100 million developers can access and experiment with top AI models where their workflow is—directly on GitHub. From the early days of the home computer, the dominant mode of creation for developers has long been building, customizing, and deploying software with code. Today, in the age of AI, a secondary and equally important mode of creation is rapidly emerging: the ability to leverage machine learning models. Increasingly, developers are building generative AI applications where the full stack contains backend and frontend code plus one or more machine learning models. With GitHub Models, developers can now explore these models on github.com, integrate them into their dev environment in Codespaces and VS Code, and leverage them during CI/CD in Actions – all simply with their GitHub account and free entitlements. GitHub Models also marks another transformational journey of GitHub. From the creation of AI through open source collaboration, to the creation of software with the power of AI, to enabling the rise of the AI engineer with GitHub Models – GitHub is the creator network for the age of AI. In the years ahead, we will continue to democratize access to AI technologies to generate a groundswell of one billion developers. By doing so, we will enable 10% of the world’s population to build and advance breakthroughs that will accelerate human progress for all.