The ethics of AI in small businesses: Balancing automation with authenticity

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become an indispensable tool for small businesses, offering efficiency, scalability, and creativity that were once unimaginable. I myself lean on AI daily for my business, from crafting marketing strategies to streamlining workflows and even prioritising my to-do lists. It's a lifeline for business owners juggling countless responsibilities.

But as AI adoption grows, so does the question of ethics. How much AI is too much? When does using it cross the line from being a helpful assistant to eroding trust with your audience?

As someone who values the connection, authenticity, and storytelling that small businesses bring to the table, I think it’s vital to explore the ethical boundaries of AI in your business strategy.

Small businesses thrive on human connection

Small businesses stand apart from big corporations because of their humanity. Customers often choose small businesses because they feel a genuine connection with the brand - whether it’s through the founder’s story, the personal touches in customer interactions, or the authenticity of the product or service.

But over-relying on AI risks stripping away what makes your brand unique. No matter how advanced AI becomes, it can’t replicate the lived experiences, emotions, and authenticity that resonate with your audience.

I learned this firsthand when I recently signed up for an online course about personal branding, created by someone I had previously admired for their transparency and expertise. To my disappointment, much of the course content was clearly AI-generated. I am the first to advocate for AI being an amazing tool for brainstorming or structuring ideas, but using AI to write what seemed like 90% of the course material crossed the line for me. Why would I pay for something that I could generate myself with a few good ChatGPT prompts? Overusing AI strips away that human connection, and can harm your business by making it feel impersonal and inauthentic.

The importance of trust in small business

Building trust with your customers is essential, especially when you’re starting out. AI can support your business in incredible ways, but it can also introduce risks if used carelessly. For example:

• Mistakes and inaccuracies: AI-generated content isn’t always reliable. If you rely on it for your website copy or marketing materials without fact-checking, you could end up publishing incorrect or misleading information. This is especially detrimental if you're looking to establish yourself as an industry expert.

• Loss of voice: AI tools generate content based on patterns and trends, which can result in bland, generic outputs that don’t reflect your brand’s unique tone or personality.

While AI can save time and provide inspiration, it’s critical to use it as a supporting tool rather than a primary driver of your brand’s communication.

When and how to disclose your AI use?

Transparency is non-negotiable when it comes to AI-generated content. Whether you’re using AI to help design your website, create product imagery, or craft content, disclosure should be part of your strategy.

And whilst platforms aren't quite there with being able to automatically tag any content as 'AI-generated' (I'm not sure we'll ever get ahead of the advancements enough to do this effectively!), I do believe the responsibility sits with business owners to be transparent.

But where do we draw the line? For me personally, I don't feel the need to disclose where I've used AI to speed up my ways of working. For example, I don't typically disclose the use of AI in these tasks:

• Brainstorming: Especially for workshops, I find AI tools great for coming up with new ways to host workshops, icebreaker games to play that are relevant to the company, or new ways to raise a subject.

• FAQ generation: After designing a page for a client, I sometimes put the content through an AI tool to ask it what questions it may still want answering about the service/ business before it would reach out to the company. I use these answers to understand potential gaps in my content, or to know what FAQ's to include at the bottom of the page.

• Running my business: I use ChatGPT in particular to help ideate topics for social media content, prioritise my to-do list and write SMART goals for myself. But as none of that's ever client facing, I don't feel a need to tell my clients that.

But here's a few examples of where I do think disclosure matters:

• Marketing and website content: If you’re relying heavily on AI-generated content for blog posts or social media posts, let your audience know. This can be as simple as a footnote or a brief mention in your copy.

• Product imagery: AI can be great for creating stylised backgrounds or enhancing visuals, but using it to generate fake product images is a line you shouldn’t cross. You don't need AI to generate a picture of your design on a t-shirt, when you could just take a photo of the finished product itself.

• Courses and educational content: If AI plays a significant role in creating a course or resource, acknowledge it. Your audience will appreciate the honesty and effort you’ve put into curating and refining the content.

Striking the Right Balance

Ultimately, I think the key to ethical AI use lies in balance. Use AI to enhance your creativity and efficiency, but don’t let it replace the human touch that makes your business special.

If you do use AI in your business, then make sure you:

1. Fact-check everything! Nothing strips away your credibility like an inaccurate AI stat.

2. Add in your perspective. Try to build on AI suggestions with your own knowledge and expertise.

3. Stay transparent. There's nothing wrong with using AI. If anything, you're behind the curve if you're not. But be upfront about where and how you use AI in your business if it plays a significant role in delivering your products or services.

4. Keep it human. Use AI wherever you can for brainstorming, initial drafts and research. But reserve those final touches for yourself.

AI has the power to transform small businesses, but it's not a substitute for authenticity. And exactly what the right balance is when it comes to AI is very subjective.

I'd encourage us all to continually think about the ethics of how we are using AI tools in our work. Balancing both the need for automation and the need to keep our human authenticity can help us continue to grow this technology whilst still keeping customers at the heart of our businesses.

And if you're looking for a real human to work with to shape your business and website strategy? Then check out my Business Blueprint Service to see what I can do for you.