The AI Train Has Left the Station — Is Your Business on Board?

Credit: Getty Images by BlackJack3D

Suppose you’re unfamiliar with artificial intelligence (AI) and the ways it is creeping into every facet of our business and personal lives. In that case, you’re probably a time traveler from the past, and we should sit down and have a long conversation over a cup of coffee. But unless someone really intends to shock me at PRINTING United Expo this year, AI isn’t anything you haven’t heard of, and in fact, you’ve probably already started experimenting with it in some shape or form.

But playing around with prompts in ChatGPT, or using Siri or Gemini to automate a few tasks, is a far cry from implementing AI in a meaningful way into your business model. As the technology continues to change and evolve rapidly, however, that is precisely what it will take to remain profitable and successful in the years to come.

And your peers agree. The PRINTING United Alliance research report, “AI Adoption in Printing: From Curiosity to Competitive Advantage,” which launches at the show — make sure to pick up a copy at the AI Pavilion, Booth 4255 — 85% of printers agree AI is critical for competitiveness, with 83% seeing it as a source of new opportunities.

That said, AI is still in its infancy as a technology, and printers of all sizes and types are trying to figure out how to make the most of it. Generative AI for creating images and copy leads the pack, with 57% of respondents using it for that purpose. That said, everything from marketing personalization and customer support to forecasting and risk management made the list. It’s a broad list of applications, one that will only grow longer as the technology evolves and adapts.

Beyond the Numbers

Data points, however, only tell part of the story. We talked to two printers who are embracing AI and finding new ways to incorporate it into their businesses.

For Brian Adam, president of Olympus Group — based in Milwaukee, with locations in Orlando, Florida; Denver; Las Vegas; and Grand Rapids, Michigan — AI has become part of his daily routine.

“I use various AI tools daily to write better emails, summarize key meetings, identify prospects, analyze data, and even decide what to cook the kids for dinner or where to take our next family vacation,” Adam says. “My main tools are ChatGPT, Fathom, Limitless, and Replit.”

Brian Hite, principal and co-founder of Foothill Ranch, California-based Image Options, uses a similar set of tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Replit, and Perplexity. He notes that while they don’t have a formal initiative, they are using it far more expansively.

“We have not set up a dedicated AI initiative, but have encouraged staff to explore AI tools and education specific to their roles in the business,” Hite says. “We have been using AI tools for estimating, proposal creation and response, design iterations of concepts we create, various reporting functions within accounting, correspondence, and marketing, all to an exploratory degree.”

As you might expect, results have been mixed, but overall, both agree they have been positive. Hite notes, “What we have achieved so far has been extremely exciting with both the amount of time saved on tasks, and the speed with which we are able to respond to customer requests for those areas we are exploring.”

For Adam, “Results depend on the task — and how good my prompt/use of the tool is. AI is excellent for sharpening emails, summarizing meetings, and more. However, I haven’t found strong tools for creating presentations, integrating directly with my email, and sometimes Chat’s search results are inaccurate — even for basic requests.”

That echoes the challenges most have found with AI, with hallucinations being one of the top reasons people hesitate to adopt these tools. After all, data you can’t trust isn’t going to help move your business forward. These challenges, however, will be solved in time, with the top minds in technology working on improving the results and making AI more powerful to handle much more complex tasks reliably.

Immediate improvements on Hite’s radar are: “Internally, our ability to dedicate the necessary resources to AI to fully benefit from what it is capable of within the business for streamlining and automating processes. Externally, having a print-specific subject matter expert available capable of looking at the operations and software platform used to advise and instruct/train us on the best approach and areas of ‘low-hanging fruit’ to begin.”

He continues, “The ideal ultimate AI tool would be one that makes the business more productive, customers and employees more satisfied, and creates customers and sales revenue for the business.”

Adam, on the other hand, does think there are a lot of great tools out there — it’s about finding the time to really understand how they work, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each. “Right now, we’re rolling out pre-flight automation, evaluating AI video creation, and testing our ERP’s new AI capabilities,” he notes. But, when it comes to tools he’s tried that just didn’t make the cut, “I didn’t care for Read AI for meeting notes, Copilot wasn’t a good fit, I couldn’t get comfortable with Beautiful.ai for presentations, and I’ve tested multiple video generation tools with limited success. Ease of use was the main barrier — if I couldn’t get up to speed within 15-20 minutes, I moved on, but that has more to do with my impatience.”

So what advice do they offer for those who remain skeptical of AI?

“Start experimenting with the tools, read articles and papers from PRINTING United Alliance, watch YouTube videos, attend seminars, and follow podcasts on AI,” Hite says. “Start small: Begin with one or two tools that address immediate needs, using examples provided before expanding. Focus on training, invest in training for staff to ensure they can effectively use new tools. And regularly assess the return on investment for AI tools to ensure they are delivering value.”

Adam has similar advice. “Start small — start with ChatGPT,” he says. “If you’re unsure how to use it, describe your job to it and ask it to interview you. Then have it suggest where AI could make the biggest impact for you.”

The proverbial AI train has left the station, and there is no going back. Those who find ways to embrace it and use it to improve their businesses will be the ones to succeed, and those who continue to hesitate to adopt and learn the tools will struggle to remain relevant in the world of tomorrow. So that raises the question: Are you going to be at the front of the pack, or are you going to be left behind?