Beyond taming: 5 ways to make AI actually earn its keep

The honeymoon phase with AI is officially over. Those early days of marvelling at ChatGPT's ability to write anything about everything have given way to a more sobering reality: most AI-generated content still sounds suspiciously like it was written by someone who's never actually run a business.

While the digital marketing world continues its breathless proclamations about the AI revolution, practical business owners are quietly asking more nuanced questions. Not "Can AI write?" but "Can AI write something worth reading?" Not "Will this save time?" but "Will this actually connect with customers?"

The difference between AI that impresses your colleagues and AI that genuinely moves your business forward often comes down to 5 deceptively simple practices. These aren't technical wizardries or complex prompt engineering marathons. They're practical applications that acknowledge a fundamental truth: the most powerful AI tool is still useless without clear human direction.